Functionalized 1,3-diene derivatives have been prepared by regioselective allylation of various nucleophiles with 1,3-dienic carbonates in the presence of a (N,O-carboxylate) allylruthenium precatalyst.

A mild protocol has been developed for the Pd(II)-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of terminal olefins to produce α,β-unsaturated esters with a wide range of substrates. Key features are the use of MeCN as solvent (and/or ligand) to control the reactivity of the intermediate Pd complexes and the combination of CO with O2, which facilitates the Cu(II)-mediated reoxidation of the Pd(0) complex to Pd(II) and prevents double carbonylation.

An expedient procedure for catalytic oxidative azo-ene cyclization of allylic and homoallylic 1,2-hydrazinedicarboxylates is reported. The reaction produced a wide range of cyclic carbamate derivatives featuring an appended alkene fragment ready for further functionalization.