An effective method has been developed for Rh(III)-catalyzed direct vinylation of arenes to give functionalized styrenes, using vinyltriethoxysilane as a convenient and inexpensive vinyl source. A wide variety of substrates, including 1-aryl-2-pyrrolidinones, anilines, benzamides and ketones, were compatible with this reaction. Moreover, this method can be applied to the two-step synthesis of functionalized indoles. Mechanistic investigation reveals that the reaction proba...
