Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Decarboxylative Allylic Alkylation of Cyclopentanones

The first general method for the enantioselective construction of all-carbon quaternary centers on cyclopentanones by enantioselective palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation is described. Employing the electronically modified (S)-(p-CF3)(3)-t-BuPHOX ligand, alpha-quaternary cyclopentanones were isolated in yields up to >99% with ee's up to 94%. Additionally, in order to facilitate large-scale application of this method, a low catalyst loading protocol was employed, using as little as 0.15 mol % Pd, furnishing the product without any loss in ee.