Enantioselective Au(i)-catalyzed tandem reactions between 2-alkynyl enones and naphthols by the tethered counterion-directed catalysis strategy

Enantioselective tandem cycloisomerization/addition reactions of 2-alkynyl enones with 1- and 2-naphthols have been investigated using gold(i) catalysts featuring hybrid phosphine-phosphoric acid chiral ligands, according to the tethered counterion-directed catalysis (TCDC) strategy. The reactions occur at low catalyst loading (0.2-1 mol%) without silver additives, and the naphthols act as both O- and C-nucleophiles, leading to the corresponding addition products with high enantioselectivity. DFT calculations enlighten these processes.