Kinetic resolution of sterically hindered secondary alcohols catalyzed by aminophosphinite organocatalyst

Kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols by benzoylation using a phosphinite derivative of (1S,2R)-1-amino-2-indanol as the catalyst was investigated. The aminophosphinite catalyst is effective for the kinetic resolution of aryl cycloalkyl carbinols with a small number of examples for organocatalytic kinetic resolution to achieve resolution with s = up to 44. Although the benzoylation of phenylalkanols proceeded with a low selectivity, 1-arylalkanols bearing at least one substituent at the ortho position on the benzene ring or a branched alkyl group on the carbinol carbon were resolved with acceptable selectivity.     

An efficient intermolecular BINAM-copper(I) catalyzed Ullmann-type coupling of aryl iodides/bromides with aliphatic alcohols

A wide range of alkyl aryl ethers are synthesized from the corresponding aryl iodides and aliphatic alcohols through Ullmann-type intermolecular coupling reactions in the presence of a catalytic amount of easily available BINAM-CuI complex. Less reactive aryl bromides have also been shown to react with aliphatic alcohols under identical reaction conditions to give good yields of the alkyl aryl ethers without increasing the reaction temperature and time.     

Synthesis of sterically hindered tris(4-imidazolyl)carbinol ligands and their copper(I) complexes related to metalloenzymes

Tris(4-imidazolyl)carbinol, which has close coordination environment to the active site of metalloenzymes, has not been utilized as a biomimetic ligand because of its instability. We have synthesized stable tris(4-imidazolyl)carbinol derivatives having a methyl group as the NH protective group and a bulky substituent on the imidazole ring for stabilizing reactive species bound to the metal center. These ligands provide stable monomeric copper(I) complexes whose coordination environment are very close to the active site of metalloenzymes.     

Synthesis of a series of new ruthenium organometallic complexes derived from pyridine‐imine ligands and their catalytic activity in oxidation of secondary alcohols

Reactions of pyridine imines [C₅H₄N‐2‐C(H) = N‐C₆H₄‐R] [R = H (1), CH₃ (2), OMe (3), CF₃ (4), Cl (5), Br (6)] with Ru₃(CO)₁₂ in refluxing toluene gave the corresponding dinuclear ruthenium carbonyl complexes of the type {μ‐η²‐CH[(2‐C₅H₄N)(N‐C₆H₄‐R)]}₂Ru₂(CO)₄(μ‐CO) [R = H (7); CH₃ (8); OMe (9); CF₃ (10); Cl (11); Br (12)]. All six novel complexes were separated by chromatography, and fully characterized by elemental analysis, IR, NMR spectroscopy. Molecular structures of 7, 10, 11, and 12 were determined by X‐ray crystal diffraction. Further, the catalytic performance of these complexes was also tested. The combination of {μ‐η²‐CH[(2‐C₅H₄N)(N‐C₆H₄‐R)]}₂Ru₂(CO)₄(μ‐CO) and NMO afforded an efficient catalytic system for the oxidation of a variety secondary alcohols.