Dedicated to Peter Vollhardt on the occasion of his 69th birthday
Abstract
Conjugate addition of enantiopure lithium (R)-N-benzyl-N-(α-methylbenzyl)amide to a range of ω-aryl-α,β-unsaturated esters gives the corresponding
ω-aryl-β-amino esters as single diastereoisomers in high yields. Friedel–Crafts cyclisation
of the pendant carbonyl group onto the ω-aryl ring then gives a range of 3-amino-substituted
1-indanones, 1-tetralones, and 1-benzosuberones, representing an efficient and short
protocol for the preparation of these benzo-fused carbocycles in enantiopure form.
Key words
1-benzosuberone - conjugate addition - Friedel–Crafts - 1-indanone - 1-tetralone