Synthesis of Chiral Tertiary Alcohols by CuI-Catalyzed Enantioselective Addition of Organomagnesium Reagents to Ketones

Catalytic enantioselective addition of organometallic nucleophiles to ketones is among the most straightforward approaches to the synthesis of chiral tertiary alcohols. The first such catalytic methodologies using the highly reactive organomagnesium reagents, which are the preferred organometallic reagents in terms of cost, availability, atom efficiency, and structural diversity, were developed only during the last five years. This Concept article highlights the fundamental breakthrough that made the development of methodologies for highly enantioselective Cu-I-catalyzed alkylation of ketones using organomagnesium reagents possible.