O-Monoacyltartaric Acid Catalyzed Enantioselective Conjugate Addition of a Boronic Acid to Dienones: Application to the Synthesis of Optically Active Cyclopentenones

Enantioselective conjugate addition of styryl-boronic acid to dienones was effectively, catalyzed by an O-monoacyltartaric acid to afford monostyrylated products with good enantioselectivity. The RCM of the monostyrylated products using the Hoveyda-Grubbs II catalyst afforded opticlaly active cyclopentenones, including a synthetic intermediate of the antitumor agent TEI-9826. The study shows that a diene additive such as 1,6-heptadiene or diallyl ether was essential of the RCM.