Highly enantioselective allylic alkylation of 5H-oxazol-4-ones with Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates.

An organocatalytic enantioselective allylic alkylation of 5 H -oxazol-4-ones with Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates has been developed. With 10 mol% of commercially available cinchonidine, a wide range of substituted 5 H -oxazol-4-one derivatives were constructed in good-to-excellent yields with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The allylic alkylation adducts obtained are valuable precursors for the synthesis of chiral α-alkyl α-hydroxycarboxylic acid derivatives, which represent a series of versatile building blocks in many biologically active compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]