Direct Allylic Functionalization Through Pd-Catalyzed C-H Activation

After a brief introduction emphasizing the synthetic relevance of the allylic C-H activation step, evoking the first pioneering stoichiometric studies that sowed the seeds of this subject, and analyzing similarities and differences between a classical and a direct Pd-catalyzed allylation process, this review outlines some selected examples of palladium-catalyzed direct allylic functionalization. This old reaction, ignored for many years, is now living a new and exciting era.