A Convenient Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Ethylene‐Bridged Metallocene Complexes Bearing Fluorenyl‐ and Octahydrofluorenyl Ligands[1]

Ring opening of (R)‐(–)‐epoxystyrene (1) with fluorenyllithium leads to the optically active alcohol 2 in high yield. Derivatization of 2 to the trifluoromethanesulfonate 4 and subsequent reaction with one equivalent of fluorenyllithium gives the ligand precursor (1S)‐1,2‐bis(9‐fluorenyl)‐1‐phenylethane (5), which is used for the synthesis of [(1R)‐1,2‐bis(η5‐9‐fluorenyl)‐1‐phenylethane]ZrCl2 (6).