| This thesis is a summary of the research conducted since September 2002 at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Professor Mark Lautens.; Diastereoselective palladium-catalyzed formate reduction of allylic carbonates presents unique opportunities for applications in target-oriented organic synthesis provided that selectivity, in particular stereoselectivity, in the course of this metal-catalyzed reaction can be controlled. This thesis describes our recent developments on new and efficient metal-catalyzed processes exploiting existing stereocentres on the substrates as a means to control stereoselectivity en route to preparing propionate units containing an array of stereochemical patterns. In particular, the effect of the protecting group, the stereochemistry of the aldol adduct, neighbouring substituents, and the olefin geometry were examined. Appropriate choice of the above parameters provides entry into three of the four possible diastereomeric triads, namely syn-syn, anti-syn , and anti-anti. Preliminary results indicate that construction of the syn-anti triad is possible, albeit in low diastereoselectivity. |
