Catalytic enantioselective arylations: boron to zinc exchange as a powerful tool for the generation of transferable aryl groups

The transmetalation between boron and zinc is of great importance for application in organic synthesis, since it allows the formation of new carbon-carbon bonds between organometallic units and electrophiles. The direct arylation of aldehydes or more scarcely ketones, in a catalytic, enantioselective manner using chiral catalysts has been described recently. The enantiomerically enriched diarylmethanols obtained in these reactions are valuable precursors for important bioactive molecules. This review provides a synopsis of this ever-growing field and highlights some of the challenges that still remain.

Chiral Triphenylprolinol Ligands for the Efficient Catalytic Asymmetric Arylation of Aldehydes

The synthesis of new chiral amino alcohols by Heck arylation of an enecarbamate is described. These compounds were used as chiral ligands for the catalytic asymmetric arylation of aldehydes and can be easily recovered. Chiral, nonracemic diarylmethanols were obtained in high yields and enantioselectivities.

Enantioselective Arylations Catalyzed by Carbohydrate-Based Chiral Amino Alcohols

The application of carbohydrate-derived amino alcohols in the asymmetric arylation of aldehydes by using arylboronic acids as the source of transferable aryl groups is described. The best ligand is derived from the readily available sugar D-xylose and it mediates the addition of a range of arylboronic acids to various aromatic aldehydes in excellent yields and high enantiomeric excesses.