Asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins catalyzed by chiral salen‐Mn (III) immobilized on alkoxyl‐modified ZnPS‐PVPA

Novel layered heterogeneous chiral salen Mn (III) catalysts anchored onto ZnPS‐PVPA by means of click chemistry are synthesized and employed in asymmetric epoxidations of unfunctionalized olefins. The catalysts manifest superior catalytic performances (conv%, up to >99; ee%, up to >99) according to the epoxidations of α‐methylstyrene, styrene, indene and 1‐octene. But for 6‐cyano‐ 2,2‐dimethylchromene and 6‐nitro‐2,2‐dimethylchromene, configuration of epoxides are reversed. Moreover, the catalysts could still indicate comparable properties (yield, 82%; ee, 86%) after recycling for nine times and excellent functions in large‐scale reactions, which paves the way for the application in industry.     

Design and Assembly of a Chiral Metallosalen‐Based Octahedral Coordination Cage for Supramolecular Asymmetric Catalysis

Supramolecular containers featuring both high catalytic activity and high enantioselectivity represent a design challenge of practical importance. Herein, it is demonstrated that a chiral octahedral coordination cage can be constructed by using twelve enantiopure Mn(salen)‐derived dicarboxylic acids as linear linkers and six Zn₄‐p‐tert‐butylsulfonylcalix[4]arene clusters as tetravalent four‐connected vertices. The porous cage features a large hydrophobic cavity (≈3944 ų) decorated with catalytically active metallosalen species and is shown to be an efficient and recyclable asymmetric catalyst for the oxidative kinetic resolution of racemic secondary alcohols and the epoxidation of olefins with up to >99 % enantiomeric excess. The cage architecture not only prevents intermolecular deactivation and stabilizes the Mn(salen) catalysts but also encapsulates substrates and concentrates reactants in the cavity, resulting in enhanced reactivity and enantioselectivity relative to the free metallosalen catalyst.     

Salen-Mn（Ⅲ）-Complex-Catalyzed Oxidations of Secondary Alcohols

Secondary alcohols were catalytically oxidized with diace-toxyiodobenzene as oxidant in the presence of salen-Mn(Ⅲ)complex to aiTord the eorrespoltding ketones, in up to 99% yield, using CH2Cl2 or water as reaction media.     

Monodisperse crosslinked pHEMA particle‐supported chiral Mn(III)salen catalyst for asymmetric epoxidation of olefin

Monodisperse crosslinked poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) particles (pHEMA) were synthesized for immobilization of the chiral Mn(III)salen homogeneous catalyst by axial coordination. The pHEMA‐Mn(III)salen catalyst was subsequently characterized by FT‐IR, UV and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that, the heterogeneous Mn(III)salen catalysts also exhibited high activity and enantioselectivity compared to the homogeneous catalyst for the disubstituted cyclic indene and 6‐cyano‐2,2‐dimethylchromene. Moreover, the catalysts were easily separated from the reaction systems and could be renewed several times without significant loss of catalytic activity. Meanwhile, the enantiomeric excess (ee) value remained at 80% in the eighth cycle. The pHEMA support, immobilized by Mn(III)salen, probably acted as a mediator of the reaction between the substrate and the oxidant, and enhanced the stability of the Mn(III)salen compound. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heterogeneous Jacobsen's catalyst on alkoxyl‐modified zirconium poly (styrene‐phenylvinylphosphonate)‐phosphate (ZPS‐PVPA) for asymmetric epoxidation

Chiral Jacobsen's catalysts grafted onto alkoxyl‐modified ZPS‐PVPA exhibit excellent activities (conv%, up to 96; sele%, up to 96; ee%, up to >99) in the asymmetric epoxidations of unfunctionalized olefins. The superior stabilities and the comfortable dispositions in large‐scale reactions contribute to the potential applications in industry.     

