Palladium-catalyzed regioselective Heck arylation of the electron-rich olefins, vinyl ethers
1a-
d, enamides
1e-
g, and allyltrimethylsilane
1h, has been accomplished in imidazolium ionic liquids with awide range of aryl bromides and iodides instead of the commonly used, but commercially unavailable andexpensive, aryl triflates. The reaction proceeded with high efficiency and remarkable regioselectivity withoutthe need for costly or toxic halide scavengers, leading exclusively to substitution by aryl groups of diverseelectronic and steric properties at the olefinic carbon
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
to the heteroatom of
1a-
g and
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
to the heteroatomof
1h. In contrast, the arylation reaction in molecular solvents led to mixtures of regioisomers under similarconditions. Several lines of evidence point to the unique regiocontrol stemming from the ionic environmentprovided by the ionic liquid that alters the reaction pathway. The chemistry provides a simple, effectivemethod for preparing branched, arylated olefins and contributes to the extension of Heck reaction to awider range of substrates.