Olefin-Assisted Iron-Catalyzed Alkylation of Aryl Chlorides

A selective and operationally simple iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl chlorides with alkylmagnesium halides has been developed. The reaction tolerates various functional groups and exhibits high chemoselectivity even in the presence of aryl bromides. Mechanistic studies indicate the essential role of the olefin substituent for substrate activation. Competing polymerization and reduction are effectively suppressed.