Chiral cyclic ethers constitute one of the most important structural units in biologically active compounds such as polycyclic ethers, polyether antibiotics, acetogenins, as well as coumaran-and chromane-related natural products.[1] Among many key building blocks reported so far, a-alkenyl-substituted cyclic ethers are widely recognized as the most useful because the alkenyl moiety can be transformed into a wide range of functionalities, thereby facilitating further elongation. The development of an efficient strategy for the construction of these cyclic ethers has attracted a great deal of attention over the last two decades. In particular, the focal point is the creation of catalytic enantioselective protocols, which have been categorized into three types: 1) Wacker-type oxidative cyclization of ortho-allyl-or homoallylphenol derivatives, [2] 2) Tsuji-Trost-type intramolecular allylation using w-hydroxy allyl esters, [1c,f, 3] and 3) hydroalkoxylation of alkynes [4] and allenes.[5] Herein, we report a new type of protocol, in which non-activated or non-protected diols 1 dehydratively cyclize into the corresponding cyclic ethers 2 with high regio-and enantioselectivity.We have developed a new chiral ligand-R-naphpyCOOH 4 [naph = naphthyl, py = pyridine, R = substituent (see structures)]-based on the knowledge that a catalytic system combining [CpRu(CH 3 CN) 3 ]PF 6 (3; Cp = cyclopentadienyl) [6] with a pyridine-2-carboxylic acid derivative or the corresponding cationic CpRu IV -p-allyl carboxylato complex can convert a 1:1 mixture of alcohols or allyl alcohols into allyl ethers with the liberation of water.[7] The ligand is characterized by the sterically flexible axial chirality through the C6-C1' bond [8] and the adjustability of electronic and steric properties of the naphthalene ring by changing the R substituent at C2'. The allyl esters R-naph-pyCOOallyl (allyl = CH 2 CH = CH 2 ) 5 were also target ligands because of the convenient formation of the CpRu IV -p-allyl complex directly from 3. A series of compounds 5 a-c were prepared in 44-64 % yield from 2-bromo-3-methylpyridine through a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling between pyridine and naphthalene moieties, modified Reissert-Henze reaction, hydrolysis, and an allyl esterification sequence in combination with MuraiChatani silylation of aromatic C À H bonds and chlorination or phenylation at C2'.[9] The enantiomers were separated by HPLC on a chiral stationary phase, and the absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis of the ester of (1R,2S,5R)-menthol or the amide of (R)-1-phenylethylamine.[9]The effectiveness of R-naph-pyCOOH 4 and the allyl ester 5 in combination with 3 in the asymmetric dehydrative cyclization was investigated by use of 1 a (C