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Chiral Borophosphate-Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution of Diaryl Tertiary Alcohols through Dehydration
Zhongsheng Cai1,2, Wei Meng1,2, Xiangqing Feng1,2
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
Abstract:
Optically active diaryl tertiary alcohols are key moieties in natural products and pharmaceuticals, making efficient asymmetric synthesis highly desirable. Catalytic kinetic resolution is a practical strategy for accessing such chiral compounds, yet dehydration-based kinetic resolution methods remain scarce. Herein, we report a metal-free, dehydration-driven kinetic resolution of diaryl tertiary alcohols catalyzed by chiral borophosphates. A range of optically active diaryl tertiary alcohols was afforded in 29-60% yield and 51-98% ee with selectivity factors of 3.7-36.3.
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