Versatile Enantioselective Synthesis of Functionalized Lactones via Copper-Catalyzed Radical Oxyfunctionalization of Alkenes

A versatile method for the rapid synthesis of diverse enantiomerically enriched lactones has been developed based on Cu-catalyzed enantioselective radical oxyfunctionalization of alkenes. The scope of this strategy encompasses a series of enantioselective difunctionalization reactions: oxyazidation, oxysulfonylation, oxyarylation, diacyloxylation, and oxyalkylation. These reactions provide straightforward access to a wide range of useful chiral lactone building blocks containing tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers, which are hard to access traditionally.