Chiral Metallocene Complexes

The classical heterogeneously catalyzed propene polymerization as discovered hy Natta is a stereospecific reaction forming a polymer with isotactic microstructure. During the development of single-site polymerization catalysts it was found that C2-symmetric chiral metallocene complexes own the same stereospecificity. An analysis of the polymer microstructure hy means of NMR spectroscopy revealed that misinsertions are mostly corrected in the next insertion step, which suggests stereocontrol (Figure 6) hy the coordination site, as opposed to an inversion of stereospecificity hy control from the previous insertion steps (chain-end control). In addition, it was found that Cs-symmetric metallocene catalysts lead to syndio-tactic polymer since the Cosee-Arlmann chain flip mechanism induces an inversion of the stereospecificity at every insertion step. This type of polymer was inaccessible by classical heterogeneous systems. 

Chiral metallocene complex [(S)-l,2-ethylencbis()j5-tetrahydroindenoyl)]Ti(OTf)2 422a and its zirconium analog 422b efficiently catalyzed the cycloadditions of 1,3-oxazolidin-2-one based dienophiles 17a and 404 with cyclopentadiene which gave 421 and 405, respectively . The endo selectivity was highest in dichloromethane, whereas the enantioselectivity was higher in nitroalkane solvents (equation 127, Table 24). 

More recently, a very efficient asymmetric carbolithiation of N,N-dimethyl-aminofulvene 30, leading to a chiral cyclopentadienide anion, was reported by Hayashi et al. [6] for the synthesis of chiral metallocenes (Scheme 6). By adding an aryl lithium such as 31 complexed with a chiral ligand on fulvene 30, a cyclopentadienide ion 32 bearing a stereogenic center at the a position was generated. This anion was reacted with [RhCl(nbd)]2 to yield... 

A scandium complex, Cp ScH, also polymerizes ethylene, but does not polymerize propylene and isobutene [125]. On the other hand, a linked amidocyclo-pentadienyl complex [ Me2Si( / 5-C5 Me4)( /1 -NCMe3) Sc(H)(PMe3)] 2 slowly polymerizes propylene, 1-butene, and 1-pentene to yield atactic polymers with low molecular weight (Mn = 3000-7000) [126, 115]. A chiral, C2-symmetric ansa-metallocene complex of yttrium, [rac-Me2Si(C5H2SiMe3-2-Buf-4)2YH]2, polymerizes propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, and 1-hexene slowly over a period of several days at 25°C to afford isotactic polymers with modest molecular weight [114]. 

The isotacticities and activities achieved with nonbridged metallocene catalyst precursors were low. Partially isotactic polypropylene has been obtained by using a catalyst system of unbridged (non-ansa type) metallocenes at low temperatures [65]. A chiral zirconocene complex such as rac-ZrCl2(C5H4 CHMePh)2 (125) is the catalyst component for the isospecific polymerization of propylene (mmmm 0.60, 35% of type 1 and 65% of type 2 in Scheme Y) [161]. More bulky metallocene such as bis(l-methylfluorenyl)zirconium dichloride (126) together with MAO polymerized propylene to isotactic polypropylene in a temperature range between 40 and 70°C [162]. 

Collins and co-workers have performed studies in the area of catalytic enantioselective Diels—Alder reactions, in which ansa-metallocenes (107, Eq. 6.17) were utilized as chiral catalysts [100], The cycloadditions were typically efficient (-90% yield), but proceeded with modest stereoselectivities (26—52% ee). The group IV metal catalyst used in the asymmetric Diels—Alder reaction was the cationic zirconocene complex (ebthi)Zr(OtBu)-THF (106, Eq. 6.17). Treatment of the dimethylzirconocene [101] 106 with one equivalent of t-butanol, followed by protonation with one equivalent of HEt3N -BPh4, resulted in the formation of the requisite chiral cationic complex (107),... 

