Dual Amine and Palladium Catalysis in Diastereo- and Enantioselective Allene Carbocyclization Reactions

A pyrrolidine and Pd catalyzed diastereoselective carbocyclization of aldehyde and ketone-linked allenes has been developed. The cooperative organo/metal-catalyzed cyclization reaction, which presumably proceeds via an enamine intermediate, is efficient and broad in scope. Also, it has been extended to a catalytic asymmetric variant using diarylprolinol-based organocatalysts to afford substituted cyclopentane and pyrrolidine reaction products in up to 82% ee.