Small amounts of achiral polyether binders are employed to enhance the enantioselectivity of the hydroformylation of an array of diversely substituted substrates (increase of up to 62 % ee for vinyl acetate) mediated by chiral rhodium complexes derived from the α,ω-bis(phosphite)-polyether ligands 1. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents an unprecedented successful example of the positive regulation of enantioselectivity in hydroformylations.
Bis(phosphite) ligands with distal regulation: Application in rhodium-mediated asymmetric hydroformylations
Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 2720-2725.