Asymmetric carbolithiation of conjugated enynes: a flow microreactor enables the use of configurationally unstable intermediates before they epimerize.

We found that a flow microreactor system enables the generation of a configurationally unstable chiral organolithium intermediate and allows for its use in a reaction with an electrophile before it epimerizes. Based on this method, the enantioselective carbolithiation of conjugated enynes followed by the reaction with electrophiles was accomplished to obtain enantioenriched chiral allenes.