Highly Enantioselective Addition of Diphenylzinc to Aliphatic and Aromatic Aldehydes Catalyzed by a Readily Available H₈‐Binol Derivative

Abstract

All sorts of aldehydes 2 (R=aryl, vinyl, branched, and linear alkyl) undergo the highly enantioselective addition of diphenylzinc (1) in the presence of catalytic (S)-4 to give α-substituted benzyl alcohols 3 in high yields. In contrast to previous catalysts, no additive is required, the reaction is carried out at room temperature, and the reaction is equally effective with linear aldehydes. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2006/z503206_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.