Scope and limitations of the catalytic asymmetric rearrangement of epoxides to allylic alcohols using chiral lithium amide bases/lithiated imidazoles

The catalytic asymmetric rearrangement of functionalised cyclohexene and cyclopentene oxides has been studied using sub-stoichiometric amounts of a chiral lithium amide in combination with a stoichiometric amount of three different lithiated imidazoles. 1-Methylimidazole that had been lithiated at the C-2 aryl position gave the highest enantioselectivity (82% ee). With 1,2-dimethylimidazole that had been lithiated at the C-2 methyl group, epoxide ring opening occurred as an unexpected and competing process. Ultimately, ring opening was suppressed using a more sterically hindered imidazole. In all catalytic examples, a racemic background reaction (presumably due to rearrangement by the lithiated imidazoles) was observed.