Diphenylphosphinooxazoline ligands with a chiral binaphthyl backbone for Pd-catalyzed allylic alkylation

Novel diphenylphosphinooxazoline ligands with a chiral binaphthyl backbone were prepared. It was interestingly found that the two diastereomeric ligands afforded two enantiomeric products, respectively, with excellent catalytic activities and enantioselectivities for the palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation, regardless of the identical (S)-oxazoline ring existing in both ligands. This is the first example using an (S)-oxazoline ligand to afford an (R)-product for this reaction. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.