Brønsted Base Catalyzed One-Pot Synthesis of Stereodefined Six-Member Carbocycles Featuring Transient Trienolates and a Key Intramolecular 1,6-Addition

A catalyst-driven one-pot reaction sequence is developed for the enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted cyclohexenes from simple unsaturated ketones or thioesters. The method involves a tertiary amine/squaramide-catalyzed α-selective addition of transiently generated trienolates to nitroolefins, subsequent base-catalyzed double bond isomerization, and an intramolecular (vinylogous) 1,6-addition reaction, a rare key carbocyclization step that proceeded with essentially perfect stereocontrol.