Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Atroposelective arene formation is an efficient method to build axially chiral molecules with multi-substituted arenes. Reported here is an organocatalyzed atroposelective arene formation reaction by an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed formal 4+2 cycloaddition of conjugated dienals and α-aryl ketones. This study expands the synthetic potential of NHC organocatalysis and provides a competitive pathway for the synthesis of axially chiral ligands, catalysts, and other functional molecules.
Xu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.