Chiral multifunctional thiourea-phosphine catalyzed asymmetric [3 + 2] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates with maleimides

Abstract

We have developed a multifunctional thiourea-phosphine catalyzed asymmetric [3 + 2] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates with maleimides, which can efficiently construct functionalized cyclopentenes bearing three contiguous stereocenters in moderate to excellent yields and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. A plausible mechanism has been also proposed on the basis of control experiments and previous literature. © 2012 Deng et al; licensee Beilstein-Institut.