Dancing on Ropes-Enantioselective Functionalization of Preformed Four-Membered Carbocycles

Cyclobutane derivatives have been recognized as useful structural motifs in organic synthesis and drug design.With the revival of photochemistry,the enantioselective synthesis of cyclobutane derivatives using[2+2]-cycloadditions has garnered numerous attentions.On the other hand,enantioselec-tive functionalization of preformed four-membered carbocycles is emerging as an important complementary approach to access chiral cyclobutane de-rivatives with versatile structural patterns.Herein,we summarize recent advances in this field from 2012.To avoid undesired C—C bond cleavage driv-en by strain-releasing,it is crucial to choose compatible methods for enantioselective functionalization and meanwhile preserving intact four-membered ring skeleton.Guided by calculated hydrogenation enthalpies,which are used to evaluate the strain energy of indicated C—C bond,a clear picture of the developed methodologies on functionalization of four-membered carbocycles combining the strain energy and enhanced reactivity is presented.