Amide-Directed, Rhodium-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective Hydroacylation of Internal Alkenes with Unfunctionalized Aldehydes

J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Jan 10;146(1):723-732. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c10609. Epub 2023 Dec 20.

Abstract

Despite the current progress achieved in asymmetric hydroacylations, highly enantioselective catalytic addition of unfunctionalized aldehydes to internal alkenes remains an unsolved challenge. Here, using a coordination-assisted strategy, we developed a rhodium-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective addition of unfunctionalized aldehydes to internal alkenes such as enamides and β,γ-unsaturated amides. Valuable α-amino ketones and 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds were directly obtained with high enantioselectivity from readily available materials.