A new 1,1'-binaphthyl-based catalyst for the enantioselective phenylacetylene addition to aromatic aldehydes without using a titanium complex.

[reaction: see text] A novel 1,1'-binaphthyl compound containing bulky 3,3'-aryl substituents is found to catalyze the reaction of a terminal alkyne with various aromatic aldehydes under mild conditions to generate chiral propargyl alcohols with 80-94% ee. Unlike the previously reported 1,1'-binaphthyl catalysts, this new compound does not require the use of a titanium complex and the pre-preparation of an alkynylzinc. This has greatly simplified the experimental procedure for this reaction.