Lewis Acid-Driven Inverse Hydride Shuttle Catalysis

Inverse hydride shuttle catalysis provides a multicomponent platform for the highly efficient synthesis of alkaloid frameworks with exquisite diastereoselectivity. However, a number of limitations hinder this method, primarily the strict requirement for highly electron-deficient acceptors. Herein, we present a general Lewis acid-driven approach to address this constraint, and have developed two broad strategies enabling the modular synthesis of complex azabicycles that were entirely unattainable using the previous method. The enhanced synthetic flexibility facilitates a streamlined asymmetric cyclization, leading to a concise total synthesis of the alkaloid (-)-tashiromine.