Nickel-catalyzed coupling of alkenes, aldehydes, and silyl triflates

A full account of two recently developed nickel-catalyzed coupling reactions of alkenes, aldehydes, and silyl triflates is presented. These reactions provide either allylic alcohol or homoallylic alcohol derivatives selectively, depending on the ligand employed. These processes are believed to be mechanistically distinct from Lewis acid-catalyzed carbonyl-ene reactions, and several lines of evidence supporting this hypothesis are discussed.