Enantioselective hydrogenation of 3-alkylidenelactams: high-throughput screening provides a surprising solution

High-throughput screening of 256 potential catalysts (8 metal precursors x 32 phosphine ligands) has identified (BDPP)Ir(COD)]BF4 as a catalyst for the enantioselective hydrogenation of 3-alkylidenelactams. This result is surprising given the highly flexible backbone of the BDPP ligand and the ineffectiveness of this catalyst in other applications. The asymmetric hydrogenation appears fairly general for five- and six-membered lactams and in one case has been scaled up to a 20 kg level.