Axially Dissymmetric Diphosphines in the Biphenyl Series: Synthesis of (6,6′-Dimethoxybiphenyl-2,2′-diyl)bis(diphenylphosphine)(‘MeO-BIPHEP’) and Analogues via an ortho-Lithiation/Iodination Ullmann-Reaction Approach

The new axially dissymmetric diphosphines (R)- and (S)-(6,6′-dimethoxybiphenyl-2,2′-diyl)bis(diphenyl phosphine) ((R)- and (S)-5a; ‘MeO-BIPHEP’) and the analogues (R)- and (S)-5b and 5c have been synthesized in enantiomerically pure form. These ligands have become readily available by a synthetic scheme which employs, as key steps, an ortho-lithiation/iodination reaction of the (m-methoxyphenyl)diprienylphosphine oxides 8 and a subsequent Ullmann reaction of the resulting iodides 9 to provide the racemic bis(phosphine oxides) 10. The bis(phosphine oxides) 10 subsequently are resolved with (−)-(2R,3R)- and (+)-(2S,3S)-O-2,3-dibenzoyltartaric acid and reduced to diphosphines 5. The Ullmann reaction constitutes a new and efficient route to 2,2′-bis(phosphinoyl)-substituted biphenyl systems. Absolute configurations were established for (R)-5a by X-ray analysis of the derived Pd complex (R,R)-17a, and for 5b and 5c by means of 1H-NMR comparisons of the derived Pd complexes 16 or 17, respectively, and by means of CD comparisons. The MeO-BIPHEP diphosphine 5a proved to be as efficient as the previously described BIPHEMP diphosphine ((6,6′-dimethylbiphenyl-2,2′-diyl)bis(diphenylphosphine)) in enantioselective isomerizations and hydrogenations.