Access to Oxoquinoline Heterocycles by N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Ester Activation for Selective Reaction with an Enone

Organocatalytic ester activation is developed for a highly selective cascade reaction between saturated esters and amino enones. The reaction involves activation of the b-carbon atom of the ester as a key step. This method allows a single-step access to multicyclic oxoquinoline-type heterocycles with high enantiomeric ratios.