Asymmetric hydrogenation of quinolines with recyclable and air-stable iridium catalyst systems

The iridium complex-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of quinolines in a DMPEG/hexane biphasic system was studied. Catalysts with C₂-symmetric ligands such as Xyl-P-Phos, Cl–MeO–BIPHEP, SYNPHOS, and DifluorPhos are highly effective for this type of reaction. Most of the catalysts tested can be retained in DMPEG (M_n = 500), and the asymmetric hydrogenation of various quinoline substrates can be carried out in DMPEG/hexane biphasic system with up to 92% ee. The catalysts and the products can be separated via simple phase separation, and the reactivity/stereoselectivity of the catalysts can be retained for at least three reaction cycles.     

Organometallic frustrated Lewis pair chemistry

Frustrated Lewis pairs are playing an increasingly important role in organometallic chemistry. Examples are presented and discussed where organometallic systems themselves serve as the Lewis base or Lewis acid components in frustrated Lewis pair chemistry, mostly through their attached functional groups. Activation of dihydrogen takes place easily in many of these systems. This may lead to the generation of novel catalyst systems but also in many cases to the occurrence of specific reactions at the periphery of the organometallic frameworks. Increasingly, FLP reactions are used to carry out functional group conversions in organometallic systems under mild reaction conditions. The limits of typical FLP reactivity are explored with selected organometallic examples, a discussion that points toward new developments, such as the discovery of facile new 1,1-carboboration reactions. Learning more and more about the broad spectrum of frustrated Lewis pair chemistry helps us to find novel reactions and applications.     

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of imines and iminiums catalyzed by a water-soluble catalyst in water

The first asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of cyclic imines and iminiums in water was successfully performed in high yields and enantioselectivities with sodium formate as the hydrogen source and CTAB as an additive catalyzed by a water-soluble and recyclable ruthenium(II) complex of the ligand (R,R)-2.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of cyclic imines with an ionic Cp*Rh(III) catalyst

When associated with a noncoordinating bulky counteranion, a cationic Cp*Rh(III)-diamine catalyst displayed excellent enantioselectivities in asymmetric hydrogenation of cyclic imines, affording bioactive tetrahydroisoquinolines and tetrahydro-beta-carbolines frequently with 99% ee's.     

Stoichiometric CO2 reductions using a bis-borane-based frustrated Lewis pair

The bis-borane 1,2-C(6)H(4)(BCl(2))(2) forms an adduct with PtBu(3), but is still capable of exhibiting FLP reactivity with THF and CO(2). The resulting CO(2) species is reduced by Me(2)NHBH(3) or [C(5)H(6)Me(4)NH(2)]X (X = [HB(C(6)F(5))(3)], [HB(C(6)F(5))(2)(C(7)H(11))]) followed by quenching with water to effect the stoichiometric conversion of CO(2) to methanol.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of chiral pyruvamides

Asymmetric catalytic hydrogenations of three kinds of chiral pyruvamides were carried out using palladium on charcoal as a catalyst to give lactamides with diastereomeric ratios ranging from 76:24 to 98:2.     

A computational study on hydrogenation of CO2, catalyzed by a bridged B/N frustrated Lewis pair

Structural Chemistry - A DFT-based computational study has been performed on the hydrogenation of CO2, catalyzed by a bridged FLP. Formic acid might be formed in two possible pathways as revealed...     

Development of [3]ferrocenophane-derived N/B frustrated Lewis pairs for the metal-free catalytic hydrogenation of imines

A series of novel [3]ferrocenophane-derived N/B frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) were synthesized and successfully applied to the catalytic hydrogenation of imines in 71–93% yields. This approach could be easily conducted on gram scale and provided versatile synthetic route for the key intermediate of sertraline hydrochloride without heavy metal residues.     

Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones with a polymer-supported chiral diamine

A new supported chiral diamine has been developed and shown to be highly effective in ruthenium-catalysed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of simple aromatic ketones.     

Asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers with aldehydes using a polymer-supported chiral Lewis acid catalyst

Chiral N-sulfonylated α-amino acid monomer (5) derived from (S)-tryptophan was copolymerized with styrene and divinylbenzene under radical polymerization conditions to give a polymer-supported N-sulfonyl-(S)-tryptophan (6). Treatment of the polymer-supported chiral ligand with 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl boron dichloride afforded a polymeric Lewis acid catalyst (16) effective for asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction of silyl enol ethers and aldehydes. Various aldehydes were allowed to react with silyl enol ethers in the presence of the polymeric chiral Lewis acid to give the corresponding aldol adducts in high yield with high levels of enantioselectivity.     

Intramolecular heterolytic dihydrogen cleavage by a bifunctional frustrated pyrazolylborane Lewis pair

The reaction of bis(pentafluorophenyl)borane, HB(C(6)F(5))(2), with 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1H-pyrazole (3) affords the zwitterionic pyrazolium-borate trans-5 and, after dehydrogenation by use of the frustrated carbene-borane Lewis pair 1/B(C(6)F(5))(3), the bifunctional pyrazolylborane 6, which is able to cleave dihydrogen heterolytically with the formation of a mixture of cis-5 and trans-5.     

Asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones and acrolein with a bis-titanium catalyst as chiral Lewis acid

A mu-oxo-type chiral bis-Ti(IV) oxide (S,S)-1 can be successfully utilized in the asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions between various nitrones 2 and acrolein to give the corresponding isoxazolidines with high to excellent enantioselectivities. For instance, the reaction between nitrone 2 (R = t-Bu) and acrolein in the presence of 10 mol % of bis-Ti(IV) catalyst (S,S)-1 in dichloromethane at -40 degrees C gave the corresponding endo cycloadduct with 97% ee.     

Catalytic hydrogenation with frustrated Lewis pairs: selectivity achieved by size-exclusion design of Lewis acids

Catalytic hydrogenation that utilizes frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalysts is a subject of growing interest because such catalysts offer a unique opportunity for the development of transition-metal-free hydrogenations. The aim of our recent efforts is to further increase the functional-group tolerance and chemoselectivity of FLP catalysts by means of size-exclusion catalyst design. Given that hydrogen molecule is the smallest molecule, our modified Lewis acids feature a highly shielded boron center that still allows the cleavage of the hydrogen but avoids undesirable FLP reactivity by simple physical constraint. As a result, greater latitude in substrate scope can be achieved, as exemplified by the chemoselective reduction of α,β-unsaturated imines, ketones, and quinolines. In addition to synthetic aspects, detailed NMR spectroscopic, DFT, and (2)H isotopic labeling studies were performed to gain further mechanistic insight into FLP hydrogenation.     

Enantioselective hydrogenation of alkenes and imines by a gold catalyst

A new neutral dimeric gold(I) complex bearing the 1,2-bis[(2R,5R)-2,5-dimethylphospholanebenzene] [(R,R)-Me-Duphos] ligand has been synthesized which catalyzes the asymmetric hydrogenation of alkenes and imines under mild reaction conditions.     

Tri-insertion with dearomatization of terminal arylalkynes using a carborane based frustrated Lewis pair template

Intramolecular vicinal Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLPs) have played a significant role in the activation of small molecules, and their stabilities and reactivities are found to strongly depend on the nature of the bridging units. This work reports a new carborane based FLP, 1-PPh₂-2-BPh₂-1,2-C₂B₁₀H₁₀ (2), which reacts with an equimolar amount of p-R₂NC₆H₄C CH (R = Me, Et, Ph) at room temperature to give C C triple bond addition products 1,2-[PPh₂C(R₂NC₆H₄) CHBPh₂]-1,2-C₂B₁₀H₁₀ (3) in high yields. Compounds 3 react further with two equiv. of p-R₂NC₆H₄C CH (R = Me, Et) at 60–70 °C to give unprecedented stereoselective tri-insertion products, 3,3a,6,6a-tetrahydronaphtho[1,8a-b]borole tricycles (4), in which one of the aryl rings from arylacetylene moieties has been dearomatized with the formation of four stereocenters including one quaternary carbon center. It is noted that the phosphine unit functions as a catalyst during the reactions. After trapping and structural characterization of a key intermediate, a reaction mechanism is proposed, involving sequential alkyne insertion and 1,2-boryl migration.

A carborane based frustrated Lewis pair enables tri-insertion with dearomatization of arylalkynes, forming unprecedented products, borole tricycles, with the construction of four stereocenters including one quaternary carbon center in one process.     

Trioxatriangulenium (TOTA+) as a robust carbon-based Lewis acid in frustrated Lewis pair chemistry

We report the reactivity between the water stable Lewis acidic trioxatriangulenium ion (TOTA⁺) and a series of Lewis bases such as phosphines and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC). The nature of the Lewis acid–base interaction was analyzed via variable temperature (VT) NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. While small and strongly nucleophilic phosphines, such as PMe₃, led to the formation of a Lewis acid–base adduct, frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) were observed for sterically hindered bases such as P(^tBu)₃. The TOTA⁺–P(^tBu)₃ FLP was characterized as an encounter complex, and found to promote the heterolytic cleavage of disulfide bonds, formaldehyde fixation, dehydrogenation of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, heterolytic cleavage of the C–Br bonds, and interception of Staudinger reaction intermediates. Moreover, TOTA⁺ and NHC were found to first undergo single-electron transfer (SET) to form [TOTA]·[NHC]˙⁺, which was confirmed via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and subsequently form a [TOTA–NHC]⁺ adduct or a mixture of products depending the reaction conditions used.

Frustration at carbon! Herein, we present a frustrated Lewis pair system derived from a water stable carbon-based Lewis acid, trioxatriangulene (TOTA⁺), and a variety of Lewis bases, which successfully promotes bond cleavage and molecule fixation.