Commercially available neat organozincs as highly reactive reagents for catalytic enantioselective addition to ketones and aldehydes under solvent free conditions

Abstract Neat Et 2 Zn, Ph 2 Zn, and highly concentrated Me 2 Zn are highly reactive organozinc reagents, which are commercially available in bulk quantities. We here report a catalytic enantioselective Et 2 Zn, Ph 2 Zn, and Me 2 Zn addition to ketones and aldehydes under solvent free or highly concentrated conditions without Ti(O i -Pr) 4 as a conventional activator of organozinc reagents. The desired optically active tertiary and secondary alcohols were obtained in good yield with high enantioselectivity when compared to the conventional solvent-use conditions. From the viewpoint of ecological and environmental reasons in green chemistry, this catalysis would be practical for not only academic but also industrial use.