A new chiral sulfonamide ligand based on tartaric acid: synthesis and application in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes and ketones

A new sulfonamide ligand based on l-tartaric acid was synthesized and was employed as a chiral ligand in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes, giving rise to the best enantiomeric excess up to 83% with 5 mol % of catalyst loading. Moreover, the addition of diethylzinc to ketones can also be achieved with good to excellent enantioselectivities by employing 7 mol % of the catalyst under mild conditions.