Diboron-promoted iron-catalyzed denitrative vinylation of β-nitrostyrenes with cycloketoximes.

We have developed a new iron-catalyzed ring opening alkenylation of cycloketoximes with β-nitrostyrenes for the facile synthesis of flexible distal cyanoalkyl alkenes. Both non-active strained cycloketoximes and less-strained cycloketoximes could be coupled with β-nitrostyrenes with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity under base-free redox-neutral conditions. The diboron reagent played an irreplaceable role in this transformation. A reasonable radical-mediated process could be involved in this catalytic cycle.