Enantioselective decarboxylative Michael addition of β-ketoacids to nitroalkenes catalyzed by binaphthyl-derived organocatalysts

The catalytic enantioselective decarboxylative Michael addition reaction promoted by chiral bifunctional organocatalysts has been developed, allowing facile synthesis of the corresponding γ-nitro ketones with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 97% ee). The method reported represents a valuable approach utilizing β-ketoacids as synthetic equivalents of aryl methyl ketones.