A method has been developed for the α-tertiary alkylation of zirconium enolates of N-(arylacetyl)oxazolidinones. This reaction directly installs an all-carbon quaternary center vicinal to a benzylic tertiary carbon in a highly diastereoselective manner.
Keywords: alkylation; asymmetric synthesis; chiral auxiliary; oxazolidinones; quaternary carbon; zirconium enolates.