Rhodium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Arylation of N‐Substituted α,β‐Unsaturated γ‐Lactams: Preparation of Chiral 4‐Aryl‐2‐Pyrrolidones

Abstract The preparation of chiral 4‐aryl‐2‐pyrrolidones by conjugate addition catalyzed by a rhodium(I) complex, comprising the chiral bicyclo[2.2.1] diene ligand 1 e , is reported. The reaction of various arylboronic acids and α,β‐unsaturated γ‐lactams 2 bearing various N‐ substituents proceeds in a highly stereoselective fashion (93–99.5 % ee ) even in the presence of only 0.5 mol % of the Rh catalyst affording the corresponding addition products in 31–99 % yield.