5,5-Diamino BINAP has been synthesized via three steps using BINAPO as starting material with high reaction yield. Present method needed only a stoichiometric quantity of nitric acid in the step of nitration of BINAPO, giving almost quantitative reaction yield. Based on 5,5-diamino BINAP, other three new BINAP derivatives have been synthesized. These modified BINAP ligands showed better catalytic properties as compared to BINAP itself in the asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-(6’-methoxyl-2’-naphthyl)acrylic acid.
