The role of achiral pyrazolidinone templates in enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions: Scope, limitations, and conformational insights

A study evaluates the role of achiral pyrazolidinone templates in conjunction with chiral Lewis acids in room temperature, enantioselective Diels-Alder cycloadditions. Observation of high selectivities are reported in reactions with chiral Lewis acids derived from relatively small chiral ligands, suggesting that pyrazolidinone templates are capable of relaying stereochemical information from the ligand to the reaction center.