Palladium-catalyzed allylic esterification via C-C bond cleavage of a secondary homoallyl alcohol.

Palladium-catalyzed allylic esterifications of secondary homoallyl alcohols with acids via sequential retro-allylation and esterification are demonstrated, affording the corresponding allyl ester in up to 99% yield. The electron effect of the substituent of the secondary alcohol was found to be crucial to the selective C-C bond cleavage.