Hypervalent Iodine Reagent-Mediated Selective Vinyl C-H Amidation of 4-Alkoxystyrenes with Diarylsulfonimides for Preparation of Enamides

A selective vinyl C-H amidation of 4-alkoxystyrenes with diarylsulfonimides has been developed for preparation of enamides. The reaction was mediated by a hypervalent iodine reagent through a radical dearomatization/aromatization process. It proceeded under metal-free, mild and neutral conditions with good air and moisture tolerance, providing the highly regioselective enamide products in moderate to good yields.