Construction of Chiral 2,3-Allenols through a Copper(I)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Direct Alkynylogous Aldol Reaction

Chiral 2,3-allenols were constructed through copper(I)-catalyzed asymmetric direct alkynylogous aldol reaction. With aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes, the alkynylogous aldol reaction with (R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS as the ligand proceeded smoothly to furnish the products in excellent regioselectivity with good to high diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity. In the cases of aliphatic aldehydes, esters of but-2-yn-1-ol as the substrates and (R,R)-Ph-BPE as the ligand were found to be crucial to get good to high regio- and diastereoselectivity. The produced chiral 2,3-allenols are easily transformed into synthetically useful 2-furanones through cyclization. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied in the rapid synthesis of two chiral intermediates toward the synthesis of two pharmaceutically active compounds that have been proposed for the treatment of neurological disorders.