Asymmetric Addition of Phenylacetylene to Aldehydes Catalyzed by β‐Sulfonamide Alcohol‐Titanium Complex

A series of β‐sulfonamide alcohol ligands were synthesized from L ‐phenylalanine. Titanium complexes of these compounds were used to catalyze the asymmetric addition of phenylacetylene to a number of aldehydes. When the conditions were optimized, 20 mol % of ligand 8a catalyzed the reaction with high enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee) and good yield (up to 92%). When a small amount of MeOH was added to the reaction as a modifier, as little as 5 mol % of ligand was required to efficiently catalyze the reaction under very mild conditions, resulting in an ee of up to 99% and good yield.