Organocatalyzed Enantioselective Michael Addition of 2-Hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to β,γ-Unsaturated α-Ketophosphonatesθ

By employing a cinchonine-based thiourea as catalyst, highly enantioselective Michael addition reactions of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to β,γ-unsaturated α-ketophosphonates were realized. The reaction afforded the corresponding β-substituted carboxylates in excellent yields with high levels of enantioselectivities (94->99% ee) upon quenching the generated parent structures with DBU and MeOH as a second nucleophile.