10.1002/anie.201709844
The research focuses on the development of a Double Catalytic Kinetic Resolution (DoCKR) method for the enantioselective synthesis of acyclic anti-1,3-diols, which are common structural motifs in natural products. The purpose of this study was to improve the enantioselectivity outcomes of reactions by employing a synergistic double catalytic approach that leverages the additive Horeau amplification. The process involves two successive enantioselective organocatalytic acylations, leading to diesters and recovered diols with high enantiopurities. The researchers used a commercially available organocatalyst, Smith’s HyperBTM, at a low loading of 1 mol%, and demonstrated the practicality of the protocol with its easy separation of products. They successfully applied this method to C2-symmetrical diols and extended it to non-C2-symmetrical anti diols, achieving high enantioselectivities and yields. The effectiveness of the DoCKR was further showcased in the shortest reported total synthesis of (+)-cryptocaryalactone, a natural product with antigerminative activity, using a single catalytic enantioselective step. The conclusions highlight the broad utility of the DoCKR concept for synthetic chemistry and its potential application to other bifunctional substrates.