Convergent Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Esters of Chiral Dialkyl Carbinols

Because chiral dialkyl carbinols, as well as their derived esters, are significant as intermediates and end points in fields such as organic, pharmaceutical, and biological chemistry, the development of efficient approaches to their asymmetric synthesis is an important endeavor. In this report, we describe a method for the direct catalytic enantioselective synthesis of such esters, beginning with an alkyl halide (derived from an aldehyde and an acyl bromide), an olefin, and a hydrosilane, catalyzed by nickel, an earth-abundant metal. The method is versatile, tolerating substituents that vary in size and that bear a range of functional groups. We further describe a four-component variant of this process, wherein the alkyl halide is generated in situ, thus obviating the need to isolate either an alkyl electrophile or an alkylmetal, while still effecting an alkyl-alkyl coupling. Finally, we apply our convergent method to the efficient catalytic enantioselective synthesis of three esters that are bioactive themselves or that have been utilized in the synthesis of bioactive compounds.