Binaphthalene ligands and catalysts play a pivotal role in the development of modern chemistry. In contrast to 1,1′-binaphthyl, the 1,2′-binaphthyl framework has received comparatively little attention from chemists. In this study, a streamlined approach was developed for the preparation of 1′,2-dihalo-1,2′-binaphthylene derivatives (28 examples) via a concise two-step, one-pot strategy. Specifically, this method employed readily available α-hydroxy haloalkynes to directly construct the 1′,2-dihalo-1,2′-binaphthylene framework. The high step economy substantially enhanced the overall efficiency of accessing these valuable scaffolds. Additionally, 1′,2-dihalo-1,2′-binaphthylene was prepared on the gram scale and afforded a series of ligands, catalysts, and high-value 1,2′-binaphthyl-based materials. The inherent asymmetry of the 1,2′-binaphthyl framework allows for more versatile designs of binaphthyl ligand catalysts, thereby providing an approach for the development of efficient binaphthyl ligands and binaphthyl catalysts.
Ji et al. (Mon,) studied this question.