To obtain the subject new complex comprising a specific ruthenium- iodine-optically active phosphine complex and useful as a catalyst for various organic synthetic reactions having a high catalyst activity and high asymmetric yield and useful for production, etc., of 4-methyl-2-oxetanone which is a liquid crystal raw material.
This new ruthenium-iodine-optically active phosphine complex is represented by formula I [R1-BINAP is an optically active tertiary phosphine represented by formula II (R1 is an aryl group or a 3-8C cycloalkyl group which may have a substituent group such as a 1-4C lower alkyl, a 1-4C lower alkoxy, a 1-4C lower alkylamino or a halogen)] and useful as a catalyst, etc., of various organic synthetic reactions having high catalyst activity and high asymmetric yield and useful for producing an optically active 4-methyl-2-oxetanone for production raw materials, etc., of liquid crystal material in a high optical purity and a high yield for a short time. The complex is obtained by reacting a ruthenium-phosphine complex of formula III (R2 is H, a lower alkyl, an aryl, etc.) with fluoroboric acid and an inorganic iodide.
HORI YASUSHI
HAGIWARA TOSHIMITSU
