Enantioselective Alkynylation of Aromatic Ketones Catalyzed by Chiral Camphorsulfonamide Ligands

The smooth addition of phenylacetylene to aromatic ketones in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu(OTf)2 and camphorsulfonamide provides the corresponding tertiary propargylic alcohols in high yields and with up to 97 % ee. This reaction represents a highly enantioselective catalytic addition of dialkynyl zinc reagents to simple ketones.