Gold‐Catalyzed Direct Activation of Allylic Alcohols in the Stereoselective Synthesis of Functionalized 2‐Vinyl‐Morpholines

Alcohol versus alcohol: A highly stereocontrolled synthesis of substituted morpholines is realized by means of gold-catalyzed dehydrative allylic cyclization of diols (see scheme for one example; segphos = 5,5′-bis[di(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-methyoxyphenyl)phosphine]-4,4′-bi-1,3-benzodioxole). The present methodology represents one of the few examples of enantioselective gold-catalyzed transformations involving unactivated alkenes.