Copper‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Oxidative Cross‐Coupling of 2‐Naphthols with Aryl Methyl Ketones

A copper‐catalyzed asymmetric oxidative cross‐coupling reaction of 2‐naphthols with aryl methyl ketones has been developed. This transformation provides an efficient route to various functionalized naphtho[2,1‐ b ]furan‐1(2 H )‐ones in an enantiomerically enriched manner with molecular oxygen in air as the oxidant (52–89 % yields, up to 87 % ee ). The reaction leads to the formation of a new quaternary carbon center within 3(2 H )‐furanones.