Dienyl Homoallyl Alcohols via Palladium Catalyzed Ene-Type Reaction of Aldehydes with 1,3-Dienes

The combination of Pd catalyst and Xantphos ligand in the presence of Et₃B nicely promotes the allylation of aldehydes with conjugated dienes to provide dienyl homoallyl alcohols in excellent yields. The reaction occurs selectively at the C−C double bond bearing higher electron density.