Copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling of acids with alkanes involving dehydrogenation: facile access to allylic esters and alkylalkenes.

We here describe a new copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling of acids with alkanes for the selective synthesis of allylic esters and alkylalkenes. This method achieves multiple dehydrogenation and esterification, representing a new unactivated C(sp(3))-H oxidative esterification of acids with common alkanes.