Chiral pyranoside phosphite-oxazolines: a new class of ligand for asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes

We have described the first successful application of a phosphite-oxazoline ligand library in the asymmetric Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation of several unfunctionalized olefins. The introduction of a bulky biaryl phosphite moiety in the ligand design is highly adventitious in the product outcome. By carefully selecting the ligand components, we obtained high activities (TOFs up to >1500 mol x (mol x h)(-1) at 1 bar of H2) and enantioselectivities (ee values up to >99%) and, at the same time, show a broad scope for different substrate types. So, this is an exceptional ligand class that competes favorably with a few other ligand series that also provide high ee values for tri- and disubstituted substrate types.     

New phosphite-oxazoline ligands for efficient Pd-catalyzed substitution reactions

We have designed and synthesized a new family of readily available highly modular phosphite-oxazoline ligands for the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic substitution reactions. The introduction of a pi-acceptor flexible bulky biphenyl phosphite moiety in the ligand design is highly adventitious in the product outcome. Thus, this ligand series affords excellent reaction rates (TOF's up to >2400 mol.(mol.h)-1) and enantioselectivities (ee's up to >99%) and, at the same time, shows a broad scope for different substrate types.     

Sugar-based diphosphoroamidite as a promising new class of ligands in Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions

We have designed a new family of readily available modular diphosphoroamidite ligands from d-xylose for Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions. This constitutes the first example of diphosphoroamidite ligands applied to this process. Good-to-excellent activities (TOFs up to 850 mol substratex(mol Pdxh)-1) and enantioselectivities (ee's up to 95%) have been obtained for several substrates with different electronic and steric properties. The results indicate that catalytic performance is highly affected by the substituents and the axial chirality of the biaryl moieties of the ligand. We also discuss the synthesis and characterization of the Pd-pi-allyl intermediates to get more insight into the origin of enantioselectivity using these catalytic systems.     

Copper-catalyzed intramolecular C-N bond formation: a straightforward synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives in water

A straightforward, efficient, and more sustainable copper-catalyzed method has been developed for intramolecular N-arylation providing the benzimidazole ring system. With Cu(2)O (5 mol %) as the catalyst, DMEDA (10 mol %) as the ligand, and K(2)CO(3) as the base, this protocol was applied to synthesize a small library of benzimidazoles in high yields. Remarkably, the reaction was exclusively carried out in water, rendering the methodology highly valuable from both environmental and economical points of view.     

Screening of a modular sugar-based phosphite-oxazoline ligand library in asymmetric Pd-catalyzed heck reactions

We have synthesised a library of phosphite-oxazoline ligands derived from readily available D-glucosamine. These ligands have been successfully screened in the palladium-catalysed Heck reaction of several substrates with high regio- (up to 99 %) and enantioselectivities (ee's up to 99 %) as well as with improved activities under standard thermal conditions. The results indicate that the catalytic performance is highly affected by the oxazoline and biarylphosphite substituents and the axial chirality of the biaryl moiety of the ligand. The Heck reactions were also performed under microwave irradiation conditions, allowing a considerably shorter reaction time (full conversion in minutes) maintaining the excellent regio- and enantioselectivities.     

Scope and limitations of Pd2(dba)3/P(i-BuNCH2CH2)3N-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig amination reactions of aryl chlorides

Proazaphosphatrane ligands in combination with Pd(2)(dba)(3) generate highly active catalysts for Buchwald-Hartwig amination of aryl chlorides. In particular, commercially available P(i-BuNCH(2)CH(2))(3)N is a highly general and efficient ligand, allowing the coupling of an electronically diverse set of aryl chlorides, including chloropyridines, with a wide variety of amines using 1 mol % of Pd at 100 degrees C. Either a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of ligand to Pd was found to be effective. This catalyst system performs exceptionally well for sterically hindered substrates, even with only 0.25 mol % of Pd. It is shown that NaOH can also be used as the base (instead of NaO-t-Bu) allowing functionalized substrates to participate in these reactions.     

Catalytic enantioselective indium-mediated allylation of hydrazones

[reaction: see text] A facile and highly selective indium-mediated allylation of hydrazones utilizing BINOL ligands is described. Chiral (R)-3,3'-bistrifluoromethylBINOL afforded homoallylic amines in up to 97% ee with stoichiometric ligand. Employing only 10 mol % ligand afforded selectivity of up to 92% ee.     

