The Role of Ni-Carboxylate During Catalytic Asymmetric Iodolactonization Using PyBidine-Ni(OAc)2

The combination of a PyBidine-Ni(OAc)(2) complex with a catalytic amount of iodine efficiently catalyzed asymmetric iodolactonization to generate chiral iodolactones with up to 89% enantiomeric excess. The formation of an intermediate Ni-carboxylate species from the alkenyl carboxylic acid is a key role in promoting the iodolactonization.