Enantioselective Alkenylation via Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling with Organozirconium Reagents

A new family of organometallic compounds, organozirconium reagents, are shown to serve as suitable partners in cross-coupling reactions of (activated) secondary alkyl electrophiles. Thus, the first catalytic method for coupling secondary alpha-bromoketones with alkenylmetal reagents has been developed, specifically, a mild, versatile, and stereoconvergent carbon-carbon bond-forming process that generates potentially labile beta,gamma-unsaturated ketones with good enantioselectivity.