The asymmetric addition of lithium acetylides to carbonylcompounds in the presence of a chiral lithium binaphtholate catalyst was developed. A procedure involving the slow addition of carbonylcompounds to lithium acetylides improved the enantioselectivity. This reaction afforded diverse chiral secondary and tertiary propargylic alcohols in high yields and with good to high enantioselectivities.
A novel and highlyenantioselective synthesis of hydroxyalkynyl esters and ethers through the asymmetric addition of alkynyl esters or ethers to aldehydes promoted by a cyclopropyl amino alcohol based zinc catalyst has been developed. The method afforded a library of new enantioenriched hydroxyalkynol esters and ethers (up to 93% yield; 95% ee), and it was compatible with a broad range of functional
A slight structural modification of a chiral catalyst caused a dramatic reversal in the enantioselectivity of an aldehyde propargylation using alkynyllithium.