Readily available chiral diol scaffolds are useful as sources of chirality for asymmetric synthesis, however, few such scaffolds are readily available in enantiopure form. Reported herein is a cheap and modular synthesis of a novel family of chiral ferrocenyl diols in excellent yields with excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivity (>99 % ee and 99 % de). These diols possess not only planar and central chirality, but also axial chirality around the central iron atom. Characterization of these diols by X-ray crystallography revealed intra- and intermolecular hydrogen-bond networks depending on substitution at the carbinol positions. The potential of these diols as catalysts was subsequently demonstrated in an asymmetric hetero-Diels-Alder reaction which provided cycloadducts in up to 84 % yield with ee values ranging from -92 to +72 %.

The synthesis of a range of novel gem-disubstituted ferrocene-oxazoline ligands and their application in both the asymmetric ethyl- and phenylzinc additions to aldehydes is reported. These studies reveal that gem-disubstitution of i-Pr-containing ferrocene oxazoline ligands results in increased enantioselectivity compared to their unsubstituted counterparts. Utilizing zinc catalysis, these ligands provided a wide range of secondary alcohols in yields of up to 93% with ee's of up to >99%. An interesting crystal structure of a ferrocene oxide-lithium tetramer showing lithium-nitrogen coordination in the solid state is also presented.

Alkylidene carbenes undergo rapid inter-and intra-molecular reactions and rearrangements, including 1,2-migrations of β-substituents to generate alkynes. Their propensity for substituent migration exerts profound influence over the broader utility of alkylidene carbene intermediates, yet prior efforts to categorize 1,2-migratory aptitude in these elusive species have been hampered by disparate modes of carbene generation, ultrashort carbene lifetimes, mechanistic ambiguities, and the need to individually prepare a series of 13 C-labelled precursors. Herein we report on the rearrangement of 13 C-alkylidene carbenes generated in situ by the homologation of carbonyl compounds with [ 13 C]-Li-TMS-diazomethane, an approach that obviates the need for isotopically labelled substrates and has expedited a systematic investigation ( 13 C{ 1 H} NMR, DLPNO-CCSD(T)) of migratory aptitudes in an unprecedented range of more than 30 alkylidene carbenes. Hammett analyses of the reactions of 26 differentially substituted benzophenones reveal several counterintuitive features of 1,2-migration in alkylidene carbenes that may prove of utility in the study and synthetic application of unsaturated carbenes more generally.

The synthesis of a range of novel gem-disubstituted and electronically varied thiophene-oxazoline (HetPHOX) ligands and ferrocene-oxazoline (FcPHOX) ligands and their application in the Pd-catalyzed intermolecular asymmetric Heck reaction (IAH) is described. These investigations show that gem-disubstitution of i-Pr-PHOX-type ligands can lead to effective and cost-efficient alternatives to the corresponding t-Bu-PHOX systems. The Pd complexes of these ligands were very effective in the IAH, providing phenylated products in up to 100% conversion with up to 97% ee.

The design and first enantioselective synthesis of a series of chiral ferrocifens and ferrociphenols was realised by enantioselective palladium-catalysed intramolecular direct CÀ H bond activation followed by McMurry coupling. Biological evaluation revealed moderate anticancer activities on breast cancer cells and evidence of chiral discrimination between enantiomers. Treatment of the novel ferrocifens with Ag 2 O revealed that these systems are unable to form a neutral quinone methide, yet still demonstrate marked antiproliferative properties against both the hormone-dependent MCF-7 and hormone-independent MDA-MB-231 cell lines. This bioactivity arises from two mechanisms: Fenton-type chemistry and the anti-estrogenic activity associated with the tamoxifen-like structure.