Enantioselective regiospecific addition of propargyltrichlorosilane to aldehydes catalyzed by biisoquinoline ,-dioxide.

Distilled propargyltrichlorosilane with >99% isomeric purity was prepared for the first time, and its asymmetric catalytic regiospecific addition reaction to aldehydes was developed through a systematic catalyst structure-reactivity and selectivity relationship study. The observed catalyst structure-enantioselectivity relationship of the present allenylation reaction was found exactly opposite to that of the analogous allylation reaction. The method provided eleven α-allenic alcohols in 22-99% yield with 61:39-92:8 enantiomeric ratios. Furthermore, possible mechanisms of propargyl-allenyl isomerization of propargyltrichlorosilane were computationally investigated.