Mg(II) -Mediated Catalytic Asymmetric Dearomatization (CADA) Reaction of β-Naphthols with Dialkyl Acetylenedicarboxylates.

A Mg(II) -mediated catalytic asymmetric dearomatization (CADA) reaction of β-naphthols has been developed. The reaction proceeds under ambient temperature and give a series of chiral trisubstituted olefins with good chemoselectivities, Z/E ratios, and excellent enantioselectivities. A fluorinated β-naphthol was designed to generate chiral organofluorine skeletons through the current CADA reaction. Moreover, an interesting tandem cyclization reaction was observed in the following transformation process through an undiscovered intramolecular hydride transfer pathway.