Alkene Isomerization Revitalizes the Coates-Claisen Rearrangement

Synthesis and Functionalization of Tertiary Propargylic Boronic Esters by Alkynyllithium-Mediated 1,2-Metalate Rearrangement of Borylated Cyclopropanes

Implementing the use of alkynyllithium reagents in a stereospecific 1,2-metalate rearrangement-mediated ring opening of polysubstituted cyclopropyl boronic esters provides a variety of tertiary pinacol boranes bearing adjacent tertiary or quaternary carbon stereocenters with high levels of diastereomeric purity. The potential of this strategy was demonstrated through a selection of α- and γ-functionalization of the propargyl boronic esters.

Preparation of Distant Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters by Double Selective Ring-Opening of 1,1-Biscyclopropyl Methanol Derivatives

The diastereoselective double carbometalation reaction of cyclopropenes provides, in a single‐pot operation, two ω‐ene‐[1,1]‐bicyclopropyl ester derivatives. One regioisomer then undergoes a Pd‐catalyzed addition of aryl iodide to provide skipped dienes possessing several distant stereocenters including two congested quaternary carbon centers with excellent diastereoselectivity.

Stereospecific Construction of Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters from Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters

Organoaluminum species promote a smooth nucleophilic substitution at the quaternary carbon stereocenter of stereodefined polysubstituted cyclopropyl methyl phosphate with a complete inversion of configuration, even when more reactive functional groups are present. The regio- and diastereoselectivity of the substitution is attributed to the existence of a bicyclobutonium intermediate.

Stereodivergent Access to Trisubstituted Alkenylboronate Esters through Alkene Isomerization

We report an efficient method for the preparation of synthetically valuable trisubstituted alkenylboronate esters through alkene isomerization of their readily available 1,1-disubstituted regioisomeric counterparts. Either stereoisomer of the target alkenylboronate motif can be obtained at will from the same starting material by employing different isomerization catalysts.

Alkene Isomerization Revitalizes the Coates-Claisen Rearrangement

The [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allylic vinyl acetals, first investigated by Coates nearly four decades ago, is set apart from other variants of the Claisen rearrangement owing to the versatile monoprotected 1,5-dicarbonyl motif featured in the products. Unfortunately, the synthetically elusive nature of the substrates has thus far precluded the widespread application of this attractive transformation. Herein, we show that the key allylic vinyl acetals can be efficiently generated through alkene isomerization of their readily available regioisomeric counterparts (derived from allylic alcohols and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes), thus enabling the first systematic study of the substrate scope of this rearrangement, as well as the discovery of exceptionally mild conditions for its mediation by Lewis and Brønsted acids.