title: A comparison of monocyclic and bicyclic phospholanes as acyl-transfer catalysts.
abstract: The synthesis and evaluation of chiral phosphines 11, 15a, 19a, 24a, and 28a as nucleophilic catalysts for anhydride activation and kinetic resolution of alcohols is described. The relative reactivity follows the order 11a > 11b > 15a > 1 in the monocyclic series, and 24a > 19a > 28ain the bicyclic series, with an overall rate advantage of ca. 2 orders of magnitude for the bicyclic phospholanes over the monocyclic analogues. The increased reactivity of the bicyclic phospholanes for the acylation of alcohols is attributed to conformational effects and ground-state destabilization in a highly associative mechanism. Kinetic resolution data demonstrate promising enantioselectivities for 24a.
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. edved@umich.edu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vedejs
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Daugulis
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: MacKay
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Powell