Palladium-catalysed desulphonylative vinylation of arenesulphonyl chlorides under solid–liquid phase-transfer conditions

The reaction of arenesulphonyl chlorides (1a–n) with butyl acrylate (2a) in the presence of a catalytic amount of bis(benzonitrile)dichloropalladium [PdCl2(PhCN)2] under solid–liquid phase-transfer conditions gave the corresponding butyl (E)-3-arylprop-2-enoates (3a–n) in good yield. The alkenes (2b–g) could also be used in place of (2a).