Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of organometallic reagents to extended Michael acceptors

Abstract

The copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition (ACA) of nucleophiles onto polyenic Michael acceptors represents an attractive and powerful methodology for the synthesis of relevant chiral molecules, as it enables in a straightforward manner the sequential generation of two or more stereogenic centers. In the last decade, various chiral copper-based catalysts were evaluated in combination with different nucleophiles and Michael acceptors, and have unambiguously demonstrated their usefulness in the control of the regio- and enantioselectivity of the addition. The aim of this review is to report recent breakthroughs achieved in this challenging field.

Keywords

• conjugate additions
• electron-deficient alkenes
• enantioselective catalysis
• extended Michael acceptors
• organometallic nucleophiles
• sequential addition