Enantioselective α-Silylation of Enones

Significance

In the presence of a chiral, proline-based Rh(II) catalyst, easily synthesized α-diazo­enones can be hydrosilylated enantioselectively to the corresponding α-silylenone in moderate to good yield and with good to very good enantioselectivity. Interestingly, when the opposite-antipode catalyst was used, lower enantioselectivities were observed. The chiral silane was also shown to be synthetically useful for the construction of vicinal and remote chiral centers upon reaction with organometallic reagents.