Oxidative asymmetric umpolung alkylation of Evans' β-ketoimides using dialkylzinc nucleophiles

Org Biomol Chem. 2015 Mar 7;13(9):2546-9. doi: 10.1039/c4ob02601b.

Abstract

Umpolung alkylation of Evans' auxiliary substituted β-ketoimides affords the diastereomerically pure products in yields ranging from 40 to 80%. The reaction itself proceeds with diastereoselectivities between 3 : 1 and 18 : 1. Dialkylzinc serves as the nucleophile and umpolung of the β-keto-imide enolate is achieved by the action of Koser's reagent.