Enantioselective Synthesis of 2‐Hydroxyalkyl Diarylphosphinates by Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation

Abstract

Abstract An asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of 2‐oxo alkyl phosphinates in the presence of a chiral diamine ruthenium catalyst with HCOONa as a hydrogen source in aqueous 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol under mild conditions gave a wide range of chiral 2‐hydroxyalkyl diarylphosphinates in enantiomeric excesses of 97–99% and in good yields. The absolute configuration of the products was determined to be R by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. magnified image