nucleophiles in asymmetric organometallic catalysis. Herein we describe the first rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric ring-opening reaction of P-ylides utilizing oxabicyclic alkenes as the electrophilic partner. Various P-ylides including ester-, ketone- and amide-style P-ylides are all applicable. This asymmetric reaction occurs through the cleavage of two bridgehead C-O bonds and the formation of two C-C bonds,
(1R,8S)-9. The reaction proceeds by a sequence of stereospecific steps from 5 to an equilibrating mixture of exo- and endo-isocyanates 6 and 7. The endo-isomer 7 undergoes Cope rearrangement to the putative intermediate 8, which is trapped and characterized as the adduct 9b of butan-1-ol. The absolute configuration of 9b was determined by itsreduction to the amide 20, and determination of the X-ray