Asymmetric dual catalysis via fragmentation of a single rhodium precursor complex?

Chemical Communications Pub Date: 2016-05-24 DOI: 10.1039/C6CC03157A

Abstract

A strategy for dual transition metal catalysis and organocatalysis is reported via the in situ disintegration of a single rhodium complex. The hereby generated chiral Lewis acid and L-β-phenylalanine synergistically catalyze the Michael addition of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to α,β-unsaturated 2-acyl imidazoles under the formation of vicinal quaternary/tertiary stereocenters. Conveniently, the chiral-at-metal rhodium catalyst can be synthesized in just two steps starting from rhodium trichloride without the need for any chromatography.

Graphical abstract: Asymmetric dual catalysis via fragmentation of a single rhodium precursor complex
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