Iron-catalyzed nucleophilic substitution of allylic acetate

The combination of diiron nonacarbonyl and dimethylamine gives an active catalyst for displacement of allylic acetate by diethyl methylmalonate. It was found that among a series of amines, only dimethylamine and morpholine were efficient promoters of the reaction. Solvents such as dimethylformamide (DMF) and N-methylformamide were much superior to tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, and ethanol.