Chiral metal complexes hydrocyanation

In the last decade, optically pure cyanohydrins (a-hydroxynitriles) have become a versatile source for the synthesis of a variety of chiral building blocks. Diverse methods for the enantioselective synthesis of cyanohydrins have been published and reviewed111. Besides enzyme catalyzed methods, hydrocyanation or silylcyanation of aldehydes or ketones controlled by chiral metal complexes or cyclic dipeptides, as well as diastereoselective hydrocyanation of chiral carbonyl compounds, have been applied with moderate success. 

The asymmetric catalytic Pauson-Khand reaction met success in the late 1990s. Not only the conventional Co catalyst but also other metal complexes, such as Ti, Rh, and Ir, are applicable to the reaction. Asymmetric hydrocyanation of vinylar-enes is accomplished using Ni complex of chiral diphosphite. Further studies on the scope and limitation are expected. 

The Strecker reaction [1] starting from an aldehyde, ammonia, and a cyanide source is an efficient method for the preparation of a-amino acids. A popular version for asymmetric purposes is based on the use of preformed imines 1 and a subsequent nucleophilic addition of HCN or TMSCN in the presence of a chiral catalyst [2], Besides asymmetric cyanations catalyzed by metal-complexes [3], several methods based on the use of organocatalysts have been developed [4-14]. The general organocatalytic asymmetric hydrocyanation reaction for the synthesis of a-amino nitriles 2 is shown in Scheme 5.1. 

Especially noteworthy is the field of asymmetric catalysis. Asymmetric catalytic reactions with transition metal complexes are used advantageously for hydrogenation, cyclization, codimerization, alkylation, epoxidation, hydroformylation, hydroesterification, hydrosilylation, hydrocyanation, and isomerization. In many cases, even higher regio- and stereoselectivities are required. Fundamental investigations of the mechanism of chirality transfer are also of interest. New chiral ligands that are suitable for catalytic processes are needed. 

The assymetric Strecker reaction of diverse imines, including aldimines as well as ketoimines, with HCN or TMSCN provides a direct access to various unnatural and natural amino acids in high enantiomeric excesses, using soluble or resin-linked non-metal Schiff bases the corresponding chiral catalysts are obtained and optimized by parallel combinatorial library synthesis [93]. A rather general asymmetric Strecker-type synthesis of various imines and a, 9-unsaturated derivatives is catalyzed by chiral bifunctional Lewis acid-Lewis base aluminum-containing complexes [94]. When chiral (salen)Al(III) complexes are employed for the hydrocyanation of aromatic substituted imines, excellent yields and enatio-selectivities are obtained [94]. 

The coordination chemistry of many chiral ligands is directed towards preparing complexes with catalytically useful metals, most notably late transition metals. Some Rh, Pd, Pt, and Ag complexes of Diop (149) (and also (150)) have been described,327,328,381,382 along with the use of palladium Diop complexes in asymmetric palladium catalysed cross-couplings383 and alkene hydrocyanation reactions. 

Chiral Catalysts Containing Group 10 Metals (Ni, Pd, and Pt). The catalyst formed in situ from Ni(acac)2 and bomane aminoalcohols (DAB or DAIB) catalyze the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to chalcones (254) (Fig. 21). Nickel(II)-chiral Schiff-base (the ligand derived from 1,2-diaminocyclohexane or 1,2-diaminopropane with pyrone derivative) complexes were efficient in epoxida-tion of nonfunctionalized olefins (255). Bis-ferrocenyl-triphosphane (PIGIPHOS) formed catalytically active complex with Ni(II) (256). Nickel-catalyzed asymmetric hydrocyanation of vinylarenes using glucose-derived phosphinite ligands was observed (257). 

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