Enantioselective Immobilized Catalysts

The mesoporous character of MCM-41 overcomes the size limitations imposed by the use of zeolites and it is possible to prepare the complex by refluxing the chiral ligand in the presence of Mn +-exchanged Al-MCM-41 [34-36]. However, this method only gives 10% of Mn in the form of the complex, as shown by elemental analysis, and good results are only possible due to the very low catalytic activity of the uncomplexed Mn sites. The immobihzed catalyst was used in the epoxidation of (Z)-stilbene with iodosylbenzene and this led to a mixture of cis (meso) and trans (chiral) epoxides. Enantioselectivity in the trans epoxides was up to 70%, which is close to the value obtained in solution (78% ee). However, this value was much lower when (E)-stilbene was used (25% ee). As occurred with other immobilized catalysts, reuse of the catalyst led to a significant loss in activity and, to a greater extent, in enantioselectivity. 

The enantioselectivity obtained in the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction (Scheme 12) was low (18% ee). This is, in part, due to the important temperature effect. For example, 50% ee was obtained in reactions carried out in homogeneous phase at - 60 °C and 95% ee in reactions at - 78 °C. However, at 0 °C the enantioselectivity dropped to 28% ee, a value closer to that obtained with the immobilized catalyst at the same temperature. Recycling was investigated and the solid was used four times with the same activity maintained. The 6b-Cu(OTf)2 catalyst proved to be less effective for this reaction and less stable in terms of recycling, a situation in agreement with the results obtained with exchanged catalysts [53]. 

Reaction experiments were performed at the substrate to catalyst ratios between 250 and 5000 (Table 1). The immobilized catalyst showed a rather constant values of TOP and enantioselectivity in spite of the increase in the S/C ratio, even though these values were slightly lower than those of the homogeneous Ru-BINAP catalyst. After the reaction, the Ru content in the reaction mixture was measured by ICP-AES and was found to be under 2 ppm, the detecting limit of the instrument, indicating the at Ru metal didn t leach significantly during the reaction. These results show that the immobilized Ru-BINAP catalyst had stable activity and enantioselectivity and that the Ru metal complex formed a stable species on the alumina support. 

Immobilization of chiral complexes in PDMS membranes offers a method for the generation of new chiral catalytic membranes. The heterogenization of the Jacobsen catalyst is difficult because the catalyst loses its enantioselectivity during immobilization on silica or carbon surfaces whereas the encapsulation in zeolites needs large cages. However, the occlusion of this complex in a PDMS matrix was successful.212 The complex is held sterically within the PDMS chains. The Jacobsen catalyst occluded in the membrane has activity and selectivity for the epoxidation of alkenes similar to that of the homogeneous one, but the immobilized catalyst is recyclable and stable. 

Seebach and co-workers copolymerized a dendritically modified TADDOL ligand with styrene (Figure 9). When associated with Ti(OiPr)4, the immobilized catalyst gave a very high ee (98%) for more than 20 runs in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde95 96... 

A number of insoluble or immobilized catalysts have been developed and applied to the carbonyl-ene reaction. As is evidenced by the entries below, the enantioselectivities are variable. Sasai23 has utilized a titanium-bridged polymer to effect an enantioselective carbonyl-ene (Equation (14)). A single substrate was examined, and the polymer could be reused up to five times without loss of enantioselectivity in the ene reaction. 

The preparation of this type of catalyst is quite simple. HPAs such as phos-photungstic acid were adsorbed onto inorganic supports such as clays, alumina, and active carbon. Subsequently, the metal complex was added to form the immobilized catalyst. If necessary, the catalyst can be pre-reduced. These types of catalysts were developed mainly for enantioselective hydrogenations. For instance, a supported chiral catalyst that was based on a cationic Rh(DIPAMP) complex, phosphotungstic acid and alumina showed an ee-value of 93% with a TOF of about 100 IT1 in the hydrogenation of 2-acetamidoacrylic acid methyl ester (Fig. 42.4 Table 42.2). 

The studies of Thomas and Raja [28] showed a remarkable effect of pore size on enantioselectivity (Table 42.3). The immobilized catalysts were more active than the homogeneous ones, but their enantioselectivity increased dramatically on supports which had smaller-diameter pores. This effect was ascribed to more steric confinement of the catalyst-substrate complex in the narrower pores. This confinement will lead to a larger influence of the chiral directing group on the orientation of the substrate. Although pore diffusion limitation can lead to lower hydrogen concentrations in narrow pores with a possible effect on enantioselectivity (see Section 42.2), this seems not to be the case here, because the immobilized catalyst with the smallest pores is the most active one. 

Recovery of the immobilized catalyst 48 was accomplished by simple filtration, and catalyst reoxidation and repeated recycling (seven times) was possible with no loss of reactivity or enantioselectivity. 

The catalytic activity of a lanthanum (R)-BINOL complex tethered either on silica (62a) or MCM-41 (62b) was evaluated for the enantioselective nitroaldol reaction of cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde (Se), hexanal (Sf), iso-butyraldehyde (Sg) and hydro-cinnamaldehyde (Sh) with nitromethane inTHF (Scheme 12.22) [166]. The silica-anchored lanthanum catalyst 62a gave 55-76% e.e. and yields up to 87%, while the PMS-immobilized catalyst 62b revealed slightly higher e.e.s (57-84%) for the same aldehydes. The homogeneous counterparts showed similar catalytic performance, albeit within a shorter reaction time. The increased enantioselectivity observed for the MCM-41 hybrid catalyst 62b was explained by transformations inside the channels, which is also reflected by lower yields due to hindered diffusion. The recyclability of the immobilized catalysts 62b was checked with hydrocin-namaldehyde (Ph). It was found that the reused catalyst gave nearly the same enantioselectivities after the fourth catalytic run, although the time period for achieving similar conversion increased from initially 30 to 42 h. 

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