Abstract
Excerpt: The Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction, first reported in 1968, is an important carbon–carbon bond-forming reaction between electron-deficient alkenes, such as α,β-unsaturated ketones, and aldehydes or activated ketones.1 It is usually catalyzed by suitable nucleophilic tertiary amines or phosphines.2 This transformation has attracted attention because it can be a selective (chemo-, regio-, diastereo-, and enantio-) and atom economical method for converting simple starting materials into more densely functionalized products.3 Because of the easy accessibility of starting materials and the potential of the poly-functionalized adducts, the development of a suitable asymmetric version of this reaction has attracted considerable interest in recent years.The Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction, first reported in 1968, is an important carbon–carbon bond-forming reaction between electron-deficient alkenes, such as α,β-unsaturated ketones, and aldehydes or activated ketones.1 It is usually catalyzed by suitable nucleophilic tertiary amines or phosphines.2 This transformation has attracted attention because it can be a selective (chemo-, regio-, diastereo-, and enantio-) and atom economical method for converting simple starting materials into more densely functionalized products.3 Because of the easy accessibility of starting materials and the potential of the poly-functionalized adducts, the development of a suitable asymmetric version of this reaction has attracted considerable interest in recent years.