Asymmetric Hydrolytic Kinetic Resolution with Recyclable Macrocyclic CoIII–Salen Complexes: A Practical Strategy in the Preparation of (R)‐Mexiletine and (S)‐Propranolol

A chiral cobalt(III) complex ( 1 e ) was synthesized by the interaction of cobalt(II) acetate and ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate with a chiral dinuclear macrocyclic salen ligand that was derived from 1R,2R‐(?)‐1,2‐diaminocyclohexane with trigol bis‐aldehyde. A variety of epoxides and glycidyl ethers were suitable substrates for the reaction with water in the presence of chiral macrocyclic salen complex 1 e at room temperature to afford chiral epoxides and diols by hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR). Excellent yields (47 % with respect to the epoxides, 53 % with respect to the diols) and high enantioselectivity (ee>99 % for the epoxides, up to 96 % for the diols) were achieved in 2.5–16 h. The Co^III macrocyclic salen complex ( 1 e ) maintained its performance on a multigram scale and was expediently recycled a number of times. We further extended our study of chiral epoxides that were synthesized by using HKR to the synthesis of chiral drug molecules (R)‐mexiletine and (S)‐propranolol.     

Alternating copolymerization of carbon dioxide and propylene oxide catalyzed by (R,R)‐SalenCoIII‐ (2,4‐dinitrophenoxy) and Lewis‐basic cocatalyst

A binary catalyst system of a chiral (R,R)‐SalenCo^III(2,4‐dinitrophenoxy) (salen = N,N‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylsalicylidene)‐1,2‐diphenylethylenediimine) in conjunction with (4‐dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) was developed to generate the copolymerization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and racemic propylene oxide (rac‐PO). The influence of the molar ratio of catalyst components, the operating temperature, and reaction pressure on the yield as well as the molecular weight of polycarbonate were systematically investigated. High yield of turnover frequency (TOF) 501.2 h^?1 and high molecular weight of 70,400 were achieved at an appropriate combination of all variables. The structures of as‐prepared products were characterized by the IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR measurements. The linear carbonate linkage, highly regionselectivity and almost 100% carbonate content of the resulting polycarbonate were obtained with the help of these effective catalyst systems under facile conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5050–5056, 2007     

Dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex covalently attached to amino‐modified graphene oxide: heterogeneous catalyst for the epoxidation of alkenes

Transition metal salen complex MoO₂–salen was successfully tethered onto amino‐functionalized graphene oxide (designated as MoO₂–salen–GO), which was tested in the epoxidation of various alkenes using tert‐butylhydroperoxide or H₂O₂ as oxidant. Characterization results showed that dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex was successfully grafted onto the amino‐functionalized graphene oxide and the structure of the graphene oxide was well preserved after several stepwise synthesis procedures. Catalytic tests showed that heterogeneous catalyst MoO₂–salen–GO was more active than its homogeneous analogue MoO₂–salen in the epoxidation of cyclooctene due to site isolation. In addition, the MoO₂–salen–GO catalyst could be reused three times without significant loss of activity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Poly(styrene)‐Supported Co–Salen Complexes as Efficient Recyclable Catalysts for the Hydrolytic Kinetic Resolution of Epichlorohydrin

Here we describe an unprecedented synthetic approach to poly(styrene)‐supported chiral salen ligands by the free radical polymerization of an unsymmetrical styryl‐substituted salen monomer (H₂salen=bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine). The new method allows for the attachment of salen moieties to the polymer main chain in a flexible, pendant fashion, avoiding grafting reactions that often introduce ill‐defined species on the polymers. Moreover, the loading of the salen is controlled by the copolymerization of the styryl‐substituted salen monomer with styrene in different ratios. The polymeric salen ligands are metallated with cobalt(II ) acetate to afford the corresponding supported Co–salen complexes, which are used in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of racemic epichlorohydrin, exhibiting high reactivity and enantioselectivity. Remarkably, the copolymer‐supported Co–salen complexes showed a better catalytic performance (>99 % ee, 54 % conversion, one hour) in comparison to the homopolymeric analogues and the small molecule Co–salen complex. The soluble poly(styrene)‐supported catalysts were recovered by precipitation after the catalytic reactions and were recycled three times to afford almost identical enantiomeric excesses as the first run, with slightly reduced reaction rates.     

