Preparation of chiral ruthenium(IV) complexes and applications in regio- and enantioselective allylation of phenols.

Facile preparations of chiral [Ru(Cp*)]- and [Ru(Cp')]-based allyl complexes featuring N,O chelate derived from (+)-nopinone are described. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis of one complex revealed the preferential configuration of the ruthenium centre and the orientation of the unsymmetrical allylic substituent. Applications of these complexes in catalysis for nucleophilic allylic substitution allowed regio- and enantioselective formation of branched allyl ethers from phenols.