Enantioselective epoxidation of a,b-enones promoted by a,a-diphenyl-L-prolinol as bifunctional organocatalyst

An operationally simple and mild protocol for the catalytic enantioselective epoxidation of r,â-unsaturated ketones has been estabilished using commercially available r,r-diphenyl-L-prolinol as bifunctional organocatalyst and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant. The epoxides have been obtained in good yields and with up to 80% ee