A new class of readily available and conformationally rigid phosphino-oxazoline ligands for asymmetric catalysis

A new class of conformationally rigid phosphino-oxazoline ligands 3 were synthesized via an efficient ortho-substitution of phenyl glycinol as the key step. Divergent synthetic routes for easy ligand modulation, as well as a procedure suitable for scale-up synthesis, were established. The catalytic potential of ligands 3 has been demonstrated in the highly enantioselective Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of alkenes and Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution and intermolecular Heck reactions.