Enantioselective Hetero-Diels-Alder Reaction and the Synthesis of Spiropyrrolidone Derivatives.

An efficient enantioselective hetero-Diels-Alder reaction was developed under catalysis of a chiral copper complex. A variety of spiropyrrolidones, which bear a tetra-substituted carbon stereocenter, can be obtained in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities by virtue of this method. Furthermore, a substrate-dependent reaction pathway was proposed on the basis of the isolated intermediates.