Chiral-at-Metal Rh(III) Complex Catalyzed Cascade Reduction-Michael Addition Reaction

J Org Chem. 2019 Dec 6;84(23):15201-15211. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b02243. Epub 2019 Nov 8.

Abstract

An enantioselective three-component cascade reduction-Michael addition reaction catalyzed by chiral-at-metal Rh(III) complexes has been developed. With a Hantzsch ester as the hydride source, a number of malononitrile derivatives were prepared in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. A model that accounts for the origin and influence factors of the stereoselectivity has been proposed based on experiments.