Conjugate Addition of α‐Substituted Acyl Imidazoles to Nitroalkenes Catalyzed by Nickel Bisoxazoline and B(C6F5)3

Abstract

AbstractA diastereoselective and enantioselective conjugate addition of α‐substituted acyl imidazole to nitroalkene catalyzed by nickel bisoxazoline complex and B(C6F5)3 has been developed. This reaction tolerated a wide range of acyl imidazoles and nitroalkenes, affording a series of conjugate adducts in yields ranging from 38% to 99% with 4:1 to 99:1 dr and 13% to 98% ee. The use of strong Lewis acid B(C6F5)3 as co‐catalyst proved vital to the success of this process. The potential scalability and utility of the current protocol are demonstrated by a reaction on a 3 mmol scale and further transformations of the product.magnified image