Rational tuning chelate size of bis-oxazoline ligands to improve enantioselectivity in the asymmetric aziridination of chalcones.

[reaction: see text] Chalcones were asymmetrically aziridinated with [N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (PhI=NTs) as a nitrene source under catalysis of CuOTf and a series of cyclohexane-linked bis-oxazolines (cHBOXes), which are chelate size rationally tuned bis-oxazolines. The results indicate that highly enantioselective aziridination of chalcones with up to >99% ee have been achieved under catalysis of (S,S)-1,2-bis[(S)-(4-phenyl)oxazolin-2-yl]cyclohexane, which is the most-matched stereoisomer among cyclohexane-linked bis-oxazolines. It was also found that the enantioselectivity is not substituent-dependent with respect to chalcones in the present case, unlike with 1,8-anthracene-linked bis-oxazolines (AnBOXes).