Chiral magnesium(II) binaphtholates as cooperative Brønsted/Lewis acid-base catalysts for the highly enantioselective addition of phosphorus nucleophiles to α,β-unsaturated esters and ketones.

A little cooperation goes a long way: The cooperative Brønsted/Lewis acid-base supramolecular catalysts formed in situ from simple chiral magnesium(II) binaphtholate aqua complexes promoted the highly enantioselective 1,4-hydrophosphinylation of α,β-unsaturated esters with diaryl phosphine oxides and 1,2-hydrophosphonylation of α,β-unsaturated ketones with dialkyl phosphites (see scheme).