Rhodium/chiral diene-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to chromones: A highly enantioselective pathway for accessing chiral flavanones

Chromone has been noted to be one of the most challenging substrates in the asymmetric 1,4-addi-tion of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. By employing the rhodium complex associated with a chiral diene ligand, (R,R)-Ph-bod∗, the 1,4-addition of a variety of aryl-boronic acids was realized to give high yields of the corresponding flavanones with excellent enantioselectivities (≥97% ee, 99% ee for most substrates). Ring-opening side products, which would lead to erosion of product enantioselectivity, were not observed under the stated reaction conditions.