Metal complexes of pinene-fused boratabenzene ligands, analogous to chiral metallocenes that have found application in catalysis and enantioselective synthesis, have been prepared.122-124 With late transition metals such as Mn and Fe, the complexes are obtained as mixtures of diastereomers (e.g., 97) with the sterically less congested exo form predominating, but the bis(ligand) Zr complex 98 was obtained as the pure exo,exo product.124 A lithium... 

Asymmetric Hydrogenation. Asymmetric hydrogenation with good enantio-selectivity of unfunctionalized prochiral alkenes is difficult to achieve.144 145 Chiral rhodium complexes, which are excellent catalysts in the hydrogenation of activated multiple bonds (first, in the synthesis of a-amino acids by the reduction of ol-N-acylamino-a-acrylic acids), give products only with low optical yields.144 146-149 The best results ( 60% ee) were achieved in the reduction of a-ethylstyrene by a rhodium catalyst with a diphosphinite ligand.150 Metallocene complexes of titanium,151-155 zirconium,155-157 and lanthanides158 were used in recent studies to reduce the disubstituted C—C double bond with medium enantioselectivity. 

The experimental observation was that C2-symmetric metallocene complexes of zirconium (Fig. 6) produced isotactic polymers, while Cs-symmet-ric metallocene complexes (Fig. 6) produced syndiotactic polymers. Pure MM calculations with frozen core showed that the stereoselectivity is not related to direct interactions of the -ligands of the chiral metallocene with the entering monomer, but to interactions of the -ligands with the growing chain. It is therefore the chirally oriented growing chain which discriminates between the prochiral faces of the propene monomer. For C2-symmetric complexes, identical enantiofacial orientation in all insertion steps results in isotactic polymer formation for Cs-symmetric complexes the enantiofacial orientation alternates between insertion steps and leads to syndiotactic polymers. 

The choice of solvent has had little, if any, influence on the majority of Diels-Alder reactions.210,211 Although the addition of a Lewis acid might be expected to show more solvent dependence, generally there appears to be little effect on asymmetric induction.118129 However, a dramatic effect of solvent polarity has been observed for chiral metallocene triflate complexes.212 The use of polar solvents, such as nitromethane and nitropropane, leads to a significant improvement in the catalytic properties of a copper Lewis acid complex in the hetero Diels-Alder reaction of glyoxylate esters with dienes.213... 

The induction of chirality in Cp- metal derivatives may also be studied. There are different ways that even achiral substituents on a cyclopentadienyl ring can give chiral metal complexes. The induction of chirality can proceed through their substitution pattern and/or a hindered ring or substituent rotation. The isotactic polymerization of propylene by means of metallocene catalysts is one example where such a metallocenic chirality has already been employed in an important stereoselective synthesis. 

It is in the stereospecific polymerization of propylene that metallocene complexes display their astonishing versatility. Commercial Ziegler-Natta catalysts for isotactic polypropylene - based on combinations of TiCU, MgCl2, Lewis bases and aluminum alkyls - depend on a metal-centered chirality which exists at specific edge and defect sites on the crystal lattice to direct the incoming monomer in a particular orientation. These catalysts produce small amounts of undesirable atactic material due to the presence of achiral active sites. 

Cyclopentadienyl groups can be incorporated in a manner similar to that shown in eqnation(4) for phosphines. Metallocene derivatives (see Metallocene Complexes),mtani, can be incorporated into these modified polymers. Also, chiral phosphines such as DIOP and BINAP have been immobilized on polymers to be used in asyimnetric hydrogenation catalysis and related reactions. ... 

Cationic ansa metallocenes can be utilized as chiral catalysts in Diels-Alder reactions. For example, in the presence of the cationic zirconocene complex [(ebthi)Zr(Ot-Bu) thf]+, the [4 + 2] cycloaddition of acrolein and cyclopentadiene proceeds efficiently to afford endo and exo cycloadducts (equation 71). In reactions in which methyl acrylate is used as the dienophile, cycloadditions occur with lower levels of enan-tioselection (23% ee), but with significantly higher degrees of diastereoselectivity (17 1 endo, exo). In these processes, recent studies demonstrated the great influence of chiral metallocene structure and the dramatic solvent effect. ... 

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