Functionalized Tetrahydropyridines by Enantioselective Phosphine-Catalyzed Aza-[4 + 2] Cycloaddition of N‑Sulfonyl-1-aza-1,3-dienes with Vinyl Ketones

The development of electron-demand disfavored [4 + 2] cycloaddition of two electron-deficient reacting partners poses a considerable challenge. An enantioselective aza-[4 + 2] cycloaddition of electron-deficient N-sulfonyl-1-aza-1,3-dienes is possible with vinyl ketones via phosphine catalysis, which provides facile access to a wide range of enantioenriched trifluoromethylated tetrahydropyridines in up to 97% yield with 97% ee and >20:1 dr. The mechanistic study indicated that this cycloaddition proceeds via a tandem intermolecular aza-Rauhut–Currier/intramolecular aza-Michael addition reaction.