Regio‐ and Enantioselective Synthesis of N‐Allylindoles by Iridium‐Catalyzed Allylic Amination/Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Cyclization Reactions

Regio‐ and enantioselective synthesis of N‐allylindoles was realized through an iridium‐catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination reaction with 2‐alkynylanilines and subsequent transition‐metal‐catalyzed cyclization reactions. The highly enantioenriched allylic amines prepared from Ir‐catalysis were treated with catalytic amount of NaAuCl₄ ? 2 H₂O or PdCl₂ providing various substituted N‐allylindoles in excellent yields and enantioselectivities.     

Asymmetric hydrosilylation,transfer hydrogenation and hydrogenation of ketones catalyzed by iridium complexes

Iridium-based asymmetric reduction of ketones to chiral enantiomerically enriched alcohols has recently attracted attention by a number of research groups and interest in this area is growing. This review presents the different catalytic systems based on iridium complexes that have been used in asymmetric hydrosilylation, in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) with alcohols or formic acid derivatives as reducing agents, and in asymmetric hydrogenation (H₂ as reducing agent). A large variety of chiral ligands of various denticities and bearing various combination of coordinating atoms (N, P, S, O, C, …) have been used and will be presented. The last part critically reviews the mechanistic understanding of all the above transformations with specific reference to iridium catalysts.     

Effects of ruthenium hydride species on primary amine synthesis by direct amination of alcohols over a heterogeneous Ru catalyst

Heterogeneously catalysed synthesis of primary amines by direct amination of alcohols with ammonia has long been an elusive goal. In contrast to reported Ru-based catalytic systems, we report that Ru–MgO/TiO₂ acts as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the direct amination of a variety of alcohols to primary amines at low temperatures of ca. 100 °C without the introduction of H₂ gas. The present system could be applied to a variety of alcohols and provides an efficient synthetic route for 2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan (BAMF), an attention-getting biomonomer. The high catalytic performance can be rationalized by the reactivity tuning of Ru–H species using MgO. Spectroscopic measurements suggest that MgO enhances the reactivity of hydride species by electron donation from MgO to Ru.

Ru–MgO/TiO₂ exhibited high catalytic performance for direct amination of alcohols based on the acceleration effects of MgO.     

The Hydrogenation/Transfer Hydrogenation Network in Asymmetric Reduction of Ketones Catalyzed by [RuCl2(binap)(pica)] Complexes

Chiral binap/pica‐Ru^II complexes (binap=(S)‐ or (R)‐2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl; pica=α‐picolylamine) catalyze both asymmetric hydrogenation (AH) of ketones using H₂ and asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) using non‐tertiary alcohols under basic conditions. The AH and ATH catalytic cycles are linked by the metal–ligand bifunctional mechanism. Asymmetric reduction of pinacolone is best achieved in ethanol containing the Ru catalyst and base under an H₂ atmosphere at ambient temperature, giving the chiral alcohol in 97–98 % ee. The reaction utilizes only H₂ as a hydride source with alcohol acting as a proton source. On the other hand, asymmetric reduction of acetophenone is attained with both H₂ (ambient temperature) and 2‐propanol (>60 °C) with relatively low enantioselectivity. The degree of contribution of the AH and ATH cycles is highly dependent on the ketone substrates, solvent, and reaction parameters (H₂ pressure, temperature, basicity, substrate concentration, H/D difference, etc.).     

