Enantioselective addition of arylboronic acids to methyl 2-formylbenzoates by using a ruthenium/Me-BIPAM catalyst for synthesis of chiral 3-aryl-isobenzofuranones

Ruthenium/Me-BIPAM-catalyzed asymmetric addition of arylboronic acids to methyl 2-formylbenzoates afforded chiral 3-aryl-isobenzofuranones. [RuCl2(p-cymene)](2)/Me-BIPAM and RuCl2(PPh3)(3)/Me-BIPAM catalyst systems tolerate a variety of functional groups and give high yields with high enantioselectivities.