Recent Advances in Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydroformylation of Olefins

Hydroformylation is one of the most important processes of homogeneous catalysis in industry. Asymmetric hydroformylation (AHF) of prochiral alkenes provides an efficient way to the synthesis of optically active aldehydes, which are versatile chiral intermediates for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other fine chemicals. So far, most of methods reported were focused on the use of Rh(I)-based catalysts, by virtue of their high catalytic activity and excellent chemoselectivity for the aldehydes. A key issue in searching for efficient asymmetric hydroformylation catalysts is the development of new chiral ligands. A number of chiral phosphorus ligands have been successfully developed for Rh(I)-catalyzed AHF reactions. In this review, the recent advances in the development of chiral ligands for the Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydroformylaion of olefins have been surveyed.