Synthesis of chiral iridium complexes immobilized on amphiphilic polymers and their application to asymmetric catalysis

This article details the enantioselective catalytic performance of crosslinked, polymer immobilized, Ir‐based, chiral complexes for transfer hydrogenation of cyclic imines to chiral amines. Polymerization of the achiral vinyl monomer, divinylbenzene, and a polymerizable chiral 1,2‐diamine monosulfonamide ligand followed by complexation with [IrCl₂Cp*]₂ affords the crosslinked polymeric chiral complex, which can be successfully applied to asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of cyclic imines. Polymeric catalysts prepared from amphiphilic achiral monomers have high catalytic activity in the reaction and can be used both in organic solvents and water to give chiral cyclic amines with a high level of enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee). The asymmetric reaction allows for reuse of the heterogeneous catalyst without any loss in activity or enantioselectivity over several runs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3037–3044     

Development of a new class of C1-symmetric bisphosphine ligands for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation

A new class of C₁-symmetric bisphosphine ligands with three hindered quadrants have been obtained through facile synthesis from chiral BINOL derivatives. Their rhodium complexes have exhibited high enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) in the asymmetric hydrogenation of various unsaturated prochiral olefins, providing an efficient catalytic system for the enantioselective synthesis of chiral amino acids and amines.     

Cooperative Catalysis by Palladium and a Chiral Phosphoric Acid: Enantioselective Amination of Racemic Allylic Alcohols

Cooperative catalysis by [Pd(dba)₂] and the chiral phosphoric acid BA1 in combination with the phosphoramidite ligand L8 enabled the efficient enantioselective amination of racemic allylic alcohols with a variety of functionalized amines. This catalytic protocol is highly regio‐ and stereoselective (up to e.r. 96:4) and furnishes valuable chiral amines in almost quantitative yield.     

Synthesis of chiral β2-amino acids by asymmetric hydrogenation

The synthesis of chiral β²-amino acids by homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation is discussed. Prochiral β-aryl- or β-hetaryl-α-N-benzyl/N-acetyl/N-Boc substituted α-aminomethylacrylates used as substrates were prepared by a Baylis–Hillman reaction, followed by acylation and amination. For the asymmetric hydrogenation, a large variety of chiral, preferentially rhodium catalysts bearing commercially available phosphorus ligands were tested. Conversions and enantioselectivities were dependent on the reaction conditions and varied strongly between the substrates used. A chiral N-α-phenylethyl group supports the stereoface discriminating ability of the chiral catalysts and thus a matching pair effect could be realized. In strong contrast, a chiral ester group has almost no effect in this respect. In some cases the use of the corresponding substrate acid was better in comparison to the use of its ester. After optimization of the hydrogenation conditions (chiral catalyst, H₂-pressure, temperature, solvent), full conversions and products with up to 99% ee were achieved.     

Enantiodivergent Atroposelective Synthesis of Chiral Biaryls by Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation: Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Dynamic Kinetic Resolution

Reported herein is an enantiodivergent synthesis of chiral biaryls by a chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reaction. Upon treatment of biaryl lactols with aromatic amines and a Hantzsch ester in the presence of chiral phosphoric acid, dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) involving a reductive amination reaction proceeded smoothly to furnish both R and S isomers of chiral biaryls with excellent enantioselectivities by proper choice of hydroxyaniline derivative. This trend was observed in wide variety of substrates, and various chiral biphenyl and phenyl naphthyl adducts were synthesized with satisfactory enantioselectivities in enantiodivergent fashion. The enantiodivergent synthesis of synthetically challenging, chiral o‐tetrasubstituted biaryls were also accomplished, and suggests high synthetic potential of the present method.     

Rhodium‐catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of α‐Dehydroamino Ketones: A General Approach to Chiral α‐amino Ketones

Rhodium/DuanPhos‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of aliphatic α‐dehydroamino ketones has been achieved and afforded chiral α‐amino ketones in high yields and excellent enantioselectives (up to 99 % ee), which could be reduced further to chiral β‐amino alcohols by LiAlH(tBuO)₃ with good yields_. This protocol provides a readily accessible route for the synthesis of chiral α‐amino ketones and chiral β‐amino alcohols.     

