A practical Ti-salen catalyst based on dimeric salen ligand for asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes

A dimeric salen ligand derived from L-tartaric acid was synthesized through linking two salen units with 1,6-dibromohexane. The corresponding Ti complex was proved to be an efficient catalyst for asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes, providing the corresponding optically active trimethylsilyl ether of cyanohydrins with moderate to good enantiomeric excesses and excellent yields under relatively low catalyst loading condition.

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► Dimeric salen ligand derived from L-tartaric acid was synthesized.
► Ti-salen catalyst displayed good performance.
► The reaction could be carried out under low catalyst loading.