Palladium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Aryl–Metal Species

The objective of this review is to summarize developments in the recently discovered area of palladium‐catalyzed asymmetric Michael additions of organometallic reagents to activated electron‐deficient olefins in its practical and theoretical aspects. The methodology has been rapidly developed in the last five years as a useful alternative approach to complement the already existing copper‐ and rhodium‐catalyzed variants, especially in the area of asymmetric aryl transfer to typical Michael acceptors. Although very difficult to control because of numerous side reactions, this palladium catalysis is very promising for applications both in academia and in industry. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)