Catalytic asymmetric addition of Grignard reagents to alkenyl-substituted aromatic N -heterocycles

Abstract

Copper adds alkyls asymmetrically Nitrogen-bearing rings are very common features in the molecular structures of modern drugs. Reactions that can modify these N heterocycles selectively are thus especially useful to optimize pharmaceutical properties. Jumde et al. developed a method to append alkyl groups in a single mirror-image orientation to substituted C=C double bonds dangling from N heterocycles. The copper-catalyzed reaction, which relies on Grignard reagents to introduce the alkyl groups, manifests high selectivity across a broad range of substrates, with no interference from the nitrogen. Science , this issue p. 433