Water-Accelerated Tandem Claisen Rearrangement−Catalytic Asymmetric Carboalumination

The addition of stoichiometric quantities of water accelerates both the trimethylaluminum-mediated aromatic Claisen reaction and the chiral zirconocene-catalyzed asymmetric carboalumination of terminal alkenes. The two reactions occur in a tandem sequence resulting in the selective formation of two new C−C and one C−O bond after oxidative quench of the intermediate trialkylalane.