Ruthenium-Catalyzed Heck-Type Alkenylation of Alkyl Bromides

The complex [Cp*RuCl­(PPh3)2] displays a high catalytic activity for the Heck-type alkenylation of alkyl bromides in the first example using this metal under thermal conditions. The coupling reaction proceeds efficiently with a variety of functionalized tertiary, secondary, and primary alkyl bromides. The presence of Hünig’s base has been revealed to be crucial for this transformation. Preliminary mechanistic studies support the participation of alkyl radicals in the reaction.