Chiral terpene auxiliaries V: Synthesis of new chiral γ-hydroxyphosphine oxides derived from α-pinene

New chiral regioisomeric γ-hydroxyphosphine ligands were synthesized from α-pinene. The key transformation was the thermal [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allyldiphenylphosphinites, obtained from (1R,2R,4S,5R)-3-methyleneneoisoverbanol and (1R,2R,3R,5R)-4-methyleneneoisopinocampheol, to allylphosphine oxides. Hydroxy groups were introduced stereoselectively through a hydroboration–oxidation reaction proceeding from the less hindered site providing a trans relationship between the hydroxy and the phosphine substituents.