Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Branched Chiral Allylic Phenyl Ethers from (E)-Allylic Alcohols.

The first di-μ-amidate dipalladium complexes and a new di-μ-carboxylate dipalladium complex of the COP (cobalt oxazoline palladacycle) palladium(II) catalyst family are reported and characterized crystallographically. The di-μ-amidate complex 3 or its enantiomer (ent-3) are the first asymmetric catalysts that allow commercially available, or readily accessible, (E)-2-alkene-1-ols to be transformed to enantioenriched branched allylic aryl ethers upon reaction of their trichloroacetimidate derivatives with phenols. The 3-aryloxy-1-alkene products are formed in high enantiomeric purity (typically 90-98% ee) and useful yields (61-88%).