Ivanov reaction

The Ivanov reaction is a carbon–carbon bond-forming chemical reaction involving the addition of dianions (endiolates) of aryl acetic acids (Ivanov reagents) with electrophilic substrates such as aldehydes, ketones, isocyanates, or alkyl halides, resulting in β‑hydroxy acids. The reaction was named after the Bulgarian organic chemist, Academician Dimitar Ivanov, who discovered it. Mechanistically, the Ivanov reaction proceeds via a Zimmerman–Traxler six-membered chair-like transition state, coordinating metal cations to both enolate oxygens and the electrophile, which explains its high anti‑stereoselectivity.