Chelating bis-carbene rhodium(III) complexes in transfer hydrogenation of ketones and imines

Chelating rhodium(III) carbene complexes are accessible via a simple synthesis and are catalytically active for hydrogen transfer from alcohols to ketones and imines.     

A new class of Rh(III) catalyst containing an aminoalcohol tethered to a tetramethylcyclopentadienyl group for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

The synthesis and application to asymmetric reduction of acetophenone, of a novel class of Rh(III) catalyst containing a tether between the cyclopentadienyl group and a homochiral aminoalcohol, is described. The complex is a highly active catalyst for asymmetric ketone reduction, however it appears to be unstable to the extended reaction conditions. The well-defined stereochemical structure of the catalyst offers potential for significant improvement and ‘fine tuning’ towards specific substrates.     

A soluble-polymer system for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

The appropriate combination of methacrylate polymers permits the synthesis of a soluble polymer for use in ruthenium(II)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reactions. Using a 7:3 copolymer of a poly(ethylene glycol) ester and a hydroxyethyl ester, a derived ruthenium(II)/norephedrine complex catalyses reduction of acetophenone in up to 95% yield and 81% ee.     

A class of ruthenium(II) catalyst for asymmetric transfer hydrogenations of ketones

Ruthenium dimer 6 (readily available in two steps from TsDPEN) is converted directly to monomeric asymmetric transfer hydrogenation catalyst 3 in situ under the conditions employed for ketone reduction. Catalyst 3 is a significantly more active catalyst for this application than the untethered derivative, exhibits higher enantioselectivities across a range of substrates, and appears to be highly stable to the reaction conditions. It is active at loadings of as low as 0.01 mol %, and reductions at the 0.1 mol % level are complete within 20 min at 80 degrees C without significant loss of enantioselectivity.     

A remarkably effective catalyst for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in water and air

A Rh(III) complex generated in situ from [Cp*RhCl2]2 and (1R,2R)-N-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine (TsCYDN) serves as a remarkably effective, robust catalyst for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones by HCOONa in water in air, affording alcohols in up to 99% ee.     

Highly efficient iridium catalyst for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones under base-free conditions

[reaction: see text] Catalytic systems generated in situ from the chiral PNNP ligands with iridium or rhodium hydride complexes exhibited excellent catalytic activity and good enantioselectivity in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones without added base. The best result was obtained in the IrH(CO)(PPh(3))(3)-ligand 2 catalytic system with up to 99% yield and 97% ee.     

Manganese catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

The asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of a wide range of ketones catalyzed by manganese complex as well as chiral P_xN_y-type ligand under mild conditions was investigated. Using 2-propanol as hydrogen source, various ketones could be enantioselectively hydrogenated by combining cheap, readily available [MnBr(CO)₅] with chiral, 22-membered macrocyclic ligand (R,R,R',R')-CyP₂N₄ (L5) with 2 mol% of catalyst loading, affording highly valuable chiral alcohols with up to 95% ee.     

"Tethered" Ru(II) catalysts for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Stereochemically well-defined ruthenium(II) catalysts have been applied to the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of a series of ketones. In one case, statistical experimental design was employed to optimize the enantiomeric excess of the product. In the case of the TsDPEN-based systems, the replacement of trans-1,2-diphenyl substitution with cis-, or deletion of one of the phenyl groups, results in significant deterioration of the enantiomeric excess. A new method is described for the synthesis of tethered amino alcohol-containing catalysts.     

