Regio- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Pyrrolidines Bearing a Quaternary Center by Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Trimethylenemethanes

Herein we describe the first use of disubstituted donors in the palladium-catalyzed trimethylenemethane (TMM) cycloaddition resulting in an enantioselective synthesis of highly substituted pyrrolidines. These cyanoalkyl donors <b>1</b> form all-carbon quaternary centers in a catalytic, asymmetric, and intermolecular manner uniquely using diamidophosphite ligands <b>L2</b> and <b>L3</b>, generating synthetically important chiral building blocks in good yields and selectivities