Palladium-catalyzed bisfunctionalization of active alkenes by β-acetonitrile-α-allyl addition: application to the synthesis of unsymmetric 1,4-di(organo)fullerene derivatives

A new, efficient palladium-catalyzed bisfunctionalization of ethylidene malononitriles by addition of acetonitrile and allyl groups is developed for the construction of all-carbon quarternary and tertiary centers simultaneously. This methodology is successfully applied to the synthesis of unsymmetric 1,4-disubstituted C60.