Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydroalkenylation of Norbornene Derivatives

Transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric hydroalkenylation of alkenes provides an atom-economical method to build molecular complexity from easily available materials. Herein we report an iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydroalkenylation of unconjugated alkenes with acrylamides and acrylates. The catalytic hydroalkenylation of norbornene derivatives occurred to form products with allylic stereocenters with high chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivities. DFT calculations revealed that the migratory insertion is irreversible and the enantiodetermination step.