The excellent catalytic performance of a BINOL-derived sulfide catalyst bearing a diphenylmethanol unit was demonstrated in the highly enantioselective synthesis of γ-butyrolactones via bromolactonization.

Abstract

A BINOL-derived sulfide catalyst bearing a diphenylmethanol unit was prepared. The catalytic ability of the chiral sulfide with a diphenylmethanol unit was investigated in the desymmetrizing bromolactonization for the asymmetric synthesis of functionalized chiral γ-butyrolactones. Excellent catalytic performance was observed in the catalytic desymmetrizing bromolactonization. Furthermore, the role of each functional group in the BINOL-derived sulfide catalyst was clarified in this study.