MiniPhos

The same phosphine-borane used for the synthesis of BisP acted as the starting materials of the construction of MiniPHOS, the next smaller analogue to BisP (Scheme 13). The chirally induced lithium salt was treated with alkylphos-phorus dichloride, methylmagnesium bromide, and borane-THF complex to afford enantiomerically pure MiniPHOS-borane 82a. Recrystallization enabled elimination of a small amount of corresponding raeso-diastereomer formed [29]. Yields were generally low, ranging from 13 to 28%. 

We further synthesized unsymmetrical MiniPHOS derivatives 13b (Scheme 13) [30]. Thus, enantioselective deprotonation of l-adamantyl(dimethyl)phos-phine-borane (74, R = 1 -Ad), followed by treatment with ferf-butyldichlorophos-phine or 1-adamantyldichlorophosphine, methylmagnesium bromide and bo-rane-THF complex afforded the optically active diphosphine-boranes 82b as a mixture with the corresponding raeso-diastereomer. Enantiomerically pure unsymmetrical MiniPHOS-boranes 82b were obtained by column chromatography on silica gel or separation by recycling preparative HPLC. 

The borane group of MiniPHOS was removed using the same protocol (Scheme 21). In contrast, however, reaction of free diphosphines 13 with [Rh(nbd)2]+X (X=Bp4, PFg) afforded in all cases, and independently of the reaction conditions, bischelate complexes 106. James and Mahajan demonstrated... 

Although the asymmetric hydrogenation of itaconic acid derivatives is a potential synthetic approach to many useful product [105], lower enantioselectivities are often reported. In contrast with other catalysts, f-Bu-BisP, Ad-BisP, t-Bu-MiniPHOS, BIPNOR 27, and Brown s ligand 25 gave high to almost perfect ees in the hydrogenation of these substrates (Scheme 23) [101]. 

Similar asymmetric hydrosilylation reactions were also performed using Rh-(R,R)-f-Bu-MiniPHOS, and the enantioselectivities obtained (80-97% ee) [29] are comparable with those obtained by use of the most effective ligands [ 125]. 

The enantioselective 1,4-addition addition of organometaUic reagents to a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, the so-called Michael reaction, provides a powerful method for the synthesis of optically active compounds by carbon-carbon bond formation [129]. Therefore, symmetrical and unsymmetrical MiniPHOS phosphines were used for in situ preparation of copper-catalysts, and employed in an optimization study on Cu(I)-catalyzed Michael reactions of di-ethylzinc to a, -unsaturated ketones (Scheme 31) [29,30]. In most cases, complete conversion and good enantioselectivity were obtained and no 1,2-addition product was detected, showing complete regioselectivity. Of interest, the enantioselectivity observed using Cu(I) directly in place of Cu(II) allowed enhanced enantioselectivity, implying that the chiral environment of the Cu(I) complex produced by in situ reduction of Cu(II) may be less selective than the one with preformed Cu(I). 

Gridnev et al. studied the mechanism of the enantioselective hydrogenation of enamides with Rh-BisP" and Rh-MiniPHOS catalysts [22]. 

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