Fig. 1. The significance of developing branched- and β-selective hydroalkylation of unactivated alkenes.

a Reported methods that involve anti-Markovnikov-selective hydroalkylation of aliphatic olefins. b Reported methods that involve Markovnikov-selective hydroalkylation of aliphatic olefins. c An attractive catalytic approach for Markovnikov- and β-selective olefin hydroalkylation takes advantage of haloalkanes to transfer the hydride and alkyl motif under mild reductive conditions without additional hydrosilane, acidic or basic additives. d The resulting hydroalkylation products are versatile building blocks that may be used to access biologically active molecules. R, functional group; Phth, phthaloyl; pyr., pyridinium; cat., catalyst.