Copper-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of diethylzinc to substituted chalcones using a chiral phosphine ligand

Abstract

A series of chiral phosphine PFAM and phosphine oxide POFAM ligands were studied for the copper-catalyzed asymmetric diethylzinc addition to enones. One of these ligands, PFAM2, was an efficient catalyst with a variety of enones to give conjugate addition products in up to 96% yield and 92% ee. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.