Enantioselective C-C bond cleavage creating chiral quaternary carbon centers.

[Structure: see text] A chiral all-carbon benzylic quaternary carbon center is created by the asymmetric intramolecular addition/ring-opening reaction of a boryl-substituted cyclobutanone, which involves enantioselective beta-carbon elimination from a symmetrical rhodium cyclobutanolate. The asymmetric reaction was successfully applied to a synthesis of sesquiterpene, (-)-alpha-herbertenol.