Citation: Jianyi Shi, Chengyi Peng, Jiali Qiu, Shuanglong Li, Wenyan Zhao, Xiang Sun, Shikai Xiang, Yandong Wu, Wenhan Xu, Fei Pan, Linxing Zhang, Fei Ye. Cobalt-catalyzed regiodivergent hydroalkenylation of alkenes[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(9): 112824. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112824 shu

Cobalt-catalyzed regiodivergent hydroalkenylation of alkenes

Jianyi Shi ^{a, b} ,
Chengyi Peng ^b ,
Jiali Qiu ^b ,
Shuanglong Li ^b ,
Wenyan Zhao ^b ,
Xiang Sun ^c ,
Shikai Xiang ^a ,
Yandong Wu ^b ,
Wenhan Xu ^b ,
Fei Pan ^{a, *,} ,
Linxing Zhang ^{d, *,} ,
Fei Ye ^{b, *,}

a.
College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610067, China
b.
Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
c.
Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
d.
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China

feipan@sicnu.edu.cn

linxing.zhang@hubu.edu.cn

yef@ccnu.edu.cn

Received Date: 23 December 2025
Revised Date: 15 April 2026
Accepted Date: 22 April 2026
Available Online: 23 April 2026

Figures(7)

The direct hydroalkenylation of alkenes represents the most straightforward method for constructing C(sp²)-C(sp³) bonds. However, controlling chemo- and regioselectivity between two different alkenes remains a fundamental challenge. Herein, we developed a cobalt-catalyzed system to regioselectively ligate electron-deficient alkenes with electron-rich alkenes. The in-situ generated Co^Ⅲ-H activate electron-deficient alkenes through a Markovnikov or anti-Markovnikov manner, to form linear or branched alkylcobalt species as key intermediate, which can successfully achieve regiodivergent hydroalkenylation of acrylates and analogs. The method demonstrates a broad substrate scope and functional group compatibility. Origin of regioselectivity control by the cobalt catalyst has been elucidated through mechanistic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
- Regiodivergent synthesis,
- Hydroalkenylation,
- Chemoselectivity,
- Cobalt catalysis,
- Alkenes
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