Asymmetric addition of triethylaluminium to aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by titanium-(5,5'-biquinoline-6,6'-diol) complexes.

ABSTRACT

A novel convenient procedure for the resolution of 5,5'-biquinoline-6,6'-diol (BIQOL) was achieved by separating the corresponding diastereomeric mixture of (S)-(+)-camphorsulfonates on a semiprepared XDB-C8 column followed by hydrolysis. The efficient asymmetric addition of triethylaluminium to aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by Ti-(+)/(-)BIQOL complexes under mild conditions is described. The reactions led to the formation of 1-arylpropan-1-ol in up to 87.5% ee.