Asymmetric decarboxylative allylation of oxindoles.

An asymmetric decarboxylative palladium-catalyzed allylation of alkyl- and aryl-substituted oxindoles has been developed, enabling the installation of an all-carbon quaternary chiral center at the oxindole 3-position in excellent yields and good to excellent enantioselectivity. An intriguing substrate-dependent reversal in stereoselectivity has been observed, whereby the size of the substituent determines the facial selectivity in the allylation step.