Deracemization of Quaternary Stereocenters by Pd-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Decarboxylative Allylation of Racemic β-Ketoesters

Stereochemical alchemy! Racemic allyl β-ketoesters allow the regiocontrolled formation of enolates, where the same catalyst is intimately involved in both the stereoablative (C-C bond-breaking) and stereoselective (C-C bond-forming) steps. This mechanistic and practical insight led to the formation of multiple quaternary carbon stereocenters in a single cascade reaction (see scheme)