The general enantioselective catalytic synthesis of axially
chiral
1,3-disubstituted allenes from readily available racemic propargylic
alcohol derivatives remains a long-standing challenge in organic synthesis.
Here we report an efficient nickel-catalyzed asymmetric propargylic
substitution reaction/Myers rearrangement of racemic propargylic carbonates
that furnishes a series of enantioenriched 1,3-disubstituted allenes
using newly designed N-sulfonylhydrazone reagents
as efficient diazo surrogates. This reaction proved to be remarkably
general with regard to substrate scope, affording a diverse range
of 1,3-disubstituted allenic compounds in good yields with excellent
enantioselectivities. Additionally, applications of this powerful
strategy for the enantioselective synthesis of methyl (S)-8-hydroxyocta-5,6-dienoate, (S)-laballenic acid,
(S)-phlomic acid, and (S)-Δ9,10-pentacosadiene are described, further highlighting the
broad potential of these new reagents for the discovery of novel reactions.