ZnCl2‐Promoted Asymmetric Hydrogenation of β‐Secondary‐Amino Ketones Catalyzed by a P‐Chiral Rh–Bisphosphine Complex

A new catalytic system has been developed for the asymmetric hydrogenation of β‐secondary‐amino ketones using a highly efficient P‐chiral bisphosphine–rhodium complex in combination with ZnCl₂ as the activator of the catalyst. The chiral γ‐secondary‐amino alcohols were obtained in 90–94 % yields, 90–99 % enantioselectivities, and with high turnover numbers (up to 2000 S/C; S/C=substrate/catalyst ratio). A mechanism for the promoting effect of ZnCl₂ on the catalytic system has been proposed on the basis of NMR spectroscopy and HRMS studies. This method was successfully applied to the asymmetric syntheses of three important drugs, (S)‐duloxetine, (R)‐fluoxetine, and (R)‐atomoxetine, in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities.     

Asymmetric Guerbet Reaction to Access Chiral Alcohols

The first example of an asymmetric Guerbet reaction has been developed. Using commercially available, classic Noyori Ru^II‐diamine‐diphosphine catalysts, well‐known in asymmetric hydrogenation, racemic secondary alcohols are shown to couple with primary alcohols in the presence of a base, affording new chiral alcohols with enantiomeric ratios of up to 99:1. Requiring no reducing agents, the protocol provides an easy, alternative route for the synthesis of chiral alcohols. Mechanistic studies reveal that the reaction proceeds via a Ru‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogen autotransfer process in concert with a base‐promoted allylic alcohol isomerization.     

Fe-Catalyzed Amidation of Allylic Alcohols by Borrowing Hydrogen Catalysis

Allylic amines are useful building blocks in organic synthesis, so the development of green and efficient methods for the preparation of allylic amines are of great importance. An Fe-catalyzed amidation of allylic alcohols with chiral tert-butylsulfinamide has been developed. With water as the only by-product, a range of synthetically useful chiral sulfinamide olefin derivatives (30 examples) were obtained under mild reaction conditions. The reaction can be performed on a gram-scale, and the products could serve as chiral ligands for asymmetric catalysis. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds by an Fe-catalyzed borrowing hydrogen process, which is different from most of the reported allylic amination reactions.     

过渡金属催化的不对称氢化反应的国内研究进展

手性过渡金属催化剂催化的不对称氢化反应是制备光学纯手性氨基酸、 手性醇、 手性胺和手性酸等手性化合物的重要手段和途径. 本文主要概括了近20年内中国科学家在手性膦配体及其过渡金属催化剂的设计合成及不对称催化氢化新反应两方面的研究进展, 并展望了该领域的发展前景.     

Chloride‐Bridged Dinuclear Rhodium(III) Complexes Bearing Chiral Diphosphine Ligands: Catalyst Precursors for Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Simple Olefins

Efficient rhodium(III) catalysts were developed for asymmetric hydrogenation of simple olefins. A new series of chloride‐bridged dinuclear rhodium(III) complexes 1 were synthesized from the rhodium(I) precursor [RhCl(cod)]₂, chiral diphosphine ligands, and hydrochloric acid. Complexes from the series acted as efficient catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation of (E)‐prop‐1‐ene‐1,2‐diyldibenzene and its derivatives without any directing groups, in sharp contrast to widely used rhodium(I) catalytic systems that require a directing group for high enantioselectivity. The catalytic system was applied to asymmetric hydrogenation of allylic alcohols, alkenylboranes, and unsaturated cyclic sulfones. Control experiments support the superiority of dinuclear rhodium(III) complexes 1 over typical rhodium(I) catalytic systems.     

Consecutive Intermolecular Reductive Amination/Asymmetric Hydrogenation: Facile Access to Sterically Tunable Chiral Vicinal Diamines and N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes

A highly enantioselective iridium‐ or ruthenium‐catalyzed intermolecular reductive amination/asymmetric hydrogenation relay with 2‐quinoline aldehydes and aromatic amines has been developed. A broad range of sterically tunable chiral N,N′‐diaryl vicinal diamines were obtained in high yields (up to 95 %) with excellent enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee). The resulting chiral diamines could be readily transformed into sterically hindered chiral N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors, which are otherwise difficult to access. The usefulness of this synthetic approach was further demonstrated by the successful application of one of the chiral vicinal diamines and chiral NHC ligands in a transition‐metal‐catalyzed asymmetric Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction and asymmetric ring‐opening cross‐metathesis, respectively.     

