Boron-Bridged Bisoxazolines (Borabox): Anionic Ligands for Asymmetric Catalysis

Significance

In the growing field of asymmetric catalysis new ligands with new properties are needed. This paper describes a new anionic ligand termed borabox that has shown to form stable complexes with Cu^II, Zn^II, Pd^II, Rh^I, and Ir^I ions. The ligand was found to be competent for two benchmark type reactions: cyclopropanation and monobenzoylation of meso-diols. High yields and enantioselectivities were realized for these transformations.