Catalysis/catalysts asymmetric reactions

Asymmetric catalysis is a vital and rapidly growing branch of modern organic chemistry. Within this context, Ti- and Zr-based chiral catalysts have played a pivotal role in the emergence of a myriad of efficient and enantioselective protocols for asymmetric synthesis. In this chapter, a critical overview of enantioselective reactions promoted by chiral Zr-based catalysts is provided. Since an account of this type is most valuable when it provides a context for advances made in a particular area of research, when appropriate, a brief discussion of related catalytic asymmetric reactions promoted by non-Zr-based catalysts is presented as well. 

The development of catalytic asymmetric reactions is one of the major areas of research in the field of organic chemistry. So far, a number of chiral catalysts have been reported, and some of them have exhibited a much higher catalytic efficiency than enzymes, which are natural catalysts.111 Most of the synthetic asymmetric catalysts, however, show limited activity in terms of either enantioselectivity or chemical yields. The major difference between synthetic asymmetric catalysts and enzymes is that the former activate only one side of the substrate in an intermolecular reaction, whereas the latter can not only activate both sides of the substrate but can also control the orientation of the substrate. If this kind of synergistic cooperation can be realized in synthetic asymmetric catalysis, the concept will open up a new field in asymmetric synthesis, and a wide range of applications may well ensure. In this review we would like to discuss two types of asymmetric two-center catalysis promoted by complexes showing Lewis acidity and Bronsted basicity and/or Lewis acidity and Lewis basicity.121... 

In contrast to the maturity of asymmetric synthesis utilizing chiral transition metal catalysts, asymmetric phase transfer catalysis is still behind it and covers organic reactions to lesser extent. Thus, it is further necessary in wide range to explore efficient asymmetric phase transfer catalysis keeping its superiority of easy operation, mild reaction conditions, and environmental binignancy. 

Due to increasing demands for optically active compounds, many catalytic asymmetric reactions have been investigated in this decade. However, asymmetric catalysis in water or water/organic solvent systems is difficult because many chiral catalysts are not stable in the presence of water [19]. In particular, chiral Lewis acid catalysis in aqueous media is extremely difficult because most chiral Lewis acids decompose rapidly in the presence of water [20, 21]. To address this issue, catalytic asymmetric reactions using water-compatible Lewis acids with chiral ligands have been developed [22-29]. 

Chirality plays a central role in the chemical, biological, pharmaceutical and material sciences. Owing to the recent advances in asymmetric catalysis, catalytic enantioselective synthesis has become one of the most efficient methods for the preparation of enantiomer-ically enriched compounds. An increased amount of enantiomerically enriched product can be obtained from an asymmetric reaction using a small amount of an asymmetric catalyst. Studies on the enantioselective addition of dialkylzincs to aldehydes have attracted increasing interest. After the chiral amino alcohols were developed, highly enantioselective and reproducible —C bond forming reactions have become possible. 

W. M. H. Sachtler, Asymmetric Sites on Heterogeneous Catalysts, in R. L. Augustine, ed., Catalysis of Organic Reactions, p. 189, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1985. 

During the past decade, metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions have become one of the indispensable synthetic methodologies in academic and industrial fields. The asymmetric isomerization of allylamine to an optically active enamine is a typical example of the successful application of basic research to an industrial process. We believe that Takasago s successful development of large-scale asymmetric catalysis will have a great impact on both synthetic chemistry and the fine chemical industries. The Rh-BINAP catalysts, though very expensive, have become one of the cheapest catalysts in the chemical industry through extensive process development. 

The development of highly efficient asymmetric catalysts is one of the most intensively investigated research fields today.1 Catalytic asymmetric reactions are extremely powerful in terms of the practicality and atom economy.2 The power of asymmetric catalysis is rapidly growing, so as to be applicable to syntheses of natural products with complex structures. We call total syntheses using catalytic asymmetric reactions in key steps catalytic asymmetric total syntheses . In this chapter, we describe our recent success in catalytic asymmetric total syntheses of (-)-strychnine and fostriecin. Both of the total syntheses involve catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond forming reactions using bifunctional catalysts developed in our group3 as key steps. 

In conventional asymmetric catalysis, the asymmetric catalyst provides the enantioenriched product, whose structures are generally different from those of the asymmetric catalysts. In contrast, asymmetric autocatalysis is an auto-multiplication of a chiral compound P, in which the chiral product P acts as a chiral catalyst P for its own production (Scheme 2). We considered that, if the reaction product has the amino alcohol functionality as the result of alkylzinc addition, it should work as the catalyst for the next reaction, i.e., the autocatalytic reaction might proceed. 

Conceptually new multifunctional asymmetric two-center catalysts, such as the Ln-BINOL derivative, LnMB, AMB, and GaMB have been developed. These catalysts function both as Brpnsted bases and as Lewis acids, making possible various catalytic, asymmetric reactions in a manner analogous to enzyme catalysis. Several such catalytic asymmetric reactions are now being investigated for potential industrial applications. Recently, the catalytic enantioselective opening of meso epoxides with thiols in the presence of a heterobimetallic complex has... 

This assumption (to our knowledge there is no demonstration of this calculation) is easily established by considering the case of a simplified model of asymmetric catalysis (Scheme 1). In process I the asymmetric reaction is controlled by a chiral catalyst, cat/ , while in process II it is the enantiomeric catalyst, cats, that is working. The two systems are mirror images and will generate products of opposite absolute configuration but with the same enantiomeric excess (absolute value). 

The importance of catalysis in biological as well as synthetic organic chemistry cannot be overstated. In Chapter 2, Donald Hilvert examines the scope and utility of asymmetric reactions under catalysis by antibodies. From a stereochemical point of view, this has significant impact not only in the production of important compounds in stereochemically defined form, but also in the ability of the antibody catalysts to alter the stereochemical course of organic reactions in fashions contrary to their natural tendencies. The most important chemical transformations carried out by catalytic antibodies are covered and provide the reader with an excellent snapshot of the state of the art of this emerging subfield in asymmetric catalysis. In addition, a critical appraisal of the limitations and future directions is included which should provide ample stimulation for thought. 

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