A tunable class of chiral Cp ligands for enantioselective rhodium(III)-catalyzed C-H allylations of benzamides.

The lack of robust and tunable chiral versions of cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands hampers progress in the development of catalytic asymmetric versions of a myriad of reactions catalyzed by this ubiquitous ligand. Herein, we describe of a class of chiral Cp ligands with tunable steric parameters. Coordinated to transition metals, the ligand creates a well-defined chiral pocket, able to imprint its chirality onto the metal. The corresponding Rh complexes are shown to be excellent catalysts for enantioselective allylation of N-methoxybenzamides via directed C-H functionalizations at very mild conditions. The obtained enantioselectivities are excellent and demonstrate the viability of chiral Cp complexes as selective transition metal catalysts.