Catalytic enantioselective Cloke–Wilson rearrangement

Racemic cyclopropyl ketones undergo enantioselective rearrangement to deliver the corresponding dihydrofurans in the presence of a chiral phosphoric acid as the catalyst. The reaction involves activation of the donor‐acceptor cyclopropane substrate by the chiral Brønsted acid catalyst to promote the ring‐opening event, thus generating a carbocationic intermediate that subsequently undergoes cyclization. Computational studies and control experiments support this mechanistic pathway.This research was supported by the Spanish MINECO (FEDER‐CTQ2017‐83633‐P and FEDER‐CTQ2016‐76155‐R), Basque Government (IT908‐16), UPV/EHU (fellowship to A.O.), and Government of Aragón (Grupos de Referencia, E34‐R17).Peer reviewe