Oxathiaborolium-Catalyzed Enantioselective [4 + 2] Cycloaddition and Its Application in Lewis Acid Coordinated and Chiral Lewis Acid Catalyzed [4 + 2] Cycloaddition.

The nascency of second-generation sulfur-stabilized borenium cations by halophilic Lewis acid SnCl4 leads to highly active chiral Lewis acids that are very effective catalysts for [4 + 2] cycloaddition. Oxathiaborolium pentachlorostannate (5-10 mol %) successfully catalyzed cycloaddition of various dienes and dienophiles to afford cycloadducts with excellent enantioselectivity (20 examples, up to 99% ee). This super Lewis acid also exhibited good enantioselectivity for the first Lewis acid coordinated and chiral Lewis acid catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition to α,β-unsaturated mixed ester amide.