Direct Chemoselective Allylation of Inert Amide Carbonyls

Direct allylation of inert amide carbonyls utilizing the Schwartz reagent afforded either substituted tertiary or secondary amines. A preactivation step was successfully avoided, which is generally a requisite to increase the electrophilicity of amides. The reaction exhibited remarkable functional group tolerance and proceeded even in the presence of methyl esters and nitro groups.