An Efficient, Regio- and Stereoselective Palladium-Catalyzed Route to Tetrasubstituted Olefins

An efficient, regio- and stereoselective palladium-catalyzed route to tetrasubstituted olefins has been developed, which involves the intermolecular coupling of an aryl iodide, an internal alkyne, and an arylboronic acid. The reaction involves cis-addition of the aryl group from the aryl halide to the less hindered or less electron-poor end of the alkyne, while the aryl group from the arylboronic acid adds to the other end. [reaction: see text]