Abstract Iridium complexes relevant to the catalytic enantioselective hydrogenation of 2- methyl-6-ethylphenyl-1′-methyl-2′-methoxyethylimine (MEA-imine, 1) in the Syngenta Metolachlor (3) process were prepared and characterized. Reaction of the diphosphane (S)- 1-[(R)-2-(diphenylphosphanyl) ferrocenyl] ethyldi (3, 5-xylyl) phosphane ((S)-(R)- Xyliphos,(S)-(R)-4) with [Ir 2 (μ-Cl) 2 (cod) 2](cod= 1, 5-cyclooctadiene) afforded [Ir (Cl)( ...