Rhodium-Catalyzed Trapping of Oxonium Ylides with Michael Acceptors

Significance

Multicomponent reactions are a powerful means to generate high levels of molecular complexity from relatively simple and readily available starting materials. Transition-metal catalysis is especially useful for these types of processes and catalyst control has the ability to rapidly create chiral products from achiral reactants. The authors disclose a diastereoselective Rh-catalyzed multicomponent reaction for the synthesis of produce α-hydroxy esters.