Hydromethylation of Unactivated Olefins

A solution
to the classic unsolved problem of olefin hydromethylation
is presented. This highly chemoselective method can tolerate labile
and reactive chemical functionalities and uses a simple set of reagents.
An array of olefins, including mono-, di-, and trisubstituted olefins,
are all smoothly hydromethylated. This mild protocol can be used to
simplify the synthesis of a specific target or to directly “edit”
complex natural products and other advanced materials. The method
is also amenable to the simple installation of radioactive and stable
labeled methyl groups.