Enantioselective Construction of Cyclobutanes: A New and Concise Approach to the Total Synthesis of (+)-Piperarborenine B.

A highly diastereoselective and enantioselective Cu(II)/SaBOX-catalyzed [2 + 2] cycloaddition of methylidenemalonate and multisubstituted alkenes was developed to furnish optically active cyclobutanes in high yields with >99/1 dr and up to >99% ee. By application of the newly developed method, the total synthesis of (+)-piperarborenine B was completed in eight steps from methylidenemalonate and olefin in 17% overall yield with >99/1 dr and 99% ee.