Cobalt complexes asymmetric hydrogenation

Only a few other cobalt complexes of the type covered in this review (and therefore excluding, for example, the cobalt carbonyls) have been reported to act as catalysts for homogeneous hydrogenation. The complex Co(DMG)2 will catalyze the hydrogenation of benzil (PhCOCOPh) to benzoin (PhCHOHCOPh). When this reaction is carried out in the presence of quinine, the product shows optical activity. The degree of optical purity varies with the nature of the solvent and reaches a maximum of 61.5% in benzene. It was concluded that asymmetric synthesis occurred via the formation of an organocobalt complex in which quinine was coordinated in the trans position (133). Both Co(DMG)2 and cobalamin-cobalt(II) in methanol will catalyze the following reductive methylations ... 

The asymmetric hydrogenation of C—O bonds have now been achieved in optical yields up to 95%, rivalling the performance of alkenes. Here also, rhodium complexes have been used almost exclusively, but some success has been obtained with cobalt catalysts. Using [Co(HDMG)2] in presence of optically active bases, benzil could be reduced to benzoin (equation 54) in an optical yield of 78%. Quinine or quinidine were the chiral bases employed. The best optical yields were obtained with quinine (60). It was found that when benzylamine was also present, the rate of hydrogenation was greatly enhanced without any decrease in the optical yield.276... 

Acyclic /V-alkylimines, asymmetric hydrogenation, 10, 56 Acyclic ( j3-allyl)cobalt complexes, oxidation reactions, 7, 58 Acyclic allylic esters, alkylation, 11, 76 Acyclic aromatic imines, asymmetric hydrogenation, 10, 56 Acyclic 1-buly l-( )5-pencadienyl) iron cations, preparation and reactivity, 6, 156... 

Diketimininates, for cobalt(II) complexes, 7, 16 /3-Diketonates, liquid crystals, 12, 238 Diketones, asymmetric hydrogenation, 10, 48 a-Diketones, bis-silylation, 10, 746 l,l -Dilithioruthenocene, preparation, 6, 630 Dimanganese decacarbonyl complexes, characteristics, 5, 761... 

Phenylthio ketones, asymmetric hydrogenation, 10, 47 Phenylthiourea, with trinuclear Os clusters, 6, 747 Phenyltris(A r/-butylthio)methylborato ligands, in cobalt(II) complexes, 7, 18... 

Further results on asymmetric hydrogenations of activated carbonyl compounds catalyzed by bis(dimethylglyoximato) cobalt (Il)-chiral amine complexes have been reported (55,56). Some chiral reductive dimerizations were observed (55). 

There are some reports on the asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation of C=N double bonds. Rhodium phosphine complexes do not have high activity, and the stereoselectivity is low. - Homogeneous hydrogenation of oximes, Schiff s bases and cyclic imines " have been reported. A cyano cobalt complex has been used for the homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of oximes and Schiff s bases but the degree of asymmetric induction is unknown. 

Oxirans.—A simple four-stage preparation of (5)-propylene oxide from ethyl L-( —)-maleate has been described (Scheme 2). This work is of importance for the synthesis of nonactin carboxylic acid. Another synthesis of optically-active propylene oxide involves the cyclization of OL-propylene chlorohydrin with a variety of bases in the presence of a cobalt complex the highest optical purity was 27%. Wynberg and co-workers have shown that the base-catalysed epoxidation of electron-poor alkenes is subject to catalytic asymmetric induction hydrogen peroxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide were used as oxidants in the presence of quaternary... 

Sodium borohydride (160) was found to serve as a hydrogen donor in the asymmetric reduction of the presence of an a,pi-unsaturated ester or amide 162 catalyzed by a cobalt-Semicorrin 161 complex, which gave the corresponding saturated carbonyl compound 163 with 94-97% ee [93]. The [i-hydrogen in the products was confirmed to come from sodium borohydride, indicating the formation of a metal enolate intermediate via conjugate addition of cobalt-hydride species (Scheme 2.17). 

More successful asymmetric reductions have been based on amine (particularly alkaloid) complexes of bis(dimethylglyoximato) cobalt(II), also known as cobaloxime(II) and represented Co(dmg)2 (compound VII). Cobaloxime-chiral amine complexes have been used to catalyze the hydrogenation of both olefinic and ketonic substrates (Fig. 24). It has been determined that hydroxyamine modifiers, for example, alkaloids such as quinine, quinidine, and cinchonidine, are most effective. The highest optical purity obtained thus far has been 71%, observed for reduction of benzil in benzene solution at 10° using quinine as the... 

Kinetic resolutions. A chiral alcohol is obtained on. selective removal of one enantiomer by acetylation using a chiral analog 1 of DMAP, or by oxidation based on hydrogen transfer to acetone mediated by a Ru complex 2. Benzylic secondary alcohols are resolved by selective pivaloylation with optically activeA-pivaloyl-4-t-butylthiazolidine-2-thione. A kinetic resolution of sulfoxides is based on asymmetric oxidation with (i-PrO)4Ti-cumyl hydroperoxide in the presence of a tartrate ester. Kinetic resolution of 1,3-diarylallenes is realized by selective oxidation with NaClO catalyzed by a chiral (salen)manganese(III) complex, whereas asymmetric hydrolysis of terminal epoxides with the aid of a chiral (salen)cobalt(II) catalyst solves the problem of their accessibility. 

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