Oxidative Coupling of Primary Benzamide with Alkenes via <i>o</i>-CH Activation Mediated by Cu(II)/Ru(II)

A selective <i>ortho</i>-olefination of primary amides yields valuable motifs for pharmaceuticals. Primary amide-directed <i>ortho</i>-olefination of benzamide using unactivated alkenes was successfully conducted with a ruthenium(II) catalyst. The established protocol demonstrates efficacy across various benzamides, achieving moderate to good yields with high functional group tolerance. Furthermore, the transformation of <i>ortho</i>-olefinated amides into five-membered lactams highlights their synthetic applicability in the pharmaceutical sector.