Enantioselective, NHC‐Catalyzed Annulations of Trisubstituted Enals and Cyclic N‐Sulfonylimines via α,β‐Unsaturated Acyl Azoliums

All aboard please! A new reaction of enals and cyclic sulfonylimines, as the nucleophiles(!), is the first highly enantioselective NHC-catalyzed annulation of trisubstituted enals. The catalytically generated α,β-unsaturated acyl azolium undergoes a reaction with the enamine tautomer of the imine via an aza-Claisen rearrangement as the key CC bond-forming step. High yields and enantioselectivities were achieved using β-, α,β-, and β,β′-substituted enals.