Copper‐Complex‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Aerobic Oxidative Cross‐Coupling of 2‐Naphthols: Enantioselective Synthesis of 3,3′‐Substituted C1‐Symmetric BINOLs

A novel chiral 1,5‐N,N‐bidentate ligand based on a spirocyclic pyrrolidine oxazoline backbone was designed and prepared, and it coordinates CuBr in situ to form an unprecedented catalyst that enables efficient oxidative cross‐coupling of 2‐naphthols. Air serves as an external oxidant and generates a series of C₁‐symmetric chiral BINOL derivatives with high enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee) and good yield (up to 87 %). This approach is tolerant of a broader substrates scope, particularly substrates bearing various 3‐ and 3′‐substituents. A preliminary investigation using one of the obtained C₁‐symmetric BINOL products was used as an organocatalyst, exhibiting better enantioselectivity than the previously reported organocatalyst, for the asymmetric α‐alkylation of amino esters.     

Highly reusable support‐free copper(II) complex of para‐hydroxy‐substituted salen: Novel,efficient and versatile catalyst for C─N bond forming reactions

An air‐stable, highly active and versatile method for C─N bond forming reactions is reported. Under mild conditions using a highly reusable support‐free Cu(II)–salen complex, structurally diverse N ‐aryl‐substituted compounds were obtained via direct C─N bond forming reaction of HN‐heterocycles with aryl iodides or three‐component C─N bond forming reaction of 2‐bromobenzaldehyde, aniline derivatives and sodium azide in good to excellent yields. C─N bond forming reaction for benzimidazole derivatives was also performed in the presence of the catalyst under ambient conditions. A series of hybrid benzimidazoles bearing morpholine, tetrazole and quinoxaline backbones were produced using this method. All reactions were performed in short times under air. The Cu(II) catalyst could be reused up to eight times in the direct cross‐coupling reaction of 9H –carbazole with iodobenzene without any decrease in its catalytic activity.     

A new heterogeneous chiral (salen)manganese(III) system for enantioselective epoxidation of non‐functionalized olefins

This communication describes the design and application of a novel catalytic epoxidation system derived from the initial immobilization of a homogeneous sulfonato (salen)Mn(III) complex on two solid carriers (silica gel and siliceous earth) and subsequent dispersion of the supported manganese complexes into ionic liquid 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMImPF₆) and 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMImBF₄) for recycling. The performance of chiral (salen)Mn(III) system in enantioselective epoxidation of olefins was investigated systematically. Even higher enantioselectivity than that of the homogeneous counterpart was obtained with similar catalytic activity. In particular, the best catalytic result is that the combination of the silica gel‐supported (salen)Mn(III) catalyst and BMImPF₆ affords 97–100% ee for epoxidation of α‐methylstyrene, and high ee values were retained even after three cycles. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Enantioselective Heterogeneous Epoxidation and Hetero‐Diels‐Alder Reaction with Mn‐ and Cr‐salen Complexes Immobilized on Silica Gel by Radical Grafting