Osmium pyme complexes for fast hydrogenation and asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

The osmium compound trans,cis-[OsCl2(PPh3)2(Pyme)] (1) (Pyme=1-(pyridin-2-yl)methanamine), obtained from [OsCl2(PPh3)3] and Pyme, thermally isomerizes to cis,cis-[OsCl2(PPh3)(2)(Pyme)] (2) in mesitylene at 150 degrees C. Reaction of [OsCl2(PPh3)3] with Ph2P(CH2)(4)PPh2 (dppb) and Pyme in mesitylene (150 degrees C, 4 h) leads to a mixture of trans-[OsCl2(dppb)(Pyme)] (3) and cis-[OsCl2(dppb)(Pyme)] (4) in about an 1:3 molar ratio. The complex trans-[OsCl2(dppb)(Pyet)] (5) (Pyet=2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethanamine) is formed by reaction of [OsCl2(PPh3)3] with dppb and Pyet in toluene at reflux. Compounds 1, 2, 5 and the mixture of isomers 3/4 efficiently catalyze the transfer hydrogenation (TH) of different ketones in refluxing 2-propanol and in the presence of NaOiPr (2.0 mol %). Interestingly, 3/4 has been proven to reduce different ketones (even bulky) by means of TH with a remarkably high turnover frequency (TOF up to 5.7 x 10(5) h(-1)) and at very low loading (0.05-0.001 mol %). The system 3/4 also efficiently catalyzes the hydrogenation of many ketones (H2, 5.0 atm) in ethanol with KOtBu (2.0 mol %) at 70 degrees C (TOF up to 1.5 x 10(4) h(-1)). The in-situ-generated catalysts prepared by the reaction of [OsCl2(PPh3)3] with Josiphos diphosphanes and (+/-)-1-alkyl-substituted Pyme ligands, promote the enantioselective TH of different ketones with 91-96 % ee (ee=enantiomeric excess) and with a TOF of up to 1.9 x 10(4) h(-1) at 60 degrees C.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones in ethanol

A ruthenium catalyst formed in situ by combining [Ru(p-cymene)Cl₂]₂ and an amino acid hydroxy-amide was found to catalyze efficiently the asymmetric reduction of aryl alkyl ketones under transfer hydrogenation conditions using ethanol as the hydrogen donor. The secondary alcohol products were obtained in moderate to good yields and with good to excellent enantioselectivity (up to 97% ee).     

Rhodium(III) NCN pincer complexes catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Air-stable monomeric rhodium(III) NCN pincer complexes were synthesized via direct C-H bond activation of 1,3-bis(2-pyridyloxy)benzene, 3,5-bis(2-pyridyloxy)toluene and 3,5-bis(2-pyridyloxy)anisole with RhCl₃·3H₂O in ethanol under reflux. The synthesized complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and ¹H NMR. One of the complexes was structurally characterized by X-ray analysis. An investigation into the catalytic activity of the complex 1a as catalyst for transfer hydrogenation of ketones to alcohols at 82 °C in the presence of iPrOH/KOH was undertaken with the conversions up to 99%.     

An efficient catalyst system for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones: remarkably broad substrate scope

A BINOL-derived diphosphonite having a xanthene backbone is an excellent bidentate ligand in Ru-catalyzed 2-propanol-based transfer hydrogenation of aryl/alkyl and alkyl/alkyl ketones (ee = 76-99%). Even notoriously difficult ketones such as isopropyl methyl ketone are reduced with extraordinarily high enantioselectivity (ee = 99%).     

Polyethylene glycol‐bound Ru catalyst for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in water

A new polyethylene glycol‐supported chiral monosulfonamide was synthesized from (R,R)‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane and shown to act as a ligand for ruthenium(II)‐catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in neat water using sodium formate as the hydrogen source. Good enantioselectivities were obtained and the catalyst could be easily separated from the reaction mixture and reused several times. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chiral sulfur-containing ligands for iridium(I)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones

New efficient catalyst systems, coupled with IrCl(COD)PPh₃ and chiral [SNNS]-type ligands, were employed in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones under mild reaction conditions. The corresponding optically active alcohols were obtained in high yield and good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee). The chiral Ir(I) complexes with the ligands of [SNNS]-type were also prepared and characterized, which showed good enantioselectivity and high activity. The reactions can be performed in air and the catalytic experiments are greatly simplified.     

