Organocuprates reagent variations

The direct nucleophilic acylation of enals by organocuprates is also successful.37-38 With either the lower order RCuCNLi/CO or higher order R2CuCNLi2/CO reagents, high yields of the 3-acylated pro duct were observed (equation 37). A wide variation in R was also reported to be tolerated. Unfortunately, only (3-monosubstituted enals were examined, so the extent to which substitution in the enal can be tolerated has yet to be determined. 

The copper-catalyzed 1,4-addition of Grignard reagents to enones has been described by Kharasch in 1941, that is, one decade before the discovery of Gilman cuprates (1952) and more than two decades before the first use of organocuprates in conjugate addition reactions. Consequently, numerous variations and applications of the method have been reported over the years.3 5,7 7a 23 Not surprisingly, several of the advances made in the last decade with... 

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