10.1021/ja076797c
The study presents a novel catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction of enones using dimethyloxosulfonium methylide, promoted by a La-Li3-(biphenyldiolate)3 + NaI complex. The reaction showcases high enantioselectivity, with up to 99% ee, and is applicable to a variety of enones, including those with electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents and heteroaryl-substituted enones. The use of NaI as an additive, along with biphenyldiol as a ligand, is crucial for achieving this level of selectivity. The reaction conditions were optimized to allow for slow addition of enones, which further improved the enantioselectivity. The study also explores the potential of the catalyst system with other substrates, such as an N-acylpyrrole, and discusses the role of NaI in the reaction mechanism, suggesting a partial alkali metal exchange occurs in situ to form a La-Li2-Na-(biphenyldiolate)3 complex. The findings provide a complementary approach to existing methods for catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation and highlight the importance of the mixed-alkali metal system in achieving high yields and enantioselectivity.