COMMUNICATIONSa single diastereorner by chromatography. The sense of asymmetric induction in this cycloaddition is consistent with a Lewis acid catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction on the s-cis ZnBr, complex 8a.In analogy to previous experiments, Diels-Alder adduct 9 was transformed to the corresponding P-ketothioester in 90% yield and smoothly decarboxylated (70 "C, 24 h) to afford ketone 10 in 86% yield without epimerization at the ring fusion. The synthesis was completed by treatment of 10 with Tebbe reagent"81 to afford synthetic a-himachalene (11) (92% yield), whose spectroscopic and analytical data are identical in all respects to literature values ('HNMR, IR, TLC,
[a]D).[151The removable auxiliary X = COX, described here should prove useful in enantioselective ketone-based bond constructions. Although the methodology has been highlighted with al-do1 and Diels-Alder reactions, absolute stereochemical control of other transformations such as the Michael reaction should also be possible. Studies extending the scope of these concepts are currently underway.
Experimental SectionGeneral one-flask procedure for the decarboxylation of b-ketoimides: A stirred suspension of KH (1.2 mmol) in THF (10 mL) under argon was charged with EtSH (1 3 mmol) and gas evolved. The white suspension was stirred for 1 h before a solution of /I-oxoimide (1 mmol) in THF (10 mL) was added by cannula. The reaction mixture was stirred until the starting material had been consumed. To the reaction mixture was added water (4 mL) and 2,6-lutidine (10 mmol), followed by AgNO, (2.5 mmol). The reaction mixture was protected from light and stirred for two days. The pale yellow suspension was filtered through Celite with ether, and the organic solution was extracted between ether (50 mL) and aqueous CuSO, solution (50 mL). The ether layer was separated, dried over MgSO,, and concentrated in vacuo. Chromatography on silica gel using an appropriate solvent mixture provided pure ketone.