Enantioselective alkenylation via nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling with organozirconium reagents

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja1017046

A new family of organometallic compounds, organozirconium reagents, are shown to serve as suitable partners in cross-coupling reactions of (activated) secondary alkyl electrophiles. Thus, the first catalytic method for coupling secondary a-bromoketones with alkenylmetal reagents has been developed, specifically, a mild, versatile, and stereoconvergent carbon-carbon bond-forming process that generates potentially labile β,-unsaturated ketones with good enantioselectivity.