Palladium-catalysed synthesis of amidines and imidates

A novel palladium-catalysed three-component synthesis of alkenyl amidines and imidates from alkenyl bromides, isonitriles and amines or alcohols was developed. The amidine synthesis utilised CS2CO3 as the base and was limited to tert-buiyl isonitrile. In the imidate synthesis NaO'Bu was the base and different isonitriles were successfully utilised. The stereochemistry of the group in alkenyl bromide was retained in the product. The stereochemistry of the imine double bond in two of the amidines was shown to be the thermodynamically more stable (^-isomer by X- ray crystallography.