The enantioselective [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement of benzyl prenyl ether has been studied. Treatment of this ether with butyl lithium bearing diamines or bis(oxazoline)s as external chiral ligands (ECL) gave the expected alcohol in up to 66% ee, the highest reported for this transformation. The optimum ECL is based on the bis(oxazoline) system and the C5 substituent on the bis(oxazoline) is crucial to determining both the degree and sense of asymmetric induction. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.