Trialkylborane-Mediated Multicomponent Reaction for the Diastereoselective Synthesis of Anti-δ,δ-Disubstituted Homoallylic Alcohols.

The trialkylborane/O2-mediated reaction of propargyl acetates having a tributylstannyl group at an alkyne terminus with aldehydes in a THF-H2O solvent system gave anti-δ,δ-disubstituted homoallylic alcohols with good to high diastereoselectivity. Intriguingly, two alkyl groups derived from trialkylborane were embedded into the reaction product. The trialkylborane plays a key role not only as a radical initiator but also as a source of alkyl radicals.