Catalytic Enantioselective Cloke-Wilson Rearrangement

Racemic cyclopropyl ketones undergo enantioselective rearrangement to deliver the corresponding dihydrofurans in the presence of a chiral phosphoric acid as the catalyst. The reaction involves activation of the donor-acceptor cyclopropane substrate by the chiral BrOnsted acid catalyst to promote the ring-opening event, thus generating a carbocationic intermediate that subsequently undergoes cyclization. Computational studies and control experiments support this mechanistic pathway.