Chelation-assisted β-alkylation of α,β-unsaturated ketone using Rh(I) catalyst and dialkyl amine

A new Rh(I)-catalyzed β-alkylation of 4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one (1) was developed by utilizing diethylamine (5a) as a chelation-assistant tool. The key feature of this reaction is the vinyl CH activation driven by amine-assisted cyclometalation to give the β,γ-unsaturated ketones 7 as a major product.