Asymmetric catalysis with chiral oxazolidine ligands

Asymmetric catalysis with chiral 1,3-oxazolidine ligands, which have a sterically tunable, rigid structure that can accommodate several chiral centers, has found increasing attention in recent years. This trend is partly due to the intriguing ring topology of oxazolidines and the prospect of modular synthesis of a diverse set of ligands from a wide range of readily available amino alcohols. The general promise and pitfalls of the synthesis of chiral oxazolidines and the success of selected catalysts including pyridinyl and phosphine derivatives in asymmetric alkylations, alkynylations, allylic alkylations, cycloadditions, and aldol reactions is discussed.