Synthesis of Chiral 2‐Oxazolidinones by Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of 2‐Oxazolones

Abstract An asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of 2‐oxazolones in the presence of a chiral diamine ruthenium catalyst with potassium formate as a hydrogen source and potassium carbonate as an additive in 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol is described. A series of chiral 2‐oxazolidinones were obtained with 29%–95% yields and 86%–>99% ee's. Furthermore, gram‐scale synthesis of chiral 2‐oxazolidinone and its downstream derivatizations demonstrate the practicality of this method.