The Combination of Spontaneous Resolution and Asymmetric Catalysis: A Model for the Generation of Optical Activity from a Fully Racemic System

Abstract

Enantiomerically pure BIPHOS was obtained by spontaneous resolution through the crystallization of a racemic mixture, without the use of chemical or physical chiral auxiliaries, and was used in the synthesis of the enantiomerically pure complex [PdCl2(biphos)] (see scheme). The complex proved to be efficient in catalytic asymmetric allylic substitutions with 80 % ee.