Palladium acetate-triarylphosphine complexes catalyze the addition of vinylic groups from vinylic halides to olefinic compounds in the presence of amines. Conju gated dienes are major products from α,β-unsaturated acids, esters, or nitriles while unactivated olefinic com pounds react best in the presence of secondary amines where allylic amines are major products. The reactions are usually regio-and stereospecific. The synthetic util ity of the reaction is illustrated with a wide variety of examples. P alladium-triarylphosphine complexes are catalysts for the reac tion of aryl, heterocyclic, benzyl, and vinylic halides with olefins and amines (I). The usual catalyst is a combination of pal ladium^) acetate with two equivalents of a triarylphosphine. The complex that is formed is reduced in situ in the reaction mixtures to an active Pd(0) phosphine complex (see Equations 1, 2, 3, and 4 which depict catalyst formation). This species then oxidatively adds the or ganic halide (see Equation 2) and the adduct in turn adds to the olefinic reactant (see Equation 3). The organic group adds mainly or often exclusively to the less-substituted olefinic carbon. This addition product is generally unstable because sp 3 carbon-hydrogen bonds usually will be in positions beta to the palladium group, and /3-hydride elimination of the palladium hydride group will occur. The elimina tion produces olefin-π-complexes initially. After dissociation or dis placement of the hydridopalladium halide group from the π complex, the hydride decomposes into the Pd(0) phosphine complex and hy drogen halide. The hydrogen halide is neutralized by the amine pres ent. The Pd(0) complex then reacts with the organic halide again and the cycle is repeated.