ChemInform Abstract: Enantioselective Synthesis of Medium-Sized-Ring Lactones by Organocatalytic Michael Addition Followed by Reductively Initiated Fragmentation

A new strategy for the rapid synthesis of enantioenriched medium-sized-ring lactones was developed. The method combines the organocatalytic Michael addition of cycloalkane-1,3-diones to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with a subsequent reductively initiated Claisen fragmentation, which allows access to 10- and 11-membered-ring lactones with 91 to >99 % ee.