Furan-2-yl Anions as γ-Oxo/Hydroxyl Acyl Anion Equivalents Enabled by Iridium-Catalyzed Chemoselective Reduction.

The last piece of the puzzle: Furan-2-yl anions are first demonstrated as robust γ-oxo and γ-hydroxyl acyl anion equivalents to convert aldehydes and ketones into trifunctionalized dihydroxyl ketones and hydroxyl diones through sequential nucleophilic addition, Achmatowicz rearrangement, and herein freshly established iridium-catalyzed highly selective transfer hydrogenation reduction.