Iron‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Inter‐ and Intramolecular Aerobic Oxidative Dearomatizing Spirocyclization of 2‐Naphthols

Abstract Highly chemo‐ and enantioselective inter‐ and intra‐molecular oxidative dearomatizing spirocyclization of 1‐alkyl‐2‐naphthols with O 2 as the hydrogen acceptor was achieved using an iron catalyst. In the iron complex 1 ‐catalyzed reaction, 1‐methyl‐2‐naphthols 2 in the presence of phenol derivatives as the nucleophile was selectively oxidized, producing the spirocyclic ketones with good to high enantioselectivities via a tandem strategy. Pre‐synthesized 1,1′‐methylbis(arenol)s 6 and 7 , intermediates of the tandem strategy were also converted to the desired products with chemo‐ and enantioselectivity.