Asymmetric 1,4-addition of organoboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones and 1,2-addition to aldehydes catalyzed by a palladium complex with a ferrocene-based phosphine ligand

A combination of palladium with ferrocene-based phosphine ligand with a carbon–bromine bond was found to be a good catalyst for the 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to α,β-unsaturated ketones and the 1,2-addition to aldehydes. Using Pd(dba)₂ and (S,R_p)-[1-(2-bromoferrocenyl)ethyl]diphenylphosphine (S,R_p)-1, 3-phenylcyclohexanone was obtained from the reaction of 2-cyclohexen-1-one with phenylboronic acid in the presence of K₂CO₃ in toluene at room temperature after 3 h in 92% yield with 76% ee. In the 1,2-addition of 4-methylphenylboronic acid to benzaldehyde, 96% of (4-methylphenyl)phenylmethanol was afforded after 24 h, while the enantiomeric excess was only 6%.