Carbonylation of <i>cis</i>-Disubstituted Epoxides to <i>trans</i>-β-Lactones: Catalysts Displaying Steric and Contrasteric Regioselectivity

Abstract

<i>trans</i>-β-Lactones are a versatile and useful class of compounds, but reliable methods for their direct synthesis are still limited. Addressing this problem, we present herein two catalysts for the regioselective carbonylation of <i>cis</i>-disubstituted epoxides. The two catalysts show high activities and opposing regioselectivities so that either one of the two possible β-lactone regioisomers can be obtained selectively