New functional chiral P-based ligands and application in ruthenium-catalyzed enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Metal-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation is a powerful and practical method for the reduction of ketones to produce the corresponding secondary alcohols, which are valuable building blocks in the pharmaceutical, perfume, and agrochemical industries. Hence, a series of novel chiral β-amino alcohols were synthesized by chiral amines with regioselective ring opening of (S)-propylene oxide or reaction with (S)-(+)-2-hydroxypropyl p-toluenesulfonate by a straightforward method. The chiral ruthenium catalytic systems generated from [Ru(arene)(μ-Cl)Cl]₂ complexes and chiral phosphinite ligands based on amino alcohol derivatives were employed in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones to give the corresponding optically active alcohols; (2S)-1-{[(2S)-2-[(diphenylphosphanyl)oxy]propyl][(1R)-1-phenylethyl]amino}propan-2-yldiphenylphosphinitobis[dichol-oro(η⁶-benzene)ruthenium(II)] acts an excellent catalyst in the reduction of α-naphthyl methyl ketone, giving the corresponding alcohol with up to 99% ee. The substituents on the backbone of the ligands were found to have a remarkable effect on both the conversion and enantioselectivity of the catalysts. Furthermore, this transfer hydrogenation is characterized by low reversibility under these conditions.     

Synthetic Studies on Camptothecins. Part 1

A six‐step asymmetric total synthesis of (20S)‐camptothecin ( 1 ) has been accomplished in 25% overall yield starting from the known pyridone 3 . The key steps in this synthesis are the chemoselective Ni‐catalyzed hydrogenation of 3‐cyanopyridone 6 to 3‐formylpyridone 7 in AcOH/pyridine/H₂O and the Davis asymmetric hydroxylation of tricyclic lactone 4 utilizing a chiral N‐sulfonyloxaziridine into (4′S)‐tricyclic hydroxylactone 2 .     

Biomimetic Hydrogenation Catalyzed by a Manganese Model of [Fe]‐Hydrogenase

[Fe]‐hydrogenase is an efficient biological hydrogenation catalyst. Despite intense research, Fe complexes mimicking the active site of [Fe]‐hydrogenase have not achieved turnovers in hydrogenation reactions. Herein, we describe the design and development of a manganese(I) mimic of [Fe]‐hydrogenase. This complex exhibits the highest activity and broadest scope in catalytic hydrogenation among known mimics. Thanks to its biomimetic nature, the complex exhibits unique activity in the hydrogenation of compounds analogous to methenyl‐H₄MPT⁺, the natural substrate of [Fe]‐hydrogenase. This activity enables asymmetric relay hydrogenation of benzoxazinones and benzoxazines, involving the hydrogenation of a chiral hydride transfer agent using our catalyst coupled to Lewis acid‐catalyzed hydride transfer from this agent to the substrates.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of salicyl alcohol catalyzed by methylsulfo–sodium carboxymethylcellulose–Pt complex

A new chiral polymer–metal complex, methylsulfo–sodium carboxymethyl–cellulose–Pt complex (MS‐NaCMC‐Pt), has been prepared by the reaction of sodium carboxymethylcellulose with methylsulfonyl chloride and H₂PtCl₆·6H₂, which was found to be able to catalyze the asymmetric hydrogenation of salicyl alcohol to give (1S,2S)‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)‐cyclohexanol at 28 °C and under 1 atm H₂, in > 90% product and optical yields, respectively. The catalyst could be reused many times without any remarkable changes in optical catalytic activity. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.