Asymmetric alkene catalysts

In an extension of this work, the Shibasaki group developed the novel transformation 48—>51 shown in Scheme 10.25c To rationalize this interesting structural change, it was proposed that oxidative addition of the vinyl triflate moiety in 48 to an asymmetric palladium ) catalyst generated under the indicated conditions affords the 16-electron Pd+ complex 49. Since the weakly bound triflate ligand can easily dissociate from the metal center, a silver salt is not needed. Insertion of the coordinated alkene into the vinyl C-Pd bond then affords a transitory 7t-allylpalladium complex 50 which is captured in a regio- and stereocontrolled fashion by acetate ion to give the optically active bicyclic diene 51 in 80% ee (89% yield). This catalytic asymmetric synthesis by a Heck cyclization/ anion capture process is the first of its kind. 

Chiral C2-symmetric ansa-metallocenes, also referred to as bridged metallocenes, find extensive use as catalysts that effect asymmetric C—C bond-forming transformations [4]. In general, bridged ethylene(bis(tetrahydroindenyl))zirconocene dichloride ((ebthi)ZrCl2) 1 or its derived binaphtholate ((ebthi)Zrbinol) 2 [5] and related derivatives thereof have been extensively utilized in the development of a variety of catalytic asymmetric alkene alkylations. 

As recently recognized by the Nobel Chemistry award committee, the conceptualization, development, and commercial application of enantioselective, homogeneous hydrogenation of alkenes represents a landmark achievement in modem chemistry. Further elaboration of asymmetric hydrogenation catalysts by Noyori, Burk, and others has created a robust and technologically important set of catalytic asymmetric synthetic techniques. As frequently occurs in science, these new technologies have spawned new areas of fundamental research. Soon after the development of... 

The first catalytic, asymmetric aziridination of an alkene in good yield and high enantioselectivity was recently reported56. Thus styrene (63) was treated with [N-(p-toluenesulphonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (64) and an asymmetric copper catalyst to yield (/ )-Ar-(p-toluenesulphonyl)-2-phenylaziridine [(/ )-65] in 97% yield with an ee of 61%, the catalyst being the complex formed in situ in chloroform from the chiral bis[(5 ) 4-ferf-butyloxazoline] [(S,S)-66] and copper triflate (CuOTf)56, the reaction proceeding by way of a nitrene transfer57. 

In spite of the success of asymmetric iridium catalysts for the direct hydrogenation of alkenes, there has been very limited research into the use of alternative hydrogen donors. Carreira and coworkers have reported an enantioselective reduction of nitroalkenes in water using formic acid and the iridium aqua complex 69 [66]. For example, the reduction of nitroalkene 70 led to the formation of the product 71 in good yield and enantioselectivity (Scheme 17). The use of other aryl substrates afforded similar levels of enantioselectivity. 

SCHEME 7. Sugar-derived ketones as catalysts for asymmetric alkene epoxidation... 

Hoveyda and co-workers have developed chiral catalysts for asymmetric alkene metathesis. They have demonstrated that with their chiral molybdenum catalyst asymmetric syntheses of dihydrofurans through catalytic kinetic resolution by RCM and enantioselective desymmetrization by RCM are feasible processes (Scheme 40) <1998JA9720>. The use of Schrock s molybdenum catalysts for asymmetric alkene metathesis has been reviewed <2001CEJ945>. 

Meunier has reviewed recent advances in asynunetric oxidation. Jacobsen s asymmetric epoxidation catalysts are some of the most successful. These use Mn(III) in a chiral salen hgand with NaOCl as primary oxidant. The intermediacy of Mn(V) 0x0 species has been proposed as the active species formed after O atom transfer from the hypochlorite. Enantiomeric excesses of 97-98% are seen in the epoxide product on a consistent basis across a wide variety of alkene substrates. 

Asymmetric Alkene Isomerization. The chiral titanocene reagent (1) serves as precatalyst for the isomerization of alkene (4) (eq 3). Active isomerization catalyst is obtained by in situ reduction of (1) with Lithium Aluminum Hydride (164 °C, 30 min). Treatment of the achiral substrate (4) with 2 mol % catalyst produced axially dissymmetric product (5)-(5) in 44-76% ee (100% yield). The reaction is slow at room temperature (120 h required for complete reaction) faster rates are obtained at higher temperatures, but at the expense of lower product enantiomeric purity. 

In an efficient synthesis of oxazohdinone 99 and morphoUnone 100, catalysts for the enantioselective epoxidation of asymmetric alkenes, D-fructosamines 98 have been... 

Figure 2 Representative catalysts for asymmetric alkene metathesis.

ILL. Zhen and K. R. Conser, Asymmetric Alkene Aziridination and Readily Available Chiral Diimine-Based Catalysts, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 115(1993)5326. 

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