Optimized Scalable Synthesis of Chiral Iridium Pyridyl-Phosphinite (Pyridophos) Catalysts

Iridium catalysts with chiral P,N ligands have greatly enhanced the scope of asymmetric olefin hydrogenation because they do not require a coordinating group near the C=C bond like Rh and Ru catalysts. Pyridophos ligands, possessing a conformationally restricted annulated pyridine framework linked to a phosphinite group, proved to be particularly effective, inducing high enantioselectivities in the hydrogenation of a remarkably broad range of substrates. Here we report the development of an efficient scalable synthesis for the two most versatile Ir-pyridophos catalysts, derived from 2-phenyl-8-hydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline or the analogue with a five-membered carbocyclic ring, respectively, by modification and optimization of the original synthetic route. The optimized route renders both catalysts readily accessible in multi-gram quantities in analytically pure form in overall yields of 26–37 %, starting from acetophenone and cyclopentanone or cyclohexanone, respectively. A major advantage of the new synthesis is the efficient and practical kinetic resolution of the late-stage pyridyl alcohol intermediates with commercial immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B, giving access to both enantiomers of these catalysts as essentially enantiopure compounds. The catalysts are obtained as crystalline solids, which are air-stable and can be stored for years at −20 °C without notable decomposition.