A great team: Cyclopentanes with four contiguous stereogenic centers were assembled with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity from simple β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters and enals in a reaction catalyzed by an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and mediated by a titanium(IV) Lewis acid (see scheme). The presence of a Lewis acid was essential for the desired transformation to occur.
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Cohen et al. (2011) studied this question.
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