Enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed C-C bond activations
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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Facile Preparation of (2Z,4E)-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Tobias Seiser1, Nicolai Cramer
1Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, ETH Zürich.
Abstract:
The catalytic activation of carbon-carbon single bonds represents a major challenge in organometallic chemistry. Strained ring substrates occupy in this respect a privileged role as their inherent ring strain facilitates the desired metal insertion. Employing symmetrically substituted tert-cyclobutanols, an enantioselective rhodium(I)-catalyzed beta-carbon elimination creates alkyl-rhodium species bearing all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers. Downstream reactions enable access to a wide range of synthetically versatile products such as substituted cyclohexenones, lactones and indanols with excellent enantioselectivities of up to 99% ee.
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