Enantioselective Claisen rearrangements with a hydrogen-bond donor catalyst

N,N'-Diphenylguanidinium ion associated with the noncoordinating BArF counterion is shown to be an effective catalyst for the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of a variety of substituted allyl vinyl ethers. Highly enantioselective catalytic Claisen rearrangements of ester-substituted allyl vinyl ethers are then documented using a new C(2)-symmetric guanidinium ion derivative.