Driving the Morita-Baylis-Hillman Reaction to a Multicomponent Organic Transformation

The combination of a trivalent phosphorus reagent with an aldehyde and a Michael olefin in the presence of water led to the formation of functionalized phosphine oxides. This approach turned the Lewis base organocatalyzed Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction into a multicomponent organic transformation to provide rapid access to polyfunctionalized molecules. The combination of a trivalent phosphorus reagent with an aryl aldehyde and a Michael olefin in the presence of water led to the formation of functionalized phosphine oxides. This approach turned the Lewis base organocatalyzed Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction into a multicomponent reaction to provide rapid access to polyfunctionalized molecules.