Phosphine-oxazoline ligands with an axial-unfixed biphenyl backbone: the effects of the substituent at oxazoline ring and P phenyl ring on Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation

A novel kind of chiral phosphine-oxazoline ligands 3 with an axial-unfixed biphenyl backbone bearing different substituent on oxazoline ring and P phenyl ring was prepared. These ligands exist as a mixture of two diastereomers in equilibrium in solution. Upon coordinated to Pd(II), however, only one of the two possible kinds of diastereomer complexes with different axial chirality was formed. These compounds as chiral ligands were applied in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation with high reaction activity and enantioselectivity. Meanwhile, the asymmetric catalytic behavior was affected obviously by the substituent at oxazoline ring and P phenyl ring. The best result, up to 92.3% ee and 99% yield, was obtained with the ligand 3c having two phenyl groups on P and a phenyl group on oxazoline ring in this asymmetric catalysis reaction.