Catalytic enantioselective protonation of enol trifluoroacetates by means of hydrogenocarbonates and cinchona alkaloids.

Herein is disclosed an efficient catalytic enantioselective protonation of enol acetates by means of a readily implementable transition-metal-free chemical process. By making use of simple hygrogenocarbonates as the proton source and hydroquinine anthraquinone-1,4-diyl diether as the chiral proton shuttle, a series of cyclic enol trifluoroacetates are protonated under mild conditions to yield the corresponding ketones in up to 93% ee.