Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric silaboration of allenes

An enantioselective silaboration of allenes was achieved using an achiral silylborane in the presence of a palladium catalyst bearing a chiral monodentate phosphine ligand. (R)-2-Bis(3,5-dimethylphenyl)phosphino-1,1'-binaphthyl gave the highest enantioselectivities in the addition of (diphenylmethylsilyl)pinacolborane to the internal C=C bond of terminal allenes at 0 degrees C, giving the corresponding beta-borylallylsilanes in high yields with high enantiomeric excesses. The enantioselectivity depended on the bulkiness of substituents of allenes: the enantiomeric excesses were found to be 91-93% ee (R = tert- and sec-alkyl), 88-90% ee (R = aryl), and 80-82% ee (R = prim-alkyl and Me) at 0 degrees C. Perfect chirality transfer was observed in the intramolecular cyclization reactions of the functionalized allylsilanes, affording highly enantioenriched cyclic alkenylboranes, which underwent Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with aryl halides.