The development of an asymmetric Nicholas reaction using chiral phosphoramidite ligands

Journal article, 2008

An asymmetric version of the Nicholas reaction involving the use of chiral phosphoramidite ligands has been developed. Treatment of a cobalt carbonyl complexed propargylic alcohol with two equivalents of the chiral ligand, followed by reaction with a silyl enol ether in the presence of a Lewis acid, afforded, after decomplexation, the desired product in up to 74% ee for the carbon-carbon bond forming step. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart.