NHC-Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of Functionalized Succinimides from Enals and -Ketoamides

The efficient asymmetric synthesis of highly substituted succinimides from ,-unsaturated aldehydes and -ketoamides via NHC-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition has been developed. The new scalable protocol significantly expands the utility of NHC catalysis for the synthesis of heterocycles and provides easy access to assemble a wide range of succinimides from simple starting materials.