1630 - 1710 Vy M Dong

An Enantioselective Approach to Lactones: Design, Mechanism, and Scope 

The ester linkage is an important architecture found in diverse natural products, from fatty acid triesters to macrolide antibiotics. 

Various stoichiometric reagents have been developed to form ester bonds and achieve difficult lactonizations. The majority of these approaches involve activation of a carboxylic acid moiety followed by C - O bond formation. In contrast to this approach, we present a novel strategy for making lactones via C - H bond activation. Our strategy is based on the ability of Rh(I) complexes to activate the C - H bond of aldehydes and undergo a rare hydroacylation of prochiral ketones. My lecture will focus on the design, mechanism, and scope of this catalytic lactonization.