Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Selective ortho-Olefinations of N-Acyl and N-Aroyl Sulfoximines by C-H Bond Activation

Two new rhodium-catalyzed oxidative couplings between sulfoximine derivatives and alkenes by regioselective CH activation, affording ortho-olefinated (Heck-type) products, are reported. A synthetic application of the ortho-alkenylated products into the corresponding cyclic derivatives has been demonstrated, and a mechanistic rational for the rhodium catalysis is presented.