Iridium‐Catalyzed α‐C–H Alkenylation of Alkylamines with Alkynes Followed by Alkene Isomerization Into Enamines

The iridium‐catalyzed intermolecular α ‐C–H alkenylation of N ‐methyl‐2‐aminopyridine derivatives proceeds via alkene isomerization to give the corresponding enamines. The reaction is efficiently catalyzed by a cationic iridium catalyst under mild reaction conditions. The same catalytic system can also be applied to the intramolecular C–H addition to alkynes to give cyclic ketones after hydrolysis of the corresponding enamines.