Enantioselective Alkene Hydrogenation Monodentate Ligands

It thus came as a surprise that in the year 2000, three groups independently reported the use of three new classes of monodentate ligands (Scheme 28.2) [12], The ligands induced remarkably high enantioselectivities, comparable to those obtained using the best bidentate phosphines, in the rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective alkene hydrogenation. All three being based on a BINOL backbone, and devoid of chirality on phosphorus, these monophosphonites [13], monophosphites [14] and monophosphoramidites [15] are very easy to prepare and are equipped with a variable alkyl, alkoxy, or amine functionality, respectively. 

In 1968, Knowles et al. [1] and Horner et al. [2] independently reported the use of a chiral, enantiomerically enriched, monodentate phosphine ligand in the rhodium-catalyzed homogeneous hydrogenation of a prochiral alkene (Scheme 28.1). Although enantioselectivities were low, this demonstrated the transformation of Wilkinson s catalyst, Rh(PPh3)3Cl [3] into an enantioselective homogeneous hydrogenation catalyst [4]. 

A few experiments have been performed to evaluate the potential of the P-menthyl-substituted class of phosphe-tanes 76 in rhodium-mediated alkene-hydrogenation reactions <1998S1539>. Within this series, monodentate ligands show low catalytic activity and poor enantioselectivity when employed in the hydrogenation of model dehydroamino acid derivatives. This observation is clearly consistent with the observed lability of their rhodium complexes, due to steric hindrance. 

Although, in the past, most attention was paid to the use of bidentate ligands and especially diphosphines, several monodentate phosphines have also been developed and applied in the enantioselective hydrogenation of alkenes. The earlier developed monodentate chiral ligands have an asymmetric phosphorus center as sole source of chirality (Figure among them 13 MPPP -... 

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