Enantioselective Birch Reduction and Reductive Alkylations of Chiral 2-Phenylbenzoic Acid Derivatives. Application to the Synthesis of Hydrofluoren-9-ones, Hydrophenanthren-9-ones, and (-)-(1R,2R)-2-Phenylcyclohexanamine

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00246a012

Reductive alkylations of the chiral 2-phenylbenzoic acid amide 1 give 3-alkyl-4-phenylcyclohex-1-ene-3-carboxylic acid derivatives 2a-d with high diastereoselectivities.The chiral auxiliary can be removed by reaction with methyllithium to give enantiomeri