Synthesis of chiral (phosphinoaryl)oxazolines, a versatile class of ligands for asymmetric catalysis

Abstract

Abstract Enantiomerically pure 2‐[2‐(diphenylphosphino)aryl]oxazolines are readily prepared from 2‐bromobenzonitrile by transmetalation with BuLi, subsequent reaction with chloro‐diphenylphosphine and conversion of the resulting phosphinoaryl nitrile to the oxazoline by treatment with a chiral amino alcohol in the presence of ZnCl 2 . An alternative synthesis is based on the orthometalation of 2‐aryloxazolines followed by reaction with chlorodiphenylphosphine.