Highly Enantioselective Addition of Diphenylzinc to Aliphatic and Aromatic Aldehydes Catalyzed by a Readily Available H8‐Binol Derivative

All sorts of aldehydes 2 (R=aryl, vinyl, branched, and linear alkyl) undergo the highly enantioselective addition of diphenylzinc (1) in the presence of catalytic (S)-4 to give α-substituted benzyl alcohols 3 in high yields. In contrast to previous catalysts, no additive is required, the reaction is carried out at room temperature, and the reaction is equally effective with linear aldehydes.