Recent advances of asymmetric catalytic transformations of alkylidene Meldrum's acid derivatives

Amongst the electron-deficient alkene derivatives, as molecular platforms widely used in organic synthesis, the readily available alkylidene Meldrum's acid derivatives hold a unique place due to the high electrophilicity and chemical versatility of the 1,3-dioxan-4,6-dione moiety. This short review intends to give an overview of recent advances in the asymmetric catalytic transformation of alkylidene Meldrum's acids into valuable chiral heterocycles, evolving from seminal investigations into C-C bond construction from the alkene moiety, to more recent enantioselective C-N and C-S bond formation, vinylogous processes, and the exploitation of the reactivity of the 1,3-dioxan-4,6-dione moiety to develop efficient annulation sequences.