We report herein the enantioselectiveCu-catalyzed conjugate addition of organometallic reagents to sensitive Michael acceptors and their application to the synthesis of relevant target molecules. This is one of the most important methodologies to form a C-C bond in an enantioselective manner. A wide range of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes and beta,gamma-unsaturated-alpha-ketoesters has been successfully
The first asymmetric Cu-catalyzed conjugate addition of dialkylzinc zinc reagents to a large scope of enals in presence of phosphoramidite, SimplePhos, or (R)-BINAP ligands with enantiomeric excesses up to 90% is reported. Moreover, ACA of Grignard reagents afforded moderate to good 1,4-regioselectivities with enantioselectivities up to 90%.
Reactivity and regio- and enantioselectivities were strongly dependent on reaction conditions and substrates. Good to excellent regio- and enantioselectivities were obtained with zinc reagents R2Zn and aluminum reagents R3Al. However, the asymmetric conjugate addition of Grignard reagents afforded only moderate to good regio- and enantioselectivities. β-Substituted aldehydes constitute a very important