Stereospecificity Schmidt reaction

In a series of papers published in the 1960s by Schmidt and coworkers, there is no description of any successful and stereospecific reaction of 1,3-diene compounds, e.g., topochemical polymerization, other than cyclodimerization. They... 

San Pietro A, Kaplan NO, Colowick SP (1955) Pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase VI. Mechanism and stereospecificity of the reaction in pseudomonas fluorescens. J Biol Chem 212 941-952 Schmidt J, Chen J, De Traglia M, Minkel D McFarland JT (1979) Solvent deuterium isotope effect on the liver alcohol dehydrogenase reaction. J Am Chem Soc 101 3634-3640 Schowen RL (1978) Catalytic power and transition-state stabilization. In Candour RD, Schowen RL (ed) Transition states of biological... 

In connection with the problem of constructing the ansa bridge of the rifamy-cins, Corey and Schmidt have devised a procedure whereby 2Z,4E-dienoic acids (61) are formed in a stereospecific manner (Scheme 14). The key step involves condensation of an aldehyde with the lithiated derivative of (60). Wittig reactions have provided non-stereospecific routes to this class of functionalized diene. 

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