Iron-catalyzed dioxygen-driven C-C bond formation: oxidative dearomatization of 2-naphthols with construction of a chiral quaternary stereocenter.

Iron(salan) complex 1 was found to catalyze the oxidative dearomatization of 1-substituted 2-naphthols with the formation of an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter in air in the presence of nitroalkanes, to afford the corresponding cyclic enones with high enantioselectivity of 88-96% ee.