Recent Advances in the Asymmetric Catalytic Synthesis of Phosphonates with an α-Chiral Center

Abstract Phosphonates and derivatives with an α-chiral center are of great importance and they are widely distributed in many natural products, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals with various bioactive features. Great effort has been made toward the development of efficient methods for their synthesis. In this short review, recent advances in the asymmetric catalytic synthesis of phosphonates with an α-chiral center are summarized, including asymmetric hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated phosphonates, asymmetric addition of phosphonates to unsaturated electrophiles, and asymmetric addition of nucleophiles to α,β-unsaturated phosphonates. In addition, continuous development of enantioselective catalytic synthetic methods and the application of phosphonates and derivatives with α-chiral center are future prospects. 1 Introduction 2 Asymmetric Hydrogenation of α,β-Unsaturated Phosphonates 3 Asymmetric Addition of Phosphonates to Unsaturated Electrophiles 4 Asymmetric Addition of Nucleophiles to α,β-Unsaturated Phosphonates 5 Conclusion