An efficient organocatalytic route to the atorvastatin side-chain

An organocatalytic route to the synthesis of the atorvastatin side-chain, a building block present in the statin family, is described using l-proline-catalyzed α-aminooxylation of an aldehyde. The method also employs an iodine-induced intramolecular electrophilic cyclization of a carbonate to produce the iodocarbonate in a highly diastereoselective manner.