Esters enantioselective hydrogenation

The principles of the SE were applied for two enantioselective hydrogenation reactions (i) hydrogenation of P-keto esters over Ni-tartrate and (ii) hydrogenation of a-keto esters over cinchona-Pt/Al203 catalysts. In this respect the tartaric acid - P-keto ester system gave a negative result. Neither the substrate nor the modifier have bulky substituents required for SE. 

CDj a The simplified reaction scheme for the enantioselective hydrogenation of a-keto esters over cinchona-Pt/Al203 catalyst can be written as follows ... 

Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation is a relatively developed process compared to other asymmetric processes practised today. Efforts in this direction have already been made. The first report in this respect is the use of Pd on natural silk for hydrogenating oximes and oxazolones with optical yields of about 36%. Izumi and Sachtler have shown that a Ni catalyst modified with (i ,.R)-tartaric acid can be used for the hydrogenation of methylacetoacetate to methyl-3-hydroxybutyrate. The group of Orito in Japan (1979) and Blaser and co-workers at Ciba-Geigy (1988) have reported the use of a cinchona alkaloid modified Pt/AlaO.i catalyst for the enantioselective hydrogenation of a-keto-esters such as methylpyruvate and ethylpyruvate to optically active (/f)-methylacetate and (7 )-ethylacetate. 

The efficiency of the new ligands was examined in enantioselective hydrogenation of some prochiral substrates. Itaconic ester hydrogenation using in situ prepared Rh-complexes was the first test reaction chosen. The best results from... 

Table 24.3, Enantioselective hydrogenation of P-keto esters using Ru(II)-complexes.

The fundamental concepts of enantioselective hydrogenation were introduced in Section 2.5.1 of Part A, and examples of reactions of acrylic acids and the important case of a-acetamido acrylate esters were discussed. The chirality of enantioselective hydrogenation catalysts is usually derived from phosphine ligands. A number of chiral phosphines have been explored in the development of enantioselective hydrogenation catalysts,21 and it has been found that some of the most successful catalysts are derived from chiral 1, l -binaphthyldiphosphines, such as BINAP.22... 

Fig. 5.1. Mechanism of ruthenium catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of a-acetamidoacrylate esters. Reproduced from J. Am. Chem. Soc124, 6649 (2002), by permission of the American Chemical Society.

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. 

The enantioselective hydrogenation of oc,p-unsaturated acids (or their esters) and a-ketoesters, mainly pyruvates, (Figure 1) is a subject of high industrial relevance in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical areas, considering the very different activity of pure enantiomers (1,2). However, the former reaction has been up to today less investigated, evidencing a lower enantioselectivity (maximum ee 38% in comparison to 90% for the ethyl pymvate) (3,4). 

R)-liINAP-RuBr2 can be successfully applied to the enantioselective hydrogenation of /i-kelo esters in the synthesis of (+)-(2R,3 W)-corynomycolic acid 115. ( S )-MeO-BIPHEP-RuBr2 was used in a similar manner in the synthesis of (R)-fluoxetine (116, Prozac ) and (S)-duloxetine (117).648... 

In the early 1990s, Burk introduced a new series of efficient chiral bisphospholane ligands BPE and DuPhos.55,55a-55c The invention of these ligands has expanded the scope of substrates in Rh-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation. For example, with Rh-DuPhos or Rh-BPE as catalysts, extremely high efficiencies have been observed in the asymmetric hydrogenation of a-(acylamino)acrylic acids, enamides, enol acetates, /3-keto esters, unsaturated carboxylic acids, and itaconic acids. 

The enantioselective hydrogenation of prochiral substances bearing an activated group, such as an ester, an acid or an amide, is often an important step in the industrial synthesis of fine and pharmaceutical products. In addition to the hydrogenation of /5-ketoesters into optically pure products with Raney nickel modified by tartaric acid [117], the asymmetric reduction of a-ketoesters on heterogeneous platinum catalysts modified by cinchona alkaloids (cinchonidine and cinchonine) was reported for the first time by Orito and coworkers [118-121]. Asymmetric catalysis on solid surfaces remains a very important research area for a better mechanistic understanding of the interaction between the substrate, the modifier and the catalyst [122-125], although excellent results in terms of enantiomeric excesses (up to 97%) have been obtained in the reduction of ethyl pyruvate under optimum reaction conditions with these Pt/cinchona systems [126-128],... 

Relevant examples of enantioselective hydrogenation of aromatic N-heterocycles are given below. Scheme 16.21 shows the hydrogenation of a 2-ester substituted piperazine to the corresponding 2-substituted pyrazine with a catalyst... 

Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Unsaturated Acid and Ester Derivatives... 

The enantioselective hydrogenation of a,fj- or / ,y-unsaturated acid derivatives and ester substrates including itaconic acids, acrylic acid derivatives, buteno-lides, and dehydrojasmonates, is a practical and efficient methodology for accessing, amongst others, chiral acids, chiral a-hydroxy acids, chiral lactones and chiral amides. These are of particular importance across the pharmaceutical and the flavors and fragrances industries. 

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