Chiral biaryls Ullmann reaction

The classical Ullmann reaction has also attracted renewed interest in recent years. Miyano has prepared optically enriched binaphthyl derivatives by intramolecular biaryl coupling, as shown in equation (9). " Diastereoselectivities of up to 70% have been obtained with a binaphthol chiral auxiliary in the linking chain. Intermolecular cross-coupling is best accomplished with preformed arylcopper compounds. "... 

Using other chiral 1,2-diols such as 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-ethanediol or 2,3-butanediol, the Lipshutz approach allows to rich very high diastereoselectivity [19]. Among reactions that have been used in the diastereoselective synthesis of unsymmetrical axially chiral biaryls, beside Ullmann and Lipshutz reactions, are the Suzuki-Miyaura and Meyers synthesis of biaryls. 

Meyers has also reported the use of chiral oxazolines in asymmetric copper-catalyzed Ullmann coupling reactions. For example, treatment of bromooxazoline 50 with activated copper powder in refluxing DMF afforded binaphthyl oxazoline 51 as a 93 7 mixture of atropisomers diastereomerically pure material was obtained in 57% yield after a single recrystallization. Reductive cleavage of the oxazoline groups as described above afforded diol 52 in 88% yield. This methodology has also been applied to the synthesis of biaryl derivatives. 

The Ullmann coupling is the classical example of Cu-catalyzed biaryl coupling, wherein (a) a phenol and arylhalide substrate are converted to a bis-arylether or (b) two arenes are coupled to form a bis-arene species. These coupling reactions are of great importance for general organic synthesis as well as pharmaceutical and fine chemicals. The copper-catalyzed phenol coupling to arrive at chiral biphenol derivatives is used extensively as a test reaction for the catalytic activity of new copper complexes [254,255]. 

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