Silver-catalyzed enantioselective desymmetrization: facile access to spirolactone-pyrrolidines containing a spiro quaternary stereogenic center.

An unprecedented Ag(I)-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization of spiro cyclohexadienone lactones has been developed successfully, which performs well over a broad scope of substrates and provides a facile access to optically active spirolactone-pyrrolidines in high yields with excellent levels of diastereo-/enantioselectivities.