Diastereoselective Synthesis of Dihydro-quinolin-4-ones by a Borane-Catalyzed Redox-Neutral -1,7-Hydride Shift.

The borane-catalyzed synthesis of dihydroquinoline-4-ones is developed. The amino-substituted chalcones undergo a 1,7-hydride shift upon Lewis acid activation to form a zwitterionic iminium enolate, which collapses to the dihydroquinoline-4-one scaffold. The reaction proceeds in high yields (75-99%) with an excellent diastereoselectivity of up to >99:1 (:). The reaction mechanism is investigated by kinetic, isotope labeling, and computational experiments.