Chiral carbene complexes

Scheme 27 Rigid chiral carbene complex chelates in diastereoselective benzannulation...

A convenient method for chiral carbene complexes is provided by oxidative addition of a C-Cl bond of a suitable precursor to a transition metal centre like palladium(O) [50]. The method has of course limited scope, since not aU transition metals have appropriate precursor complexes in low oxidation states. 

While no asymmetric induction was observed in the present instance, prior examples with more sterically biased imines had given high levels of induction. A solution to this problem for the monocyclic p-lactam case was provided by chiral carbene complex 125 [75]. A variety of other imine analogs with N-heteroatom bonds were examined in the reaction sequence without success, presumably due to insufficient nucleophilicity of the nitrogen atom for attack on the ketene complex or insufficient electrophilicity of the imine analog for the required ring closure. 

There has also been a renewal of interest in reactions catalyzed by ru-thenium(II) porphyrin complexes, simultaneously with the development of new chiral ruthenium porphyrins [175-178]. Although these reactions focus mainly on asymmetric epoxidation of olefins [179,180], in some cases asymmetric cyclopropanations were very successful As a recent example, the intermolecular cyclopropanation of styrene and its derivatives with ethyl diazoacetate afforded the corresponding cyclopropyl esters in up to 98% ee with high trans/cis ratios of up to 36 and extremely high catalyst turnovers of up to 1.1 X 10 [140]. The structure of the metalloporphyrin is given in Fig. 2. Asymmetric intramolecular cyclopropanations were also reported with the same catalyst [140]. hi this case, the decomposition of a series of aUyhc diazoacetates afforded the cyclopropyl lactones in up to 85% ee. Both the inter-and intramolecular cyclopropanation were proposed to proceed via a reactive chiral ruthenium carbene intermediate. The enantioselectivities in these processes were rationahzed on the basis of the X-ray crystal structures of closely related stable chiral carbene complexes obtained from the reaction of the chiral complex with N2CPh2 and N2C(Ph)C02CH2CH = CH2. 

Triple G-H bond activation of l,5-bis(di-/< //-butylphosphino)-2-(i )-dimethylaminopentane by Ru(p-cymene)Gl2 2 yields the chiral carbene complex 133. The cyclometallated complex [Os GH(G2H4P Bu2)2 H2Gl] undergoes reversible dehydrogenation at high temperature to give the pincer carbene complex [Os =G(G2H4P Bu2)2 HGl]. ... 

This problem has been overcome by incorporating 8-phenylmenthol as a chiral auxiliary into a,/3-unsaturated carbene complexes their reaction with diazoalkanes results in the formation of single pyrazoline diastereomers [37]. This concept has been successfully extended to other types of 1,3-dipoles and their reaction with chiral carbene complexes. The one-pot reaction of the chromium ( )-menthyloxy-carbene 40 with nitrilimine 41 generated in situ affords a single diastereomer of -pyrazoline ester 42 after oxidative work-up neither regioisomer 43 nor its diastereomer could be detected (Scheme 11.16) [38]. 

In 20 years of usage, a,/J-unsaturated Fischer carbene complexes demonstrated their multitalented versatility in organic synthesis, yet new reaction types are still being discovered every year. In view of their facile preparation and multifold reactivity, their versatile chemistry will undoubtedly be further developed and applied in years to come. The application of chirally modified Fischer carbene complexes in asymmetric synthesis has only begun, and it will probably be an important area of research in the near future. 

Asymmetric versions of the cyclopropanation reaction of electron-deficient olefins using chirally modified Fischer carbene complexes, prepared by exchange of CO ligands with chiral bisphosphites [21a] or phosphines [21b], have been tested. However, the asymmetric inductions are rather modest [21a] or not quantified (only the observation that the cyclopropane is optically active is reported) [21b]. Much better facial selectivities are reached in the cyclopropanation of enantiopure alkenyl oxazolines with aryl- or alkyl-substituted alkoxy-carbene complexes of chromium [22] (Scheme 5). 

The Diels-Alder reaction of simple alkoxy alkenylcarbene complexes leads to mixtures of endo and exo cycloadducts, with the endo isomer generally being the major one [96,97]. Asymmetric examples of endo Diels-Alder reactions have also been reported by the use of chiral auxiliaries both on the carbene complex and the diene. Thus, the reaction of cyclopentadiene with chiral alkenylcarbene complexes derived from (-)-menthol proceeds to afford a 4 1... 

A chiral version of this [4+3] heterocyclisation was achieved using chiral, non-racemic carbene complexes derived from menthol and oximes as depicted... 

Scheme 26 Carbene complexes with chiral amino substituents...

Scheme 29 Tandem benzannulation-Mitsunobu reaction of a chiral decalin-derived carbene complex...

A similar tandem Dotz-Mitsunobu reaction has been reported starting from a l,6-methano[10]annulene carbene complex, but no conclusion could be reached on the influence of the chiral information regarding the stereoselective course of the reaction since the chromium fragment could not be kept coordinated to the benzannulation product [47]. 

Scheme 30 A chiral [2.2]metacyclophane carbene complex in a benzannulation reaction...

The use of a stereogenic carbon centre allowed an efficient asymmetric induction in the benzannulation reaction towards axial-chiral intermediates in the synthesis of configurationally stable ring-C-functionalised derivatives of al-locolchicinoids [51]. The benzannulation of carbene complex 52 with 1-pen-tyne followed by oxidative demetalation afforded a single diastereomer 53 (Scheme 33). 