Biaryl Phosphite–Oxazoline Ligands from the Chiral Pool: Highly Efficient Modular Ligands for the Asymmetric Pd‐Catalyzed Heck Reaction

A highly modular library of readily available phosphite–oxazoline ligands L1 – L21 a – g was successfully applied in the asymmetric Pd‐catalyzed Heck reactions of several substrates and triflates under thermal and microwave conditions. This ligand library contains three main ligand structures that have been designed by systematic modification of one of the most successful ligand families developed for this process. As well as studying the effect of these three ligand structures on the catalytic performance, we also evaluated the effect of modifying several ligand parameters in these ligand structures. The effectiveness of these ligands at transferring the chiral information into the product can be tuned by correctly choosing the ligand components. Both enantiomers of the Heck coupling products were obtained in excellent activities (conversion: >100 % in 10 min), regioselectivities (>99 %) and enantioselectivities (>99 % ee). Under microwave‐irradiation conditions, the reaction times were considerably shorter (full conversion was achieved in a few minutes) and the regio‐ and enantioselectivities were still excellent.     

Axial donating ligands: a new strategy for late transition metal olefin polymerization catalysis

An alpha-diimine ligand (1) containing an axial donating pyridine group is developed for late metal polymerization catalysis. Despite having no substitution on the bottom face of the ligand, the nickel and palladium complexes of 1 are highly active for ethylene polymerization, producing linear high molecular weight polymers. For example, 1-NiBr2 (3) forms PE with a Mn of up to 109 224 g/mol with 1.4 branches/1000 C's. Similarly, 1-PdMeCl (5) forms PE with a Mn of up to 880 379 g/mol with 5.1 branches/1000 C's. In sharp contrast, catalysts containing the control ligand (2) consisting of a noncoordinating phenyl group gave only low molecular weight branched oligomers. It is observed that AlMe2Cl plays a specific role in generating the active species for the pyridine-based complexes. Presumably, the pyridine group may interact with AlMe2Cl to form a bimetallic species which suppresses the beta-hydride elimination process, hence resulting in reduced chain transfer and more linear structure.     

Easily Accessible and Highly Tunable Bisphosphine Ligands for Asymmetric Hydroformylation of Terminal and Internal Alkenes

An efficient methodology for synthesizing a small library of easily tunable and sterically bulky ligands for asymmetric hydroformylation (AHF) has been reported. Five groups of alkene substrates have been tested with excellent conversions, moderate‐to‐excellent regio‐ and enantioselectivities. Among the best result of the reported literature, application of ligand 1 c in the highly selective AHF of the challenging substrate 2,5‐dihydrofuran yielded almost one isomer in up to 99 % conversion along with enantiomeric excesses (ee) of up to 92 %. Highly enantioselective AHF of dihydropyrrole substrates is achieved using the same ligand, with up to 95 % ee and up to >1:50 β‐isomer/α‐isomer ratio.     

Highly efficient and enantioselective cyclization of aromatic imines via directed C-H bond activation

The first highly enantioselective catalytic reaction involving aromatic C-H bond activation is communicated. Enantioselective cyclization of aromatic ketimines containing alkenyl groups tethered at the meta position of an imine directing group has been achieved using 5 mol % [RhCl(coe)2]2 and 15 mol % of an (S)-binol-derived phosphoramidite ligand. Selectivities of up to 96% ee and up to quantitative yields were obtained. Moreover, the identified catalyst system enables the intramolecular alkylation reaction to be performed at temperatures 75 degrees C lower than our previously reported achiral system. The reaction can even be performed at room temperature for one of the optimal substrates.     

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular C-H activation/C-C bond formation: a straightforward synthesis of phenanthridines

The palladium-catalyzed intramolecular C-H activation/C-C cross-coupling has been developed for a straightforward and efficient synthesis of phenanthridines. With Pd(OAc)(2) (4 mol %) as the catalyst, PCy(3) (8 mol %) as the ligand, and Cs(2)CO(3) as the base, this protocol was applied to synthesize a small library of phenanthridine derivatives in good yields in THF.     

Easily accessible and highly tunable indolyl phosphine ligands for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of aryl chlorides

This study describes a new class of easily accessible indolyl phosphine ligands, prepared via an efficient protocol involving Fischer indolization from readily available phenylhydrazine and substituted acetophenones. This versatile ligand scaffold provides beneficial features, including high potential of steric and electronic tunability. The air-stable indolyl phosphines in combination with a palladium metal precursor provide highly effective catalysts for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of unactivated aryl chlorides, and the catalyst loading down to 0.02 mol % can be achieved.     

