Cobalt-Catalyzed Carbonylative Cross-Coupling of Alkyl Tosylates and Dienes: Stereospecific Synthesis of Dienones at Low Pressure

Despite advances in organometallic cross-coupling of alkyl electrophiles, there are few stereoselective reactions of chiral, nonracemic substrates. Herein we report a stereospecific carbonylative coupling of alkyl tosylates and dienes producing enantioenriched dienones. This catalytic process proceeds under low pressure and mild conditions using a simple cobalt catalyst and extends to diverse tosylate and diene coupling partners. The transformation constitutes a unique, convergent approach to the asymmetric synthesis of valuable carbonyl compounds from easily accessed starting materials.