Vinyl‐substituted chiral salens (salen=bis(salicylidene)ethylidenediamine) are used for attachment to Me₃Si‐hydrophobized silica gel (controlled‐pore glass, CPG), carrying covalently bound mercaptopropyl ‘substituents', by AIBN‐mediated radical addition of SH groups to styryl C=C bonds (Scheme 1, Table 1, and Figs. 1 and 2). The immobilized Mn‐ and Cr‐salen complexes, thus accessible, have been employed in enantioselective epoxidations (Scheme 2, Tables 2 and 3, and Fig. 3) and hetero‐Diels‐Alder additions of aldehydes to Danishefsky's diene (Scheme 3, Tables 4 and 5, and Figs. 4 and 5), with an emphasis on multiple use of the immobilized catalysts. The enantioselectivities (es) of the two reactions were very similar to those reported for homogeneous conditions. After five to seven runs, all the CPG‐bound Mn‐salen complexes performed somewhat less well (70 instead of 75% es with styrene; Fig. 3). The Cr complex, which was shown to give rise to a linear relationship between the enantiomeric purities of ligand and product under homogeneous conditions (Fig. 4), exhibited the opposite behavior: after five runs, the enantioselecitivity of the hetero‐Diels‐Alder reaction had risen (from an average of 76 to ca. 83%) to remain constant for another five runs (Fig. 5). We have established for both catalysts that no reaction takes place in the supernatant solution (no leaching of catalytically active Mn or Cr species from the CPG into solution; heterogeneity test; Tables 3 and 5). The results described are yet another demonstration for the successful ‘conversion' of homogeneous to heterogeneous catalysts by immobilization on hydrophobic CPG, with multiple application of the same catalyst batch.     

Asymmetric Henry reactions of aldehydes with various nitroalkanes catalyzed by copper(II) complexes of novel chiral N‐monoalkyl cyclohexane‐1,2‐diamines

A number of novel chiral diamines 3 , (1R,2R)‐N‐monoalkylcyclohexane‐1,2‐diamines, were designed and synthesized from trans‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐diamine and applied to the catalytic asymmetric Henry reaction of benzaldehyde and nitromethane to provide β‐nitroalcohol in high yield (up to 99%) and good enantiomeric excess (up to 89%). By using ligand (1R,2R)‐N¹‐(4‐methylpentan‐2‐yl)cyclohexane‐1,2‐diamine ( 3g ), the reaction was optimized in terms of the metal ion, temperature, solvent and base. Further experiments indicated that the complex, 3g –Cu(OAc)₂, was an efficient catalyst in the asymmetric Henry reaction between different aldehydes and nitromethane, and the desired products have been obtained with high chemical yields (up to 99%) and high enantiomeric excess (up to 93%). The optimized catalyst promoted the diastereoselective Henry reaction of various aldehyde substrates and nitroalkane, which gave the corresponding anti‐selective adduct with up to 99% yield and 83:17 anti/syn selectivity. Upon scaling up to gram quantities, the β‐nitroalcohol was obtained in good yield (96%) with excellent selectivities (93% ee). The chiral induction mechanism was tentatively explained on the basis of a previously proposed transition‐state model. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

B(C6F5)3/Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Ketimine–Ene Reaction of 2‐Aryl‐3H‐indol‐3‐ones and α‐Methylstyrenes

The enantioselective ketimine–ene reaction is one of the most challenging stereocontrolled reaction types in organic synthesis. In this work, catalytic enantioselective ketimine–ene reactions of 2‐aryl‐3H‐indol‐3‐ones with α‐methylstyrenes were achieved by utilizing a B(C₆F₅)₃/chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) catalyst. These ketimine–ene reactions proceed well with low catalyst loading (B(C₆F₅)₃/CPA=2 mol %/2 mol %) under mild conditions, providing rapid and facile access to a series of functionalized 2‐allyl‐indolin‐3‐ones with very good reactivity (up to 99 % yield) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee). Theoretical calculations reveal that enhancement of the acidity of the chiral phosphoric acid by B(C₆F₅)₃ significantly reduces the activation free energy barrier. Furthermore, collective favorable hydrogen‐bonding interactions, especially the enhanced N?H???O hydrogen‐bonding interaction, differentiates the free energy of the transition states of CPA and B(C₆F₅)₃/CPA, thereby inducing the improvement of stereoselectivity.     

