Metal-free and base-free decarboxylation of substituted cinnamic acids in a deep eutectic solvent

A metal-free and base-free strategy was developed in DES to synthesize styrenes for the first time by decarboxylation of cinnamic acid derivatives, which provided a renewable and cost efficiently protocol to access various styrenes including those with functional groups such as 4-vinylphenol and 1-chloro-4-vinylbenzene.