One-step multicomponent synthesis of chiral oxazolinyl-zinc complexes

BACKGROUND: Typically, oxazolinyl metal complexes are synthesized in two steps, where the free ligand is prepared by the condensation reaction between a functionalized nitrile and an amino alcohol in the presence of a Lewis or Brønsted acid catalyst, followed by a further reaction with metal salts to obtain the corresponding metal complexes. Very often, the yield afforded by the two-step procedure is not high, and very few oxazolinyl zinc complexes have been prepared by this route. Given that metal-oxazoline complexes often contain Lewis acidic metals, it is conceivable that the two steps may be telescoped. RESULTS: A series of novel chiral organozinc complexes 1–15 were assembled in a single step, All crystalline compounds were fully characterized, including the report of 15 X-ray crystal structures, including a wide structural diversity. CONCLUSIONS: A series of novel chiral organozinc complexes were assembled in a single step, from nitriles, chiral D/L amino alcohols, and a stoichiometric amount of ZnCl(2), with moderate to high yields (20–90%). [Figure: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13065-017-0305-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.