Salen‐Based Coordination Polymers of Manganese and the Rare‐Earth Elements: Synthesis and Catalytic Aerobic Epoxidation of Olefins

Treatment of N,N′‐bis(4carboxysalicylidene)ethylenediamine (H₄L), with MnCl₂ ? (H₂O)₄, and Ln(NO₃)₃ ? (H₂O)_m (Ln=Nd, Eu, Gd, Dy, Tb), in the presence of N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF)/pyridine at elevated temperature resulted (after work up) in the formation of 1D coordination polymers {[Ln₂(MnLCl)₂(NO₃)₂(dmf)₅] ? 4 DMF}_n ( 1 – 5 ). In these coordination polymers the rare earth ions are connected through carboxylate groups from Mn–salen units in a 1D chain structure. Thus, the Mn–salen complex acts as a “metalloligand” with open coordination sites. All compounds were used as catalysts in the liquid‐phase epoxidation of trans‐stilbene with molecular oxygen, which resulted in the formation of stilbene oxide. Since the choice of the lanthanide had virtually no influence on the performance of the catalyst, only the manganese–gadolinium was studied in detail. The influence of solvent, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature, oxidant, and oxidant flow rate on conversion, yield, and selectivity was analyzed. A conversion of up to 70 %, the formation of 61 % stilbene oxide (88 % selectivity), and a TON of 84 were observed after 24 h. A hot filtration test confirmed that the reaction is mainly catalyzed through a heterogeneous pathway, although a minor contribution of homogeneous species could not be completely excluded. The catalyst could be reused without significant loss of activity.     

Asymmetric Michael Addition/Intramolecular Cyclization Catalyzed by Bifunctional Tertiary Amine–Squaramides: Construction of Chiral 2‐Amino‐4H‐chromene‐3‐Carbonitrile Derivatives

The efficient asymmetric Michael addition/intramolecular cyclization of malononitrile with dienones catalyzed by a chiral bifunctional tertiary amine–squaramide catalyst for the synthesis of chiral 2‐amino‐4H‐chromene‐3‐carbonitrile derivatives was developed. The corresponding products were obtained in good to excellent yields (up to 99 %) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98 % ee) for most of the bisarylidenecyclopentanones.     

Direct and Post‐Synthesis Incorporation of Chiral Metallosalen Catalysts into Metal–Organic Frameworks for Asymmetric Organic Transformations

Two chiral porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were constructed from [VO(salen)]‐derived dicarboxylate and dipyridine bridging ligands. After oxidation of V^IV to V^V, they were found to be highly effective, recyclable, and reusable heterogeneous catalysts for the asymmetric cyanosilylation of aldehydes with up to 95 % ee. Solvent‐assisted linker exchange (SALE) treatment of the pillared‐layer MOF with [Cr(salen)Cl]‐ or [Al(salen)Cl]‐derived dipyridine ligands led to the formation of mixed‐linker metallosalen‐based frameworks and incorporation of [Cr(salen)] enabled its use as a heterogeneous catalyst in the asymmetric epoxide ring‐opening reaction.     

Practical Stereo‐ and Regioselective,Copper(I)‐Promoted Strecker Synthesis of Sugar‐Modified α,β‐Unsaturated Imines

The regio‐ and stereoselective, Lewis acid catalyzed Strecker reaction between Me₃SiCN and different aldimines incorporating a 2,3,4,6‐tetrakis‐O‐pivaloyl‐D ‐glucopyranosyl (Piv₄Glc) chiral auxiliary has been worked out. Depending on the conditions used, high yields (up to 95%) and good diastereoselectivities (de > 86%) were achieved under mild conditions (Table 1), especially with CuBr ? Me₂S as catalyst. Our protocol allows the ready preparation of asymmetric β,γ‐unsaturated α‐amino acids such as (R)‐2‐amino‐4‐phenylbut‐3‐enoic acid ( 13 ; Scheme 2) and congeners thereof.