Structural requirements in chiral diphosphine-rhodium complexes. VIII. Asymmetric hydrogenation of N-acetyldehydroamino acids with rhodium(I) complexes containing chiral carbocyclic analogues of DIOP.

Z--acetamidocinnamic acid was hydrogenated with neutral diphosphine-rhodium(I) complexes containing trans-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl) cycloalkanes to give N-acetylphenylalanine: 86 % e.e.-(R) [(1R,2R)-cyclobutane]; 63 % e.e.-(R) [(1R,2R)-cyclopentane]; 35 % e.e.-(S) [(1S,2S)-cyclohexane]; and 82 % e.e.-(R) [(2R,3R)-DIOP]. Similarly, -acetamidoacrylic acid was hydrogenated to give N-acetylalanine: 72 % e.e.-(R) [(1R,2R)-cyclobutane]; 72 % e.e.-(R) [(1R,2R)-cyclopentane]; 40 % e.e.-(S) [(1S,2S)-cyclohexane]; and 73 % e.e.-(R) [(2R,3R)-DIOP].     

Structural requirements in chiral diphosphine-rhodium complexes. VI. Inhibition of the asymmetric hydrogenation of Z-methyl-α-acetamidocinnamate catalyed by diop-rhodium catalyst in the presence of Z-adamantyl or bornyl-α-acetamidocinnamate.

The half-life period (6.6 mm.) for the hydrogenation of Z-methyl-a-acetamidocinnamate (catalyzed by a neutral DIOPRh complex) was found to be the same when the Me ester reduction was performed in the presence of equimolar quantities of the corresponding i-Pr or t-Bu ester unsaturated stbstrates. Neither the Me nor the i-Pr or t-Bu esters underwent appreciable Z,E-isomerization. The formation of N-acetylphenylalanine methyl ester product suffered inhibition when the hydrogenation reaction was performed in the presence of the corresponding bornyl or 1-adamantyl unsaturated esters (half-life period of the Me ester: 27 ~ 40 mm., respectively. The greater the inhibition of the Me ester unsaturated substrate, the more the bulky inhibitor itself underwent Z,E-isomerization. In the presence of inhibitors, the Me unsaturated substrate did not undergo appreciable Z,E-isomerization.