Catalyst Repurposing Sequential Catalysis by Harnessing Regenerated Prolinamide Organocatalysts as Transfer Hydrogenation Ligands

A catalyst repurposing strategy based on a sequential aldol addition and transfer hydrogenation giving access to enantiomerically enriched α-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactones is described. The combination of a stereoselective, organocatalytic step, followed by an efficient catalytic aldehyde reduction induces an ensuing lactonization to provide enantioenriched butyrolactones from readily available starting materials. By capitalizing from the capacity of prolineamides to act as both an organocatalyst and a transfer hydrogenation ligand, catalyst repurposing allowed the development of an operationally simple, economic, and efficient sequential catalysis approach.