Enantioselective reductive conjugate alkenylation of α,β-enones with keto alkenyl acetates by nickel catalysis

Reactions involving alkenyl acetates offer cost-effective and environmentally friendly routes for alkene synthesis, yet their asymmetric variant remains elusive. Concurrently, asymmetric conjugate alkenylation predominantly centered on nucleophilic addition using alkenyl—M. This manuscript presents an asymmetric reductive conjugate alkenylation reaction involving alkenyl acetates. The method facilitates the enantioselective addition of keto alkenyl groups to α,β-enones, resulting in the formation of unsaturated diketones—a class of useful structural motifs that are challenging to access otherwise. The use of electron-rich Pyroxy ligand is essential for achieving both high reaction efficiency and enantioselectivity.