Chem 460 April 2023

Nontrivial problem for class on Tuesday – please spend a little time with it before class!

Please detail the mechanism of this highly efficient synthesis of aldehydes that does not resort to
classic oxidation or reduction reactions. This cross-coupling was carried out with a chiral,
enantiopure ligand and gives one major enantiomer of the product, but please don't worry about
how that part works.

Remember that everything you see on an exam relates directly to at least one of the reactions
discussed in the lecture. If you find yourself wandering in the wilderness, go back and start again,
but this time asking yourself what key process does this most resemble. Then use your
mechanistic understanding of how the catalyst operates the process to predict the way forward.