Application of a Supramolecular‐Ligand Library for the Automated Search for Catalysts for the Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Industrially Relevant Substrates

A procedure is described for the automated screening and lead optimization of a supramolecular‐ligand library for the rhodium‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of five challenging substrates relevant to industry. Each catalyst is (self‐) assembled from two urea‐functionalized ligands and a transition‐metal center through hydrogen‐bonding interactions. The modular ligand structure consists of three distinctive fragments: the urea binding motif, the spacer, and the ligand backbone, which carries the phosphorus donor atom. The building blocks for the ligand synthesis are widely available on a commercial basis, thus enabling access to a large number of ligands of high structural diversity. The simple synthetic steps enabled the scale‐up of the ligand synthesis to multigram quantities. For the catalyst screening, a library of twelve new chiral ligands was prepared that comprised substantial variation in electronic and steric properties. The automated procedures employed ensured the fast catalyst assembly, screening, and direct acquisition of samples for analysis. It appeared that the most selective catalyst was different for every substrate investigated and that small variations in the building blocks had a major impact on the catalyst performance. For two substrates, a catalyst was found that provided the product with outstanding enantioselectivity. The subsequent automated optimization of these two leads showed that an increase of catalyst loading, dihydrogen pressure, and temperature had a positive effect on the catalyst activity without affecting the catalyst selectivity.     

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of various phosphorus pronucleophiles with chloropyrazines: synthesis of novel Am(III)-selective extractants

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of (di)chloropyrazines with phosphorus pronucleophiles in the presence of a base gave the phosphorylated pyrazines in 81-95% yields. Based on this methodology a series of appropriately functionalized pyrazines was prepared as potential extractants of trivalent cations from highly acidic nuclear waste. A few hydrophilic derivatives exhibited a very good selectivity for Am(3+) over Eu(3+) with separation factors up to 40 at pH 1 at 0.01 mol L(-1) ligand concentration.     

Catalytic enantioselective alkylations of tetrasubstituted olefins. Synthesis of all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers through Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate additions of alkylzinc reagents to enones

A method for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition (ACA) of dialkylzinc reagents to tetrasubstituted five- and six-membered cyclic enones that afford quaternary all-carbon stereogenic centers in up to 95% ee is reported. Catalytic ACAs are practical and efficient. Reactions proceed to >98% conversion in undistilled commercial grade toluene in the presence of 2 mol % of an air-stable Cu salt (CuCN) and a readily available chiral ligand. Enantioselective ACA reactions deliver products that can be readily functionalized to afford a variety of synthetically versatile compounds in high optical purity.     

A chiral Ag-based catalyst for practical, efficient, and highly enantioselective additions of enolsilanes to alpha-ketoesters

A Ag-based chiral catalyst promotes efficient and highly enantioselective aldol additions of ketone-derived enolsilanes to alpha-ketoesters in the presence of a readily available amino acid-based ligand and commercially available AgF2. alpha-Ketoester substrates may bear alkyl, alkenyl, and aryl substituents; reactions proceed to >98% conversion to afford the desired tertiary alcohols in 61->98% isolated yield and 60-96% ee. In contrast to previously reported approaches, highest enantioselectivities are observed with sterically demanding substrates, and reactions can be carried out in undistilled solvent, in air with as little as 1 mol % catalyst.     

Operationally simple, efficient, and diastereoselective synthesis of cis-2,6-disubstituted-4-methylene tetrahydropyrans catalyzed by triflic acid

[reaction: see text] A highly efficient (0.01 mol % of TfOH), operationally simple (room temperature, inexpensive, and commercially available catalyst), and diastereoselective (up to >98% de) method for Br?nsted acid-catalyzed reaction of enol ethers to form cis-2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrans is disclosed.     

Determination of micromolar bromate concentrations by adsorptive-catalytic stripping votammetry of the molybdenum-3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid complex

Adsorptive-catalytic stripping voltammetry is commonly used for monitoring trace metals. This study reverses the scheme by developing a sensitive procedure for measuring the catalyst. The catalytic action of bromate upon the cathodic response of the adsorbed molybdenum-3-methoxy-4-hydroxymandelic acid (VMA) complex has been exploited for measuring bromate down to the micromolar concentration level. Experimental variables affecting the response, including the metal and ligand concentrations or the accumulation time and potential, were characterized and optimized to yield a highly linear response (up to at least 1x10(-4) mol l(-1)) and good precision (RSD of 3.5%; n=10; 2x10(-6) mol l(-1) bromate). Analogous adsorptive-catalytic stripping protocols may be utilized for the voltammetric detection of other catalysts.     

Screening of a modular sugar-based phosphite ligand library in the asymmetric nickel-catalyzed trialkylaluminum addition to aldehydes

We synthesized a modular sugar-based phosphite ligand library for the Ni-catalyzed trialkylaluminum addition to aldehydes. This library has been designed to rapidly screen the ligands to uncover their important structure features and determine the scope of the phosphite ligands in this catalytic reaction. After systematic variation of the sugar backbone, the substituents at the phosphite moieties, and the flexibility of the ligand backbone, the monophosphite ligand 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-3-O-((3,3';5,5'-tetra-tert-butyl-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-diyl)phosphite)-alpha-D-glucofuranose 1c was found to be optimal, yielding high activities and enantioselectivities (ee's up to 94%) for several aryl aldehydes.