Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: 
SUBMITTER: Allen SE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3405918 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Journal of the American Chemical Society 20120716 29
The N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition has been shown to give γ,δ-unsaturated δ-lactones in excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivity. However, preliminary computational studies of the geometry of the intermediate enolate rendered ambiguous both the origins of selectivity and the reaction pathway. Here, we show that a concerted, but highly asynchronous, Diels-Alder reaction occurs rather than the stepwise Michael-type or Claisen-type pathways. In addition, two crucial inter ...[more]