"Mother diamine" (MD) or 1,2-bis(2-hydroxy-phenyl) ethylenediamine can be rapidly transformed to a wide variety of chiral ligands including vicinal diamines and analogs of binol (MDdiol), binap (MDdiphos), and monophos (MDphos). The reactivity and stereoselectivity of the MDphos ligands in Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation are highly sensitive to the N, N'-dialkyl substituents.