Allylation of aldehydes catalyzed by chiral N,N'-bis(N-methyl-2-methylene-4,5-bisphenyl-imidazole)-1,2-cyclohexane diamine rhodium(III) complexes

Chiral bis-imidazole rhodium(III) complexes catalyze the allylation of aldehydes by allyltributyltin. The pre-catalyst was readily prepared from chiral N,N'-bis(N-methyl-2-methylene-4,5-bisphenylimidazole)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine, potassium carbonate, and rhodium(III) chloride trihydrate. The rhodium(III) complex produced showed no activity in an allyl transfer process in the presence of the allyltin reagent. However, when silver …