A simple salt free and selective N‐allylation of indoles with allylic alcohols has been developed. The protocol uses a catalytic amount of a nickel complex generated in situ from Ni(cod)2 and dppf as diphosphine. The use of DMSO as the reaction solvent is crucial to control the regioselectivity of the reaction with the exclusive formation of the N‐allyl product among up to three possible products.

2-oxindoles and 2-coumaranones could be selectively allylated in the presence of low cost catalysts based on nickel leading selectively to different polysubstituted derivatives. Allylic alcohol was used as allylating reagent...