New 3rd generation designer ansa‐ruthenium(II) complexes featuring N,C‐alkylene‐tethered N,N‐dialkylsulfamoyl‐DPEN/η6‐arene ligands, exhibited good catalytic performance in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of various classes of (het)aryl ketones in formic acid/triethylamine mixture. In particular, benzo‐fused cyclic ketones furnished 98 to >99.9% ee using a low catalyst loading.
A ruthenium complex bearing an “anti‐Bredt” N‐heterocyclic carbene was synthesized, characterized and evaluated as a catalyst for olefin metathesis. Good conversions were observed at room temperature for the formation of di‐ and tri‐substituted olefins by ring‐closing metathesis. It also allowed for the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of cyclooctadiene, as well as for the cross‐metathesis of cis‐1,4‐diacetoxy‐2‐butene with allylbenzene, with enhanced Z/E kinetic selectivity over classical NHC‐based catalysts.
N‐Alkyl‐N‐(2‐vinylbenzyl)prop‐2‐en‐1‐amine derivatives undergo a one‐pot olefin isomerization/aliphatic enamine ring‐closing metathesis (RCM)/oxidation/1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition sequence with the ruthenium complex, Ru(CO)HCl(PPh3)3, a second generation Hoveyda–Grubbs catalyst, and a 1,3‐dipolarophile. Overall, in a single operation the reaction sequence converts simple benzylamine derivatives into isoindolo[1,2‐a]isoquinolines with a π‐conjugated four‐ring system, through three unique ruthenium‐catalyzed transformations.
Concepts to facilitate the conversion of epoxides with carbon dioxide to the corresponding cyclic carbonates commonly focus on the activation of the epoxide. Herein we report a catalytic system which allows the simultaneous activation of carbon dioxide and the epoxide. This convergent activation concept is realized by combining a suitable carbene as catalyst for the carbon dioxide activation with a second catalytic system based on potassium iodide for epoxide activation. Initial experiments showed synergistic effects and thus proving the feasibility of this activation concept. Moreover a standard protocol was developed and the substrate scope under these conditions has been studied. Under mild and solvent‐free conditions 14 epoxides could be converted. The respective cyclic carbonates were obtained in good to excellent yields with selectivities ≥ 99 % after simple filtration.
An improved immobilised Grubbs 2nd generation catalyst and its application in flow‐through devices, shown for on‐column reaction gas chromatography (ocRGC), has been studied. The coupling of a reaction capillary and a separation column in GC/MS allows direct reaction monitoring and analysis of conversion as well as reaction kinetics. The presented permanently bonded N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand shows a great stability and activity in ring closing metathesis reactions. A salt‐free approach was used to generate the carbene ligand, which can be directly monitored by mass spectrometry. The very flexible design of the immobilised ligand system in reaction channels and capillaries of flow through systems allows the preparation of various catalysts using a broad variety of metal precursors. This strategy of immobilised catalytically active complexes offers a wide range of on‐column reactions combinable with fast reaction screening by high throughput experimentation.
A convenient three‐component coupling reaction for the construction of conjugated enynes using rhodium catalysis is reported. Dimerization of a monosubstituted alkyne followed by trapping of the vinyl metal intermediate with an electron‐deficient alkene, such as methyl vinyl ketone, provided moderate to good yields of these enynes. The use of the hindered electron‐rich tris(ortho‐tolyl)phosphine as a ligand for the rhodium catalyst provided the best conversions to these complex products.
A Brønsted acid, trifluoromethanesulfonimide [HN(SO2CF3)2], was found to catalyze reductive β‐alkylation of pyrroles with carbonyl compounds and hydrosilanes. This metal‐free process features lower catalyst loadings compared to the original indium variant and exclusive generation of β‐alkylpyrroles.
We describe a most straightforward synthetic method for preparing neurokinin‐1 (NK1) receptor antagonist derivatives by asymmetric hydrogenation of 3‐amido‐2‐arylpyridinium salts using dinuclear iridium complexes with enantiopure diphosphine ligands, affording the corresponding chiral piperidines in high cis‐diastereoselectivity (>95:5) and moderately high enantioselectivity (up to 86%). Deprotection treatments afforded the NK‐1 receptor antagonist (+)‐CP‐99,994 (83% ee). In addition, we observed unique additive effects of 10‐camphorsulfonic acid in the asymmetric hydrogenation of 3‐amido‐2‐arylpyridinium salts.
A highly efficient, iridium‐catalyzed, enantioselective hydrogenation of β,β‐disubstituted nitroalkenes has been developed. Using a complex consisting of iridium and (S,S)‐f‐spiroPhos as the catalyst, a variety of β,β‐disubstituted nitroalkenes were successfully hydrogenated to the corresponding chiral nitroalkanes with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) and high turnover numbers (TON=1000).
The first example of enantioselective nitronate protonation following Michael addition of a carbon nucleophile to an α,β,β‐trisubstituted nitroalkene is reported. An N‐sulfinylurea catalyst was employed to catalyze the addition of a variety of 3‐substituted pyrazol‐5‐one nucleophiles to trisubstituted nitroalkenes incorporating an oxetane or azetidine ring at the β‐position. The nitroalkane‐pyrazolone adducts were obtained with good yield and enantioselectivity. Furthermore, the Michael addition products can be reduced to the corresponding enantioenriched amines with minimal loss of enantiomeric purity.
A new type of planar chiral Shvo catalysts, where the chirality is based solely on different substitution flanking the C O function, was prepared and used for transfer hydrogenation of imines and ketones. The reduction of ketimines represented by N‐(1‐phenylethylidene)aniline and prochiral ketones such as phenyl trifluoromethyl ketone with 2‐propanol was efficiently catalyzed by 0.5 mol% of the chiral Shvo catalyst to give high yields of the corresponding reduction products with the enantioselectivities in the range 45% to 64% ee.
An unprecedented asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of 2‐vinylindoles with methyleneindolinones has been disclosed. Under bifunctional organocatalysis by cinchona‐derived squaramide catalyst, a series of diversely functionalized carbazolespirooxindole derivatives bearing three contiguous stereocenters are rapidly constructed under mild conditions (48–90% yields, up to >20:1 dr and 99% ee).
In order to investigate significant differences in asymmetric induction for pseudo enantiomeric carbohydrate olefin ligands in rhodium(I)‐catalysed 1,4‐addition reactions, we designed a set of new olefin ligands differing in relative configuration and pyranoside conformation. With these, we have successfully elucidated structural requirements for metal binding and also identified an improved alternative for one pseudo enantiomer. Furthermore, we report the efficient kinetic resolution of a racemic 4‐hydroxycyclopentenone derivative by 1,4‐addition.
An N,N′‐dioxide/zinc bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide complex has been developed as an efficient catalyst for the highly enantioselective Diels–Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene with alkynones. Various 2‐acyl substituted norbornadiene derivatives were obtained in moderate to high yields (up to 99 %) with good enantiomeric excesses (up to 95 %).
Biologically and pharmaceutically relevant arylated quinones (Quin‐Ar) have been synthesized via direct C H arylation of a variety of phenols using arylboronic acids. An inexpensive, environmentally friendly iron catalyst, ferric sulphate, Fe2(SO4)3, was employed in this operationally simple and efficient method.
