Catalytic Enantioselective Decarboxylative Protonation

Abstract

We report a highly enantioselective, general catalytic system for the facile synthesis of tertiary stereocenters by protonation adjacent to cyclic ketones. The method relies on catalytic decarboxylative protonation of readily accessible racemic quaternary beta-ketoesters. A range of substituted cycloalkanone compounds can be accessed through this process with high levels of enantioselectivity.