Progress in the development of asymmetric Heck couplings of arenes and acyclic olefins has been limited by a tenuous understanding of the factors that dictate selectivity in migratory insertion and β-hydride elimination. On the basis of key mechanistic insight recently garnered in the exploration of selective Heck reactions, we report here an enantioselective variant that delivers β-, γ-, or δ-aryl carbonyl products from acyclic alkenol substrates. The catalyst system imparts notable regioselectivity during migratory insertion and promotes the migration of the alkene's unsaturation toward the alcohol to ultimately form the ketone product. The reaction uses aryldiazonium salts as the arene source, yields enantiomeric products from opposite starting alkene configurations, and uses a readily accessible ligand. The racemic nature of the alkenol substrate does not bias the enantioselection.

Summary Molecules containing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters – carbon atoms bonded to four distinct carbon substituents – are prevalent in Nature. However, the construction of such compounds in an enantioselective fashion remains a long-standing challenge to synthetic organic chemists. In particular, methods for forging quaternary stereocenters that are remote from other functional groups are underdeveloped. Herein we report a catalytic and enantioselective intermolecular Heck-type reaction of trisubstituted-alkenyl alcohols with aryl boronic acids. The reported method allows direct access to quaternary all-carbon-substituted β-, γ-, δ-, ε- or ζ aryl carbonyl compounds, as the unsaturation of the alkene is relayed to the alcohol resulting in the formation of a carbonyl group. The scope of the process also includes incorporation of pre-existing stereocenters along the alkyl chain, which links the alkene and the alcohol, wherein the stereocenter is preserved. The described method is flexible, allowing access to diverse building blocks containing an enantiomerically enriched, quaternary center.

A general, highly selective asymmetric redox-relay oxidative Heck reaction using achiral or racemic acyclic alkenols and boronic acid derivatives is reported. This reaction delivers remotely functionalized arylated carbonyl products from acyclic alkenol substrates, with excellent enantioselectivity under mild conditions, bearing a range of useful functionality. A preliminary mechanistic investigation suggests that the regioselectivity of the initial migratory insertion is highly dependent on the electronic nature of the boronic acid and more subtle electronic effects of the alkenyl alcohol.

When the counterion counts: The yield and selectivity of the title transformation of benzoic acid derivatives were improved greatly by using tetraalkyl ammonium salts as additives (see scheme; monoselectivity: 5:1–18:1). These effects are attributed to the influence of counter cations. The halogenated products are versatile intermediates for the construction of substituted aromatic compounds. DMF=N,N‐dimethylformamide.

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