15. Iridium-catalyzed Asymmetric Isomerization of Primary Allylic Alcohols
    Luca Mantilli, David Gérard, Sonya Torche, Céline Besnard, Clément Mazet*
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 5143-5147
    [ Highlighted in: Synfacts 2009, 1000 and Chimia 2009, 63, 776 ]

Nothing to sm(Ir)k at: Under appropriate reaction conditions, iridium hydride catalysts promote the isomerization of primary allylic alcohols. The best catalysts, like (R)-1 (P green, O red, N blue, Ir yellow), deliver the desired chiral aldehydes with excellent enantioselectivity and good yields. Mechanistic hypotheses have been developed on the basis of preliminary investigations.

open archive unige:7934

Editor’s version DOI: 10.1002/anie.200901863