β-Trifluoromethylated enones as trifluoromethylated synthons in asymmetric catalysis

Abstract

Trifluoromethylated organic molecules are ubiquitous in pharmaceutics, materials science, and agrochemicals. In the past few decades, great efforts have been devoted to the development of convenient and efficient strategies for the synthesis of these compounds. β-Trifluoromethylated enones are readily available building blocks, and are recognized as an attractive synthetic feedstock in organic transformations. Thus far, numerous new catalytic systems including novel chiral ligands and organocatalysts have been applied to asymmetric catalytic protocols using β-trifluoromethylated enones and various optically active compounds containing CF₃ motif have been synthesized. Hence, this minireview describes the applications of β-trifluoromethylated enones in diverse asymmetric catalytic transformations since 2008, and incorporates the mechanistic aspects, involving the key mechanistic intermediates and the reaction pathways. Finally, the challenges of related fields and future perspectives are also pointed out.