Nickel(0)/N‑Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Asymmetric [2 + 2 + 2] Cycloaddition of Two Enones and an Alkyne: Access to Cyclohexenes with Four Contiguous Stereogenic Centers

A nickel(0)/chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed fully intermolecular, enantioselective [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of two enones and an alkyne has been developed to access enantioenriched cyclohexenes. A single diastereomer was obtained with a successive generation of four contiguous stereogenic centers. The absolute configuration of cyclohexene derivative 3aa was determined by X-ray diffraction and circular dichroism (CD) spectral studies.