Vicinal stereocontrol during nucleophilic addition to arene chromium tricarbonyl complexes: formal synthesis of (+/-)-erythro Juvabione.

[reaction: see text] Vicinal stereocontrol during nucleophilic addition of tert-butyl lithiopropionate to eta(6)-anisole chromium tricarbonyl complexes with differing para substituents has been studied. Excellent vicinal double stereoinduction (>99:1) was observed when the para substituent was Si(CH(3))(3), and this has been applied to a stereoselective formal synthesis of (+/-)-erythro Juvabione. Asymmetric synthesis by chiral auxiliary directed nucleophilic addition is also discussed.