Copper-catalyzed enantioselective allylic cross-coupling with alkylboranes

We have presented full details of our work on alkylboranes, which we have introduced as new reagents for copper-catalyzed SN2′-type enantioselective allylic substitutions. The copper catalysis delivered enantioenriched chiral products containing tertiary or quaternary carbon stereogenic centers branched with functionalized sp3-alkyl groups. The wide availability of alkylboranes via the established alkene hydroboration reaction is an attractive feature of these transformations. Various functional groups are tolerated in the substrates. A reaction pathway involving addition-elimination of a neutral alkylcopper(I) species with the allyl chloride substrate is proposed.

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