title: Use of lithium hexafluoroisopropoxide as a mild base for Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination of epimerizable aldehydes.
abstract: [reaction: see text] The weak base lithium 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropoxide (LiHFI) is shown to be highly effective as a reagent for intermolecular Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) olefination of epimerizable aldehydes with trimethyl phosphonoacetate, affording products with little or no epimerization and notably high E-selectivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Landy K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Blasdel
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Myers