Double arylation of allyl alcohol via a one-pot Heck arylation-isomerization-acylation cascade.

A one-pot, two-step catalytic protocol has been developed. A regloselective Heck coupling between aryl bromides and allyl alcohol leads to the generation of arylated allyl alcohols that in situ isomerize to give aldehydes, which then undergo an acylation reaction with a second aryl bromide. A variety of aryl bromides can be employed in both the initial Heck reaction and the acylation, providing easy access to a wide variety of substituted dihydrochalcones.