Organophosphates have been widely used in agrochemistry, as reagents for organic synthesis, and in biochemistry. Phosphate mimics possessing four unique substituents, and thereby a chirality center, are useful in transition metal catalysis and as nucleotide therapeutics. The catalytic, stereocontrolled synthesis of phosphorus-stereogenic centers is challenging and traditionally depends on a resolution or use of stochiometric auxiliaries. Herein, enantioenriched phosphorus centers have been synthesized using chiral nucleophilic catalysis. Racemic H-phosphinate species were coupled with nucleophilic alcohols under halogenating conditions. Chiral phosphonate products were synthesized in acceptable yields (33–95%) and modest enantioselectivity (up to 62% ee) was observed after identification of an appropriate chiral catalyst and optimization of the solvent, base, and temperature. Nucleophilic catalysis has a tremendous potential to produce enantioenriched phosphate mimics that could be used as prodrugs or chemical biology probes.
Asymmetric Synthesis of Stereogenic Phosphorus P(V) Centers Using Chiral Nucleophilic Catalysis