anti-Diastereo- and enantioselective carbonyl crotylation from the alcohol or aldehyde oxidation level employing a cyclometallated iridium catalyst: alpha-methyl allyl acetate as a surrogate to preformed crotylmetal reagents.

Under the conditions of transfer hydrogenation employing an ortho-cyclometallated iridium catalyst generated in situ from [Ir(cod)Cl](2), 4-cyano-3-nitrobenzoic acid and the chiral phosphine ligand (S)-SEGPHOS, alpha-methyl allyl acetate couples to alcohols 1a-1j with complete levels of branched regioselectivity to furnish products of carbonyl crotylation 3a-3j, which are formed with good levels of anti-diastereoselectivity and exceptional levels of enantioselectivity. An identical set of optically enriched carbonyl crotylation products 3a-3j is accessible from the corresponding aldehydes 2a-2j under the same conditions, but employing isopropanol as the terminal reductant. Experiments aimed at probing the origins of stereoselection establish a matched mode of ionization for the (R)-acetate and the iridium catalyst modified by (S)-SEGPHOS, as well as reversible ionization of the allylic acetate with rapid pi-facial interconversion of the resulting pi-crotyl intermediate in advance of C-C bond formation. Additionally, rapid alcohol-aldehyde redox equilibration in advance of carbonyl addition is demonstrated. Thus, anti-diastereo- and enantioselective carbonyl crotylation from the alcohol or aldehyde oxidation level is achieved in the absence of any stoichiometric metallic reagents or stoichiometric metallic byproducts.