Palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation with internal alkynes to construct C–C and C–N bonds in water

A palladium-catalyzed system enabled efficient allylic alkylation with alkynes in water has been developed. This reaction presents an environmentally friendly strategy for constructing lots of allylic compounds with indolinones, ketones, amines as well as electron-rich aromatic compounds as nucleophiles. Moreover, the in situ formed arylallene intermediate adopting alkynes as starting materials omits the need for leaving groups and extra oxidants, showing high atom economy. The versatility of the developed reaction also lends itself to the incorporation of deuteriums by simply replacing H2O with D2O.