Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.130, No.23, 7198-7198, 2008
Enantioselective thiourea-catalyzed additions to oxocarbenium ions
Asymmetric, catalytic reactions of oxocarbenium ions are reported. Simple, chiral urea and thiourea derivatives are shown to catalyze the enantioselective substitution of silyl ketene acetals onto 1-chloroisochromans. A mechanism involving anion binding by the chiral catalyst to generate a reactive oxocarbenium ion is invoked. Catalysts bearing tertiary benzylic amide groups afforded highest antioselectivities, with the optimal structure being derived from enantioenriched 2-arylpyrrolidine derivatives.