Rhodium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Isomerization of meso-Oxabenzonorbornadienes to 1,2-Naphthalene Oxides

Herein we describe a rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective isomerization of meso-oxabicyclic alkenes to 1,2-naphthalene oxides. These potentially useful building blocks can be accessed in moderate to excellent yields with impressive enantioselectivities. Additionally, experimental findings supported by preliminary computations suggest that ring-opening reactions of bridgehead disubstituted oxabicyclic alkenes proceed through the intermediacy of these epoxides and may point to a kinetically and thermodynamically favored reductive elimination as the origin for the observed enantioselectivities.