Tetraaryl-1,3-dioxolane-4,5-dimethanols as catalysts for the addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to benzaldehyde and the oxirane ring

The synthesis of 1,2-, 1,3-, and 1,4-phenylene-bis(4R,5R)-4,5-di(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)-1,3-dioxolane]s (ortho-, meta-, and para-bis-(R,R)-TADDOLs) and bis4-{(4R, 5R)-4,5-di(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)]-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl}phenyl]methane was carried out. The possibilities of the use of these compounds as catalysts for the C-C bond formation in the addition of Me₃SiCN to benzaldehyde and the oxirane ring opening in cyclohexene oxide by Me₃SiCN were investigated. The catalytic activity of different bis-(R, R)-TADDOLs in this series depends on their structure. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1451–1458, August, 2007.