The chiral triazole carbene and Ti(OPr-i)4 cocatalyzed reaction between α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and 2-(aroylvinyl)benzaldehydes was systematically studied. A divergence in reaction pathways was observed under different reaction conditions. In benzene solvent and at ambient temperature, the reaction produced 4,5-dihydro-1,4-methanobenzo[c]oxepin-3-ones, the bridged caprolactones, as the major products in moderate yields with excellent enantioselectivity. The same reaction in dichloroethane and at 50 °C, however, gave 2,8-dihydrocyclopenta[a]indenes as the major products in most cases. The application of the method developed was demonstrated by the transformation of the bridged lactone products into enantiopure 4-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2-carboxylic acids.
Read full abstract