Enantioselective synthesis of substituted indanones from silyloxyallenes

A new method was designed for the synthesis of enantioenriched indanones by asymmetric carbonyl-ene/intramolecular Heck cyclization from racemic silyloxyallenes. Short reaction times and high yields of the modular procedure is demonstrated by production of highly substituted indenes and indanones with excellent chirality transfer from the optically active carbinols.