Nickel-Catalyzed Linear-Selective C–H Alkylation of N-Heteroarenes with Unactivated α-Olefins

We herein describe the nickel-catalyzed C2–H alkylation of benzothiazoles with unactivated α-olefins by using the Ni(IPr^*OMe)[P(OEt)₃]Br₂/Mg catalytic system in which a variety of linear alkylated benzothiazoles with high regioselectivity were formed under mild reaction conditions. This transformation showed good compatibility to unactivated α-olefins bearing various functional groups, such as esters, acetals, silyl ethers, amines, silanes, and boronate esters. Furthermore, this transformation is also suitable to other typical N-heteroarenes including thiazoles, benzimidazoles, quinazolones, uracils, pyridines, caffeines, and indoles. Thus, this work provides rapid access to diverse linear alkylated N-heteroarenes with good step and atom economy.