Olefin hydrogenation enamides

In 2006, Berens et al. reported the synthesis of novel benzothiophene-based DuPHOS analogues, which gave excellent levels of enantioselectivity when applied as the ligands to the asymmetric rhodium-catalysed hydrogenation of various olefins, such as dehydroamino acid derivatives, enamides and itaco-nates (Scheme 8.10). ... 

Several S/N ligands have also been investigated for the asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral olefins. Thus, asymmetric enamide hydrogenations have been performed in the presence of S/N ligands and rhodium or ruthenium catalysts by Lemaire et al., giving enantioselectivities of up to 70% ee. Two... 

Asymmetric catalytic reduction reactions represent one of the most efficient and convenient methods to prepare a wide range of enantiomerically pure compounds (i.e. a-amino acids can be prepared from a-enamides, alcohols from ketones and amines from oximes or imines). The chirality transfer can be accomplished by different types of chiral catalysts metallic catalysts are very efficient for the hydrogenation of olefins, some ketones and oximes, while nonmetallic catalysts provide a complementary method for ketone and oxime hydrogenation. 

In asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins, the overwhelming majority of the papers and patents deal with hydrogenation of enamides or other appropriately substituted prochiral olefins. The reason is very simple hydrogenation of olefins with no coordination ability other than provided by the C=C double bond, usually gives racemic products. This is a common observation both in non-aqueous and aqueous systems. The most frequently used substrates are shown in Scheme 3.6. These are the same compounds which are used for similar studies in organic solvents salts and esters of Z-a-acetamido-cinnamic, a-acetamidoacrylic and itaconic (methylenesuccinic) acids, and related prochiral substrates. The free acids and the methyl esters usually show appreciable solubility in water only at higher temperatures, while in most cases the alkali metal salts are well soluble. 

The BINAP-Rh catalyzed hydrogenation of functionalized olefins has a mechanistic drawback as described in Section 1.2.1. This problem was solved by the exploitation of BINAP-Ru(ll) complexes.Ru(OCOCH3)2(binap) catalyzes highly enantioselective hydrogenation of a variety of olefinic substrates such as enamides, a, (3- and (3,y-unsaturated carboxylic acids, and allylic and homoallylic alcohols (Figure 1.9). " " Chiral citronellol is produced in 300 ton quantity in year by this reaction. ... 

The dynamic behavior of the model intermediate rhodium-phosphine 99, for the asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate by cationic rhodium complexes, has been studied by variable temperature NMR LSA [167]. The line shape analysis provides rates of exchange and activation parameters in favor of an intermo-lecular process, in agreement with the mechanism already described for bis(pho-sphinite) chelates by Brown and coworkers [168], These authors describe a dynamic behavior where two diastereoisomeric enamide complexes exchange via olefin dissociation, subsequent rotation about the N-C(olefinic) bond and recoordination. These studies provide insight into the electronic and steric factors that affect the activity and stereoselectivity for the asymmetric hydrogenation of amino acid precursors. 

Isoquinoline Synthesis. Olefins that contain certain neutral donor functionalities are also effectively hydrogenated. Investigation of the enan-tioselective hydrogenation of enamide substrates has resulted in a general procedure for the asymmetric synthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids. 

The reaction pathway for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of enamides is described and intermediates are defined in solution by P-31, C-13, and H-l NMR. The stereochemical relationship of bound enamide to rhodium alkyl and to the product of hydrogenation is demonstrated. Experiments involving the addition of HD to a variety of olefins in the presence of rhodium biphosphine catalysts suggest that a concerted addition of hydrogen to olefin and metal may occur in appropriate cases. 

At this point mechanistic studies have reached an impasse. All of the observable intermediates have been characterized in solution, and enamide complexes derived from diphos and chiraphos have been defined by X-ray structure analysis. Based on limited NMR and X-ray evidence it appears that the preferred configuration of an enamide complex has the olefin face bonded to rhodium that is opposite to the one to which hydrogen is transferred. There are now four crystal structures of chiral biphosphine rhodium diolefin complexes, and consideration of these leads to a prediction of the direction of hydrogenation. The crux of the argument is that nonbonded interactions between pairs of prochiral phenyl rings and the substrate determine the optical yield and that X-ray structures reveal a systematic relationship between P-phenyl orientation and product configuration. 

Rh(COD)(/ ,/ -DIPAMP)]+BF4- (13) has shown remarkable activity and enantioselectivity in the asymmetric hydrogenation of various enamides, enol acetates, and unsaturated olefins.20 26 For the past 20 years, 13 has been the premier asymmetric homogeneous catalyst for amino acid synthesis, but a new generation of catalysts based on novel bisphosphines (vide infra) has surpassed it in versatility. 

Rhodium and palladium catalysts that contain 4 display high enantioselectivities for the asymmetric hydrogenation of enamides, itaconates, P-keto esters, asymmetric hydroboration, and asymmetric allylic alkylation,80 82 but this ligand system distinguishes itself from other chiral bisphos-phines in the asymmetric reduction of tetrahydropyrazines and tetrasubstituted olefins (see also Chapter 15). The reduction of tetrahydropyrazines produces the piperazine-2-carboxylate core,... 

Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Olefins. MiniPHOS (1) can be used in rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of olefinic compounds. The complexation with rhodium is carried out by treatment of 1 with [Rh(nbd)2]BF4in THF (eq 2). The hydrogenation of a-(acylamino)acrylic derivatives proceeds at room temperature and an initial H2 pressure of 1 or 6 atm in the presence of the 0.2 mol% MiniPHOS-Rh complex 2. The reactions are complete within 24—48 h to afford almost enantiomerically pure a-amino acids (eq 3). Itaconic acids, enamides, and dehydro-3-ami no acids can also be hydrogenated with excellent enantioselectivity (eq 4—6). 

Alkenyl carboxylates and enamides are topologically analogous to each other. Both possess a carbonyl oxygen atom that is located three atoms from the olefin. The correct arrangement facilitates chelation to a metal center to realize high asymmetric induction. In fact, the BINAP-Ru complex is effective for hydrogenation of a 70 30 E/Z mixture of ethyl a-(acetoxy)-/3-(isopropyl)acrylate in 98% optical yield (Eq. 2.4) [34]. The E/Z isomeric mixtures can be employed without detrimental effect on the selectivity. 

Ferrocenyl-based ligands comprise a versatile class of auxiliaries because they can be easily modified at the benzylic position with retention of configuration and can incorporate both central and planar chiralities. The appropriate balance of steric and electronic factors has provided ferrocenyl derivatives featuring chelating P,N properties that proved beneficial in numerous enantioselective transformations [50]. Among more recent applications, they could be utilized very efficiently in Pd-catalyzed hydrosilylation (14 >99% ee) [51] and hydroboration (>94% ee) [52] of olefins, allylic amination (99 % ee) [53], Suzuki cross coupling reactions (Section 2.11) [54], and enamide hydrogenation (>99% ee) [55]. 

Although they are often considered as poorer ligands than diphosphines, they lead also to very efficient and attractive enantioselective catalytic systems as exemplified here. As recent examples, diphosphinites 19 and 20 have been involved successfully in hydrogenation of olefins (mostly itaconate derivatives and enamides, up to > 99.9 % ee) ([84-89] and functionalized ketones (21) (up to 86 % ee) [90], hydrocyanation (19) [91], standard Pd-mediated allylic alkylation (20) [92] (up to 86% ee) [93], and Diels-Alder reaction between a,/l-enals and dienes (eq. (4) 99 % ee) [94]. 

---