Stereoselection at the Steady State: The Design of New Asymmetric Reactions

Not a new principle , but a shrewd analysis of stereoconvergent reactions is leading to new and highly efficient asymmetric reactions. A prochiral compound can be converted through a clever combination of competing reactions, one of which must be stereoselective, into a sole chiral product (shown above). The strategy is reviewed by using a radical cyclization reaction as an example.