Investigating the Enantiodetermining Step of a Chiral Lewis Base Catalyzed Bromocycloetherification of Privileged Alkenes

The development of catalytic, enantioselective halofunctionalizations of unactivated alkenes has made significant progress in recent years. However, the identification of generally applicable catalysts for wide range of substrates has yet to be realized. A detailed understanding of the reaction mechanism is essential to guide the formulation of a truly general catalyst. Herein, we present our investigations on the enantiodetermining step of a Lewis base catalyzed bromocycloetherification that provides important insights and design criteria.