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Updated: Jun 13, 2025

Facile Preparation of 2Z,4E-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Copper-Catalyzed Radical Enantioconvergent C─O Bond Formation for Asymmetric Cross-Coupling of Allylamines and CO2
Xiaoyan Li1,2, Hongli Xue1, Shuyu Yang1
1Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, 350002, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Upgrading abundant carbon dioxide (CO2) into high-value organic molecules has garnered broad research interest for decades. Within this domain, catalytic asymmetric synthesis employing CO2 holds great synthetic importance. Although remarkable advances have been made in asymmetric C─C bond formation using CO2 as a C1 synthon in recent years, the development of incorporation of CO2 as an oxygen source for asymmetric C─O bond construction remains elusive, presumably due to the formidable challenge of simultaneously addressing enantioselectivity control and reaction efficiency. Here, we demonstrate the first copper-catalyzed asymmetric C─O bond cross-coupling of allylamines and CO2 in a radical strategy. The key innovation resides in the rational and strategic conversion of C2-symmetric oxazoline ligands to their C1-symmetric counterparts, which induces additional C─N axial chirality after coordination with copper. The resultant enantioenriched fluoroalkylated 2-oxazolidones can be further transformed into diverse functional compounds, including novel chiral amino alcohols for oxazoline ligand design and a potent bioactive insecticide analogue. Detailed mechanistic investigations elucidate a radical-mediated pathway and establish the critical role of C1-symmetric ligands in achieving efficient stereochemical control.
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