A facile and efficient strategy has been developed for the asymmetric synthesis of optically active 3,4-dihydroisocoumarins, analogues of typharin, bearing a trifluoromethylated tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter, in high enantioselectivity. The method employed was an organocatalytic enantioselective
benzylation and aldol-hemiacetalization of α,β-unsaturated trifluoromethyl ketones with toluene derivatives in the presence of a tertiary amine-thiourea catalyst. More information can be found in the Communication by P. Li et al. on
page 519 ff.