Facile synthesis of α-methylidene-γ-butyrolactones: intramolecular Rauhut-Currier reaction promoted by chiral acid-base organocatalysts

The acid-base organocatalyzed intramolecular Rauhut-Currier (RC) reaction of the dienone enolates has been developed. The enantioselective RC process produces the highly functionalized α-methylidene-γ-butyrolactones as a single diastereomer with up to 98% ee.