Williamson Ether Synthesis with Phenols at a Tertiary Stereogenic Carbon: Formal Enantioselective Phenoxylation of β-Keto Esters.

The enantioselective formation of α-aryloxy-β-keto esters is described for the first time. Lewis acid catalyzed enantioselective chlorination of β-keto esters and subsequent SN 2 reactions with phenols yielded α-aryloxy-β-keto esters with up to 96% ee. Favorskii rearrangement of α-chloro-β-keto esters was also found to give 1,2-diesters with slightly reduced enantiopurity.