Enantioselective hydrogenation catalyst effect

Early transition-metal complexes have been some of the first well-defined catalyst precursors used in the homogeneous hydrogenation of alkenes. Of the various systems developed, the biscyclopentadienyl Group IV metal complexes are probably the most effective, especially those based on Ti. The most recent development in this field has shown that enantiomerically pure ansa zirconene and titanocene derivatives are highly effective enantioselective hydrogenation catalysts for alkenes, imines, and enamines (up to 99% ee in all cases), whilst in some cases TON of up to 1000 have been achieved. 

It is clear that the influence of surface geometry upon catalytic activity is extremely complex and many more studies are required before any definitive relationship between catalytic activity and metal particle size can be established. Such studies will require to take cognisance of such factors as the perturbation of surface structure due to the formation of carbidic residues, as noted by Boudart [289] and by Thomson and Webb [95], and by the modification of catalytic properties on adsorption, as noted by Izumi et al. [296—298] and by Groenewegen and Sachtler [299] in studies of the modification of nickel catalysts for enantioselective hydrogenation. Possible effects of the support, as will be discussed in Sect. 6.3, must also be taken into account. 

This book contains many publications which represent analyses of the steps of elaboration of effective heterogeneous enantioselective hydrogenation catalysts, of their significant role in the theory of catalysis, and of their role in the practice of asymmetric catalysis. In addition to reviewing the first works on catal Tic hydrogenation of C=C double bond in prochiral compounds on metal catalysts supported on chiral carriers, which admittedly have only historical interest, the Chapters 1-3 review data on asymmetric adsorption of enantiomers and separation of racemic mixtures on organic and inorganic adsorbents. 

One of the most interesting side reactions taking place during the enantioselective hydrogenation is the transesterification of the substrate or the reaction product. If the enantioselective hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate was performed in methanol as a solvent the formation of methyl pyruvate and methyl lactate was observed. CD appeared to be an effective catalyst for the above transesterification reaction. 

Enantioselective hydrogenation of 2,3-butanedione and 3,4-hexanedione has been studied over cinchonidine - Pt/Al203 catalyst system in the presence or absence of achiral tertiary amines (quinuclidine, DABCO) using solvents such as toluene and ethanol. Kinetic results confirmed that (i) added achiral tertiary amines increase both the reaction rate and the enantioselectivity, (ii) both substrates have a strong poisoning effect, (iii) an accurate purification of the substrates is needed to get adequate kinetic data. The observed poisoning effect is attributed to the oligomers formed from diketones. 

The enantioselective hydrogenation of a,p-unsaturated acids or esters, using 5wt% Pt/Al203 or Pd/Al203 commercial catalysts doped with cinchonidine (CD), was deeply investigated to evidence the specific activity of Pd or Pt and the role of the reaction parameters and solvent polarity. Finally, the steric and electronic effects of different substituent groups were also studied. 

Since the initial work of Onto et al. (1) a considerable amount of work has been performed to improve our understanding of the enantioselective hydrogenation of activated ketones over cinchona-modified Pt/Al203 (2, 3). Moderate to low dispersed Pt on alumina catalysts have been described as the catalysts of choice and pre-reducing them in hydrogen at 300-400°C typically improves their performance (3, 4). Recent studies have questioned the need for moderate to low dispersed Pt, since colloidal catalysts with Pt crystal sizes of <2 nm have also been found to be effective (3). A key role is ascribed to the effects of the catalyst support structure and the presence of reducible residues on the catalytic surface. Support structures that avoid mass transfer limitations and the removal of reducible residues obviously improve the catalyst performance. This work shows that creating a catalyst on an open porous support without a large concentration of reducible residues on the Pt surface not only leads to enhanced activity and ee, but also reduces the need for the pretreatment step. One factor... 

New modifiers have traditionally been discovered by the trial-and-error method. Many naturally occurring chiral compounds (the chiral pool38) have been screened as possible modifiers. Thus, the hydrogenation product of the synthetic drug vinpocetine was discovered to be a moderately effective modifier of Pt and Pd for the enantioselective hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate and isophorone.39 Likewise, ephedrine, emetine, strychnine, brucine, sparteine, various amino acids and hydroxy acids, have been identified as chiral modifiers of heterogeneous catalysts.38... 

An example of the use of PGSE NMR spectroscopy can be found in the studies of Selke et al. [33], who investigated the dependence of enantioselectivity on the distribution of a chiral hydrogenation catalyst between aqueous and micellar phases. When a compound is incorporated into a micelle, its mobility is much lower compared to its mobility in solution. This effect is exactly what is probed with PGSE NMR. The calculated diffusion coefficient is a time-averaged value of the lower diffusion coefficient of the catalyst incorporated into the micelles, and of the diffusion coefficient of the free catalyst. An increased amount of micelle-embedded catalyst was found to lead to an increased enantioselectivity. 

The ability to efficiently synthesize enantiomerically enriched materials is of key importance to the pharmaceutical, flavor and fragrance, animal health, agrochemicals, and functional materials industries [1]. An enantiomeric catalytic approach potentially offers a cost-effective and environmentally responsible solution, and the assessment of chiral technologies applied to date shows enantioselective hydrogenation to be one of the most industrially applicable [2]. This is not least due to the ability to systematically modify chiral ligands, within an appropriate catalyst system, to obtain the desired reactivity and selectivity. With respect to this, phosphorus(III)-based ligands have proven to be the most effective. 

A PYRPHOS ligand was found to be effective for the hydrogenation of a / -aryl- or alkyl-substituted monoamido itaconate [107]. A MeO-BIPHEP-Ru catalyst was successfully applied for the enantioselective hydrogenation of an intermediate for the drug candoxatril in a mixed solvent (THF/H20) (Scheme 26.12) [108]. 

A remarkable feature of iridium enantioselective hydrogenation is the promotion of the reaction by large non-coordinating anions [73]. This has been the subject of considerable activity (anticipated in an earlier study by Osborn and coworkers) on the effects of the counterion in Rh enantioselective hydrogenation [74]. The iridium chemistry was motivated by initial synthetic limitations. With PFg as counterion to the ligated Ir cation, the reaction ceases after a limited number of turnovers because of catalyst deactivation. The mechanism of... 

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