Reagent‐Controlled Asymmetric Iodolactonization Using Cinchona Alkaloids as Chiral Sources

Abstract

A novel method for reagent‐controlled asymmetric iodolactonization of 5‐aryl‐4‐pentenoic acids is reported. This work uses carboxylate ion pairs combined with cinchona alkaloids as chiral sources of carboxylate anion for the first time leading to a mixture of two regio‐isomeric iodolactones with moderate enantioselectivity (exo‐18.5% ee, endo‐35.0% ee) under mild reaction conditions.

Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Meng Xian Ding and Prof. Qun Liu (Northeast Normal University, China) and Dr. Peng Zhou (Kionix, Inc., USA) for their discussion and advice.