The first class of bifunctional cinchona-alkaloid catalysts incorporating a urea moiety at C-5' has been developed. These materials catalyze the efficient and highly enantioselective 1,2-addition of nitromethane to trifluoromethylketones to form synthetically pliable products incorporating a quaternary stereocenter. Excellent product yields and levels of enantiomeric excess are possible, and the optimum catalyst structure is capable of promoting the Henry reaction involving alkyl trifluoromethylketones with unprecedented enantioselectivity.

The addition of 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl thiol 8, as a benzyl thiol surrogate, to racemic 4-hydroxycyclopent-2-enone 2 and 4-hydroxycyclohex-2-enone 15 gave the corresponding cis-adducts (+/-)-3-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylthio)-4-hydroxycyclopentanone 4b and (+/-)-3-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylthio)-4-hydroxycyclohexanone 16 with good diastereocontrol. In both cases, subsequent treatment with vinyl acetate, in the presence of a lipase enabled enantiomer resolution. Thus, (+)-16 and the acetate of its enantiomer, (-)-(1R,2S)-2-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylthio)-4-oxocyclohexyl acetate, (-)-17 were isolated in 98% enantiomeric excess. Based on the 1,4-dioxygenation pattern, (-)-17 can be used to prepare both enantiomers of 4-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)cyclohex-2-enone 19. Firstly, saponification, with a sub-stoichiometric amount of NaOMe, followed by a one-pot silyl ether formation-sulfide elimination sequence gave (+)-19. Then using the same starting material a 6-step sequence, featuring a diastereoselective NaBH4 reduction and a Cope-type sulfoxide elimination, gave (-)-19.

The highly enantioselective dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of azlactones by thiolysis has been achieved for the first time. Although both the parent alkaloid quinine and known C‐5′‐urea derivatives fail to promote the reaction effectively, a new class of C‐5′‐hydroxylated catalysts proved capable of catalysing the DKR of a range of azlactones derived from both unbranched‐ and, previously challenging, branched‐chain amino acids in 84–92 % ee, including an example of the synthesis of an enantioenriched N‐protected thioester derived from an extraterrestrial amino acid isolated from the Murchison meteorite.

A highly selective and efficient method for the monoarylation of symmetric dibromo and ditriflate aryl compounds is presented.