Abstract
Despite the ubiquitous use of phosphoramidite chemistry in the synthesis of biophosphates, catalytic asymmetric phosphoramidite transfer remains largely unexplored for phosphate ester synthesis. We have discovered that a tetrazole-functionalized peptide, in the presence of 10-Å molecular sieves, functions as an enantioselective catalyst for phosphite transfer. This chemistry in turn has been used as the key step in a streamlined synthesis of myo-inositol-6-phosphate. Mechanistic insights implicate phosphate as a directing group for a highly selective kinetic resolution of a protected inositol monophosphate. This work represents a distinct and efficient method for the selective catalytic phosphorylation of natural products.