Controlling stereoselectivity with the aid of a reagent-directing group: hydroformylation, cuprate addition, and domino reaction sequences

The specific introduction of an appropriately designed reagent-directing group into an organic substrate allows the more efficient use of substrate direction to allow high levels of acyclic stereocontrol in both rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation and cuprate addition to enoates. This provides access to major building blocks of the polyketide class of natural products. Incorporation of these directed reactions into sequential transformations holds promise for new particularly efficient synthetic methods.