Highly Enantioselective Complex-Catalyzed Reduction of Ketones— Now with Purely Aliphatic Derivatives Too

Abstract

A breakthrough for the rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric, homogeneous hydrogenation of unfunctionalized ketones was recently achieved by Zhang et al. with the synthesis and use of ligands 1, named PennPhos, which combine high basisity and optimal spatial requirements with sufficient substituent flexibility.