2,3-Dihydro-4-pyranones were synthesized stereoselectively using a chiral phosphine oxide as the catalyst. The phosphine oxide sequentially activated silicon tetrachloride and promoted the double aldol reaction of 4-methoxy-3-buten-2-one with aldehydes. Subsequent stereoselective cyclization afforded the corresponding highly functionalized 2,3-dihydro-4-pyranones bearing three contiguous chiral centers in good yields and with high diastereo-and enantioselectivities.Key words aldol reaction; phosphine oxide; pyranone; cyclization; stereoselectivity Pyran and its derivatives are common and versatile structures in bioactive natural products and medicines.1) Therefore, it is important to develop efficient methods for the synthesis of diverse pyran structures.2-5) Recently, we reported the synthesis of 2-acyl-1,3-diols bearing two stereogenic centers by the phosphine oxide-catalyzed asymmetric double aldol reaction of methyl ketones with aldehydes. [6][7][8][9] It is possible that the double aldol products 3, obtained from β-alkoxy enones 1 and aldehydes 2, are cyclized in situ, affording the corresponding highly functionalized 2,3-dihydro-4-pyranones 4 with three contiguous stereogenic centers (Fig. 1). Herein, we report the asymmetric synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-4-pyranones by asymmetric double aldol reaction/cyclization cascade.First, the reaction of 4-methoxy-3-buten-2-one (1A) with benzaldehyde (2a) was performed in the presence of 10 mol% (S)-2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl dioxide (BINAPO) as the Lewis base catalyst 10) under several reaction conditions (Table 1). The presence of silicon tetrachloride (3 eq) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (5 eq) in CH 2 Cl 2 at −40°C afforded three 2,3-dihydro-4-pyranones 5a, 6a, and 7a as a diastereomeric mixture in total 68% yield, whereas the non-cyclized product 8A was not isolated (entry 1). Furthermore, the major isomer 5a showed a promising enantioselectivity.11) When propionitrile was used as the solvent, the enantioselectivity improved; however, the product yield decreased (entry 2). The use of a mixture of solvents (1 : 1, v/v) afforded well-balanced yields and selectivities (entry 3). The reaction of β-benzoyloxy enone 1B afforded only non-cyclized adduct 8B in a moderate yield and with good enantioselectivity (entry 4). The reaction of β-phenoxy enone 1C resulted in a similar yield and selectivity as 1A, accompanied with non-cyclized adduct 8C (entry 5). A screening of quenching reagents showed that the prior addition of methanol (3 mL) before 1.5 M KF/3.0 M HCOOH solution promoted the cyclization of 8C, affording the corresponding 2,3-dihydro-4-pyranones in 72% yield (entry 6).12) When the reaction was conducted at a lower concentration of 0.03 M in CH 2 Cl 2 -EtCN (1 : 4, v/v), the enantioselectivity increased to 91% enantiomeric excess (ee) (entry 7).The probable stereochemical course of the reaction is shown in Fig. 2. The double aldol reaction of enone 1 with aldehyde 2 affords two types of double aldolates, 9 and 10. Isomer 9 is optically active, wher...