Direct, Iridium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective and Regioselective Allylic Etherification with Aliphatic Alcohols

From alcohol to ether: Iridium-catalyzed allylations yield α chiral ether derivatives directly from aliphatic alcohols with a simple alkali metal base (see equation). These reactions form ethers from primary, secondary, and tertiary alkoxides with high enantioselectivity. By-products from isomerization were suppressed by the use of an alkyne additive.