Abstract Starting from inexpensive enantiopure (R)-and (S)-mandelic acid, a range of α- hydroxy-2-oxazolines has been prepared. The synthesis involves the condensation of the acid chloride with a vicinal amino alcohol, followed by intramolecular cyclization to form the oxazoline ring. The resulting compounds have been used as ligands in the asymmetric phenyl transfer reaction to 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, employing a mixture of triphenylborane ...