Synthesis and Application of Chiral Spiro Cp Ligands in Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Oxidative Coupling of Biaryl Compounds with Alkenes

The vastly increasing application of chiral Cp ligands in asymmetric catalysis results in growing demand for novel chiral Cp ligands. Herein, we report a new class of chiral Cp ligands based on 1,1′-spirobiindane, a privileged scaffold for chiral ligands and catalysts. The corresponding Rh complexes are shown to be excellent catalysts in asymmetric oxidative coupling reactions, providing axially chiral biaryls in 19–97% yields with up to 98:2 er.