Asymmetric cascade reaction to allylic sulfonamides from allylic alcohols by palladium(II)/base-catalyzed rearrangement of allylic carbamates.

A regio- and enantioselective tandem reaction is reported capable of directly transforming readily accessible achiral allylic alcohols into chiral sulfonyl-protected allylic amines. The reaction is catalyzed by the cooperative action of a chiral ferrocene palladacycle and a tertiary amine base and combines high step-economy with operational simplicity (e.g. no need for inert-gas atmosphere or catalyst activation). Mechanistic studies support a Pd(II)-catalyzed [3,3] rearrangement of allylic carbamates--generated in situ from the allylic alcohol and an isocyanate--as the key step, which is followed by a decarboxylation.