The bioinspired design of a reagent allows the functionalization of Cα-H of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds via the Baylis-Hillman chemistry under ambient conditions

Access to Chiral Chromenones through Organocatalyzed Mannich/Annulation Sequence

Herein we report an efficient and practical method to access chiral chromenones bearing one α-amino stereogenic center in the β position of the carbonyl group. The quinine-derived squaramide could efficiently promote Mannich/cycloketalization/dehydration tandem reactions between 1-(2-hydroxyaryl)-1,3-diketones and functionalized imines generated in situ, providing a wide range of chiral chromenones with propargylamine or α-amino ester moieties with good results (54 examples, up to 98% ee).

N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Organocatalytic One-Pot Reaction for the Enantioselective Synthesis of Fluoromethylated Chromenones

An efficient carbene organocatalyzed route to enantioenriched chromenones, bearing one tri- or difluoromethylated stereogenic center in the β position of the carbonyl group, from o-allyloxybenzaldehydes is described. The one-pot transition-metal-free transformation exhibits a broad substrate scope and excellent enantioselectivity.