Nickel-Catalyzed Atroposelective Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Aryl Halides: A General and Practical Route to Diverse MOP-Type Ligands.

We report a highly cross- and atroposelective coupling between ortho -(chloro)arylphosphine oxides and ortho -(bromo)aryl ethers. This previously unknown asymmetric nickel-catalyzed reaction offers a direct route to highly enantioenriched axially chiral biaryl monophosphine oxides that are difficult to access by other means. These products can be readily reduced to generate chiral MOP-type ligands bearing complex skeletal backbones. The utility of these chiral ligands in asymmetric catalysis is also demonstrated.