Cooperative activation with chiral nucleophilic catalysts and N-haloimides: enantioselective iodolactonization of 4-arylmethyl-4-pentenoic acids.

Chiral triaryl phosphates promote the enantioselective iodolactonization of 4-substituted 4-pentenoic acids to give the corresponding iodolactones in high yields with high enantioselectivity. N-Chlorophthalimide (NCP) is employed as a Lewis acidic activator and oxidant of I2 for the present iodolactonization. In combination with 1.5 equivalents of NCP, only 0.5 equivalents of I2 are sufficient to generate the iodinating reagent.