Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Phthalide Formation through Internal Redox Allylation of Phthalaldehydes.
James M CabreraJohannes TauberMichael J KrischePublished in: Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) (2018)
An inside job: Enantioselective phthalide synthesis was achieved through internal redox allylation of o-phthalaldehydes. Oxidative esterification is balanced by reductive carbonyl addition to achieve an overall redox-neutral process. This method enabled formal syntheses of ent-spirolaxine methyl ether and CJ-12,954.