Synthesis and application of a novel chiral NHC catalyst

by Hubbard, Abigail L.; Gawley, Robert E.

The CuiPr NHC, shown below as compd. 1.1, is an ideal NHC catalyst: Easy to make, affordable, and air and moisture stable. Its activity has been shown to include a no. of important transformations and was recently the subject of an entire review. We have recently succeeded in synthesizing a chiral analog of 1.1. The 9-step asym. synthesis of our analog is herein discussed. Studies pertaining to its activity as an asym. catalyst are currently underway.