10.1016/j.tetasy.2009.12.002
The research focuses on the synthesis of 4,4'-biquinazoline alcohols, which are chiral catalysts used in the enantioselective alkynylation of aldehydes with phenyl acetylene. The study outlines a series of chemical reactions beginning with the condensation of (S)-2-acetoxycarboxylic acid chlorides and 2-aminobenzamide, followed by key steps such as chlorination, nickel(0)-mediated homocoupling, and deprotection to yield the desired chiral 4,4'-biquinazoline alcohols. These catalysts are then combined with Ti(OiPr)4 and utilized in the asymmetric addition of zinc acetylide, generated in situ from phenylacetylene and diethylzinc, to aldehydes. The experiments involved various reactants, including SOCl2, anthranilamide, NaOH, TBDMSCl, POCl3, PhNEt2, NiCl2?6H2O, Zn, DMF, and Bu4NF, among others. The analyses used to characterize the compounds and determine their enantiomeric purities included HPLC, NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and specific rotation measurements. The best enantiomeric excess achieved in this study was 75%.