Monodentate phosphoramidites have been used for the first time as chiral ligands in the Rh-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to enones, unsaturated esters, lactones, and nitro alkenes. High reaction rates and ee's up to 89% have been obtained.

Using chiral phosphoramidite ligand (S,R,R)-L1 in the conjugate addition to acyclic nitroalkenes for the first time, we obtained enantioselectivities up to 98%. The use of acyclic substrates with different dialkylzinc reagents provides a catalytic enantioselective route to (functionalized) beta2-amino aldehydes, acids, and alcohols.

Using a combination of chiral monodentate phosphoramidite ligands in the rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition of boronic acids to three different substrates, we have shown for the first time that the ligand combination approach is applicable for C−C bond formation. Chiral catalysts based on hetero-combinations of ligands are found to be more effective than the homo-combinations. 31 P NMR experiments show that the hetero-combinations are formed in excess over the homo-combinations.

[reaction: see text] A highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective desymmetrization of five-, six-, and seven-membered meso-cyclic allylic bis-diethyl phosphates (2a, 2b, and 2c, respectively) was obtained with diethylzinc, using catalytic amounts of [Cu(OTf)](2).C(6)H(6) and phosphoramidite ligands 5. Enantiomeric excesses of up to 87, 94, and >98% were obtained for the addition of diethylzinc to cyclopentene, cyclohexene, and cycloheptene bis-diethyl phosphates, respectively.