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Updated: Oct 1, 2025

Efficient Synthesis of All-Carbon Quaternary Centers via the Conjugate Addition of Functionalized Monoorganozinc Bromides
Published on: May 26, 2019
Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Aryl/Alkenyl-Cyano Cyclization Coupling to All-Carbon Quaternary
Zi-Hao Chen1, Rui-Ze Sun1, Fei Yao1
1Sauvage Center for Molecular Sciences, Engineering Research Center of Organosilicon Compounds & Materials (Ministry of Education), and College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China.
Abstract:
An enantioselective nickel-catalyzed intramolecular reductive cross-coupling of C(sp2) electrophiles and cyano groups is reported. Enantioenriched CN-containing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters are assembled by desymmetrizing cyclization of aryl/alkenyl halide-tethered malononitriles. The use of an organic reductant, (EtO)2MeSiH, is crucial to the enantioselectivity and reactivity. Applications of the method are demonstrated through the synthesis of bioactive molecules and their cyanated analogues and the total synthesis of the natural product diomuscinone. This study exhibits the potential of desymmetrizing reductive coupling strategies to access structurally rigid and synthetically versatile molecules from readily available starting materials.
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