Synthesis of Enantioenriched γ-Amino-α,β-unsaturated Esters Utilizing Palladium-Catalyzed Rearrangement of Allylic Carbamates for Direct Application to Formal [3 + 2] Cycloaddition.

An efficient synthesis of enantioenriched γ-amino-α,β-unsaturated esters was developed by utilizing the palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative rearrangement of enantioenriched allylic carbamates possessing an ester moiety at the allylic position. The reaction proceeded in good yield with a high degree of chirality transfer by making use of Xantphos as a superior ligand for the catalyst. The products directly participated in the formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with tosyl isocyanate under Brønsted base catalysis to afford enantioenriched β,γ-diamino acid derived imidazolidin-2-ones as versatile chiral building blocks.