Iron nanoparticles catalyzing the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Investigation into the mechanism of transfer hydrogenation using trans-[Fe(NCMe)CO(PPh(2)C(6)H(4)CH═NCHR-)(2)][BF(4)](2), where R = H (1) or R = Ph (2) (from R,R-dpen), has led to strong evidence that the active species in catalysis are iron(0) nanoparticles (Fe NPs) functionalized with achiral (with 1) and chiral (with 2) PNNP-type tetradentate ligands. Support for this proposition is given in terms of in operando techniques such as a kinetic investigation of the induction period during catalysis as well as poisoning experiments using substoichiometric amounts of various poisoning agents. Further support for the presence of Fe(0) NPs includes STEM microscopy imaging with EDX analysis, XPS analysis, and SQUID magnetometry analysis of catalytic solutions. Further evidence of Fe NPs acting as the active catalyst is given in terms of a polymer-supported substrate experiment whereby the NPs are too large to permeate the pores of a functionalized polymer. Final support is given in terms of a combined poisoning/STEM/EDX experiment whereby the poisoning agent is shown to be bound to the Fe NPs. This paper provides evidence of a rare example of asymmetric catalysis with nonprecious metal, zerovalent nanoparticles.     

Accelerated asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in water

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of various simple aromatic ketones by the Ru-TsDPEN catalyst was shown to be feasible in aqueous HCOONa without calling for any catalyst modification, furnishing ee's of up to 95% and significantly faster rates than in the HCOOH-NEt(3) azeotrope.     

New chiral diphosphoramidite rhodium(I) complexes for asymmetric hydrogenation

Chiral 1,5‐cyclooctadiene rhodium(I) cationic complexes with C₂‐symmetric chelate diphosphoramidite ligands containing (R,R)‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane as the backbone and two atropoisomeric biaryl units were easily synthesized and fully characterized by multinuclear one‐ and two‐dimensional NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. These complexes were used as catalysts in the asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate, methyl 2‐acetamidoacrylate and (Z)‐methyl‐2‐acetamido‐3‐phenylacrylate. The rhodium complexes derived from diphosphoramidite ligands that contain two (R) or (S) BINOL (2,2′‐dihydroxy‐1,1′‐binaphthyl) units proved to be efficient catalysts, giving complete conversion and very good enantioselectivity (up to 88% ee). An uncommon positive H₂ pressure effect on the enantioselectivity was observed in the hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate catalyzed by Rh‐complex with diphosphoramidite ligand that contains two (S)‐binaphthol moieties. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enantioswitchable catalysts for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aryl alkyl ketones

A subtle change in the ligand structure, replacing the carbonyl oxygen with sulfur in simple alpha-amino acid amides, resulted in a dramatic activity and selectivity improvement in the rhodium- or ruthenium-catalyzed reduction of ketones under hydrogen transfer conditions. In addition, in most cases, a switch of the product's absolute configuration was observed on going from amides to the corresponding thioamides. Under optimized conditions, we obtained the secondary alcohol products in high yield and enantioselectivity (up to 97% ee) using only 0.25 mol % catalyst loading. [structure: see text]     

Aqueous phase transfer hydrogenation of aryl ketones catalysed by achiral ruthenium(II) and rhodium(III) complexes and their papain conjugates

Several ruthenium and rhodium complexes including 2,2′‐dipyridylamine ligands substituted at the central N atom by an alkyl chain terminated by a maleimide functional group were tested along with a newly synthesized Rh(III) complex of unsubstituted 2,2′‐dipyridylamine as catalysts in the transfer hydrogenation of aryl ketones in neat water with formate as hydrogen donor. All of them except one led to the secondary alcohol products with conversion rates depending on the metal complex. Site‐specific anchoring of the N‐maleimide complexes to the single free cysteine residue of the cysteine endoproteinase papain endowed this protein with transfer hydrogenase properties towards 2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone. Quantitative conversions were reached with the Rh‐based biocatalysts, while modest enantioselectivities were obtained in certain reactional conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.