Cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed asymmetric trifluoromethylation of alkynyl ketones with trimethylsilyl trifluoromethane.

The first catalytic enantioselective trifluoromethylation of alkynyl ketones 1 with (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane is disclosed by an operationally simple procedure, based on the combination of ammonium bromide of bis-cinchona alkaloids with Me(4)NF to afford trifluoromethyl-substituted tertiary propargyl alcohols (up to 96% ee), which are the important chiral building blocks for pharmaceuticals. Biologically attractive aryl heteroaryl trifluoromethyl carbinols were also synthesized.