CHIRAL BICYCLIC LACTAMS - USEFUL PRECURSORS AND TEMPLATES FOR ASYMMETRIC SYNTHESES

A survey of the utilitarian bicyclic lactams is presented, These chira l templates have provided, and continue to provide, access to a pletho ra of natural and unnatural carbocyclic products in high enantiomeric purity, Their synthetic versatility has recently grown with the develo pment of new methods for the construction of heterocycles, In addition to the cyclopentenone, cyclohexenone and hexahydroindenone systems, p roducts derived from bicyclic lactams now include optically active pip eridines, pyrrolidines, pyrrolidinones and tetrahydroisoquinolines. Th ese favourable properties make the bicyclic lactams highly adaptable t ools for asymmetric synthesis.