Ni-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketoacids for the Synthesis of Chiral Lactones.

A highly efficient Ni-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic γ- and δ-ketoacids has been developed, affording a series of γ- and δ-aryl lactones in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (≤98% ee). The hydrogenation could occur smoothly on a gram scale with 0.05 mol % catalyst loading (S/C = 2000). This protocol provides an efficient and practical approach for accessing chiral lactones with important potential applications in organic synthesis and the pharmaceutical industry.