Synthesis, Molecular Structure, and Catalytic Evaluation of Centrostereogenic Ferrocenophane Phosphines

1,1′-[(1R)-1-Diarylphosphino-1,3-propanediyl]­ferrocenes, where aryl = phenyl, 2-tolyl, 4-tolyl, mesityl, 4-anisyl, 4-(trifluoromethyl)­phenyl, were prepared as new chiral ferrocenophane phosphines featuring only central chirality in good yields by the reaction of the corresponding chiral alcohol, 1,1′-[(1R)-1-hydroxy-1,3-propanediyl]­ferrocene, and diarylphosphines in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane and sodium iodide. These phosphines were studied as ligands in palladium­(II) complexes and further evaluated in two mechanistically different model catalytic reactions, namely in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of 1,3-diphenylallyl acetate with dimethyl malonate, and in enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reactions of aromatic N-sulfonyl imines with methyl vinyl ketone.