Palladium-catalyzed difunctionalization of enol ethers to amino acetals with aminals and alcohols.

A new strategy was developed for intercepting the palladium-alkyl species generated in Heck reaction via nucleophilic addition prior to the step of migratory insertion, which leads to a new palladium-catalyzed difunctionalization of enol ethers with aminals and alcohols to afford amino acetals. Mechanistic studies suggested that the cationic cyclometalated Pd(II) complex generated by the oxidative addition of aminal to a Pd(0) species was crucial for this unusual transformation.