Photodriven reactions of Fischer carbenes with alcohols produces esters, the expected product from nucleophilic addition to ketenes. Hydroxycarbene complexes, generated in situ by protonation of the corresponding ate complex, produced a-hydroxyesters in modest yield (Table 15) [103]. Ketals,presumably formed by thermal decomposition of the carbenes, were major by-products. The discovery that amides were readily converted to aminocarbene complexes [104] resulted in an efficient approach to a-amino acids by photodriven reaction of these aminocarbenes with alcohols (Table 16) [105,106]. a-Alkylation of the (methyl)(dibenzylamino)carbene complex followed by photolysis produced a range of racemic alanine derivatives (Eq. 26). With chiral oxazolidine carbene complexes optically active amino acid derivatives were available (Eq. 27). Since both enantiomers of the optically active chromium aminocarbene are equally available, both the natural S and unnatural R amino acid derivatives are equally... 

Cyclopenta[fc]dioxanes (44) are accessible from the reaction of the dioxenylmolybdenum carbene complex (43) with enynes <96JOC159>, whilst an intramolecular and stereoselective cyclisation of (Ti5-dienyl)tricarbonyliron(l+) cations affords chiral frans-2,3-disubstituted 1,4-dioxanes <96JOC1914>. 2,3-Dimethylidene-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin is a precursor of the 3,8-dioxa-lff-cyclopropa[i]anthracene, which readily dimerises to dihydrotetraoxaheptacene (45) and the analogous heptaphene <96AJC533>. 

Mono or bis-carbene complexes are possible depending on the carbene/ metal precursor ratio and the steric bulk of the carbene. Most of the metal precursors and bases used for the synthesis of chiral complexes are presented below Metal precursors ... 

AT-heterocyclic carbene complexes of Pd(II) or Pd(0) were extensively used in various reactions and several groups have reported syntheses of chiral complexes [5]. However, only a few examples of asymmetric catalysis are... 

In 2003, Sigman et al. reported the use of a chiral carbene ligand in conjunction with the chiral base (-)-sparteine in the palladium(II) catalyzed oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols [26]. The dimeric palladium complexes 51a-b used in this reaction were obtained in two steps from N,N -diaryl chiral imidazolinium salts derived from (S, S) or (R,R) diphenylethane diamine (Scheme 28). The carbenes were generated by deprotonation of the salts with t-BuOK in THF and reacted in situ with dimeric palladium al-lyl chloride. The intermediate NHC - Pd(allyl)Cl complexes 52 are air-stable and were isolated in 92-95% yield after silica gel chromatography. Two diaster corners in a ratio of approximately 2 1 are present in solution (CDCI3). 

Chiral diamino carbene complexes of rhodium have been merely used in asymmetric hydrosilylations of prochiral ketones but also in asymmetric addition of aryl boron reagents to enones. 

Herrmann et al. reported for the first time in 1996 the use of chiral NHC complexes in asymmetric hydrosilylation [12]. An achiral version of this reaction with diaminocarbene rhodium complexes was previously reported by Lappert et al. in 1984 [40]. The Rh(I) complexes 53a-b were obtained in 71-79% yield by reaction of the free chiral carbene with 0.5 equiv of [Rh(cod)Cl]2 in THF (Scheme 30). The carbene was not isolated but generated in solution by deprotonation of the corresponding imidazolium salt by sodium hydride in liquid ammonia and THF at - 33 °C. The rhodium complexes 53 are stable in air both as a solid and in solution, and their thermal stability is also remarkable. The hydrosilylation of acetophenone in the presence of 1% mol of catalyst 53b gave almost quantitative conversions and optical inductions up to 32%. These complexes are active in hydrosilylation without an induction period even at low temperatures (- 34 °C). The optical induction is clearly temperature-dependent it decreases at higher temperatures. No significant solvent dependence could be observed. In spite of moderate ee values, this first report on asymmetric hydrosilylation demonstrated the advantage of such rhodium carbene complexes in terms of stability. No dissociation of the ligand was observed in the course of the reaction. 

In 2004, Bolm et al. reported the use of chiral iridium complexes with chelating phosphinyl-imidazolylidene ligands in asymmetric hydrogenation of functionalized and simple alkenes with up to 89% ee [17]. These complexes were synthesized from the planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophane-based imida-zolium salts 74a-c with an imidazolylidenyl and a diphenylphosphino substituent in pseudo ortho positions of the [2.2]paracyclophane (Scheme 48). Treatment of 74a-c with t-BuOLi or t-BuOK in THF and subsequent reaction of the in situ formed carbenes with [Ir(cod)Cl]2 followed by anion exchange with NaBARF afforded complexes (Rp)-75a-c in 54-91% yield. The chela-... 

Chiral diaminocarbene complexes of copper were used in asymmetric conjugate addition of diethylzinc to Michael acceptors. Achiral copper carbene complexes derived from imidazolium salts were synthesized and characterized for the first time by Arduengo in 1993 [43]. In 2001, Woodward reported the use of such Arduengo-type carbene in copper-catalyzed conjugate addition and showed their strong accelerating effect [44]. The same year, Alex-... 

Chiral monodentate carbene complexes of Rh and Ir of the type [MCl(l,5-COD) (NHC)] (M = Rh, Ir) with the ligands 7-9 (Fig. 2.1) have been stndied as catalysts for the enantioselective hydrogenation of methyl-2-acetamido acrylate. Even though the activities were high, the enantiomeric excesses (ee) were poor [7, 8]. 

---