Prof. Mengchun Ye's group has developed an ortho-selective rhodium-catalyzed direct C−H arylation of 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL), to deliver the widely used but not easily available 3,3′-diaryl BINOL. This highly efficient one-step synthetic approach is the shortest route to date and is greatly facilitated by the newly developed ligand system comprising tBu₂PCl, Ph₂-cod, and Cy₃P⋅HBF₄. In addition, the same procedure can facilitate the challenging syntheses of 3-bulkyaryl BINOLs in good to excellent yields.

Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201607893/full.