New asymmetric conjugate reduction of beta,beta-disubstituted alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones and esters was accomplished with alkoxylhydrosilanes in the presence of chiral rhodium(2,6-bisoxazolinylphenyl) complexes in high yields and high enantioselectivity. (E)-4-Phenyl-3-penten-2-one and (E)-4-phenyl-4-isopropyl-3-penten-2-one were readily reduced at 60 degrees C in 95 % ee and 98 % ee, respectively, by 1 mol % of catalyst loading. (EtO)2MeSiH proved to be the best hydrogen donor of choice. tert-Butyl (E)-beta-methylcinnamate and beta-isopropylcinnamate could also be reduced to the corresponding dihydrocinnamate derivatives up to 98 % ee.

[reaction: see text] We report here the catalytic asymmetric conjugate reduction of enones using ethanol as a hydride source. The reaction was carried out in the presence of a chiral Pd complex at ambient temperature in ethanol, and the desired products were obtained in high chemical yield and high enantioselectivity. We applied this novel reaction to the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of warfarin (96% ee), and on the basis of d-labeling experiments, the reaction mechanism is proposed.

Chiral rhodium(bisoxazolinylphenyl) complexes (1 mol %) efficiently catalyze the asymmetric reductive aldol reaction of aldehydes and alpha,beta-unsaturated esters at 50 degrees C for ca. 0.5-1.0 h with several hydrosilanes to give the corresponding beta-hydroxypropionates with extremely high anti-selectivity (up to 98%) and enantioselectivity (up to 96% ee). The stereochemical outcome is likely due to a chairlike cyclic transition state involving rhodium-(E)-enolate.

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An efficient catalytic enantioselective Michael reaction has been developed using chiral palladium complexes. Various substrates including b-keto esters and 1,3-diketones reacted with a,b-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to give the corresponding Michael adducts in good yield with up to 99% ee, thereby affording chiral quaternary carbon centers. In these reactions, chiral palladium enolates were generated as key intermediates, which acted cooperatively with a strong protic acid to activate the Michael acceptors for promotion of the C À C bond-forming reaction.