Ruthenium complex catalyst, hydrogenation

Scheme 5.5. Enantioselective Hydrogenation with Ruthenium Complex Catalysts... 

The selective hydrogenation of a,/3-unsaturated aldehydes to give the corresponding unsaturated alcohols [Eq. (9)] was investigated with the ruthenium complex catalysts, initially present as [Ru(H)(Cl)(tppts)3] or [Ru(H)2(tppts)4] (91). 

Hydrogenation of olefinic unsaturation using ruthenium (Ru) catalyst is well known. It has been widely used for NBR hydrogenation. Various complexes of Ru has been developed as a practical alternative of Rh complexes since the cost of Ru is one-thirtieth of Rh. However, they are slightly inferior in activity and selectivity when compared with Rh catalyst. 

Asymmetric epoxidation of olefins with ruthenium catalysts based either on chiral porphyrins or on pyridine-2,6-bisoxazoline (pybox) ligands has been reported (Scheme 6.21). Berkessel et al. reported that catalysts 27 and 28 were efficient catalysts for the enantioselective epoxidation of aryl-substituted olefins (Table 6.10) [139]. Enantioselectivities of up to 83% were obtained in the epoxidation of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene with catalyst 28 and 2,6-DCPNO. Simple olefins such as oct-l-ene reacted poorly and gave epoxides with low enantioselectivity. The use of pybox ligands in ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidations was first reported by Nishiyama et al., who used catalyst 30 in combination with iodosyl benzene, bisacetoxyiodo benzene [PhI(OAc)2], or TBHP for the oxidation of trons-stilbene [140], In their best result, with PhI(OAc)2 as oxidant, they obtained trons-stilbene oxide in 80% yield and with 63% ee. More recently, Beller and coworkers have reexamined this catalytic system, finding that asymmetric epoxidations could be perfonned with ruthenium catalysts 29 and 30 and 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide (Table 6.11) [141]. Development of the pybox ligand provided ruthenium complex 31, which turned out to be the most efficient catalyst for asymmetric... 

Fuel cells essentially reverse the electrolytic process. Two separated platinum electrodes immersed in an electrolyte generate a voltage when hydrogen is passed over one and oxygen over the other (forming H30+ and OH-, respectively). Ruthenium complexes are used as catalysts for the electrolytic breakdown of water using solar energy (section 1.8.1). 

In 2000, these authors also developed a very efficient diphosphine-bithiophene ligand, tetraMe-BITIOP, which is depicted in Scheme 8.29. The ruthenium complex of this electron-rich diphosphine was used as the catalyst in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions of prostereogenic carbonyl functions of a-... 

Manufacture of ruthenium precatalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation. The technology in-licensed from the JST for the asymmetric reduction of ketones originally employed BINAP as the diphosphine and an expensive diamine, DAIPEN." Owing to the presence of several patents surrounding ruthenium complexes of BINAP and Xylyl-BINAP, [HexaPHEMP-RuCl2-diamine] and [PhanePHOS-RuCl2-diamine] were introduced as alternative catalyst systems in which a cheaper diamine is used. Compared to the BINAP-based systems both of these can offer superior performance in terms of activity and selectivity and have been used in commercial manufacture of chiral alcohols on multi-100 Kg scales. 

The use of chiral ruthenium catalysts can hydrogenate ketones asymmetrically in water. The introduction of surfactants into a water-soluble Ru(II)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones led to an increase of the catalytic activity and reusability compared to the catalytic systems without surfactants.8 Water-soluble chiral ruthenium complexes with a (i-cyclodextrin unit can catalyze the reduction of aliphatic ketones with high enantiomeric excess and in good-to-excellent yields in the presence of sodium formate (Eq. 8.3).9 The high level of enantioselectivity observed was attributed to the preorganization of the substrates in the hydrophobic cavity of (t-cyclodextrin. 

Rhodium and ruthenium complexes have also been studied as effective catalysts. Rh(diphos)2Cl [diphos = l,2-bis(diphenyl-phosphino)ethane] catalyzed the electroreduction of C02 in acetonitrile solution.146 Formate was produced at current efficiencies of ca. 20-40% in dry acetonitrile at ca. -1.5 V (versus Ag wire). It was suggested that acetonitrile itself was the source of the hydrogen atom and that formation of the hydride HRh(diphos)2 as an active intermediate was involved. Rh(bpy)3Cl3, which had been used as a catalyst for the two-electron reduction of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) to NADH by Wienkamp and Steckhan,147 has also acted as a catalyst for C02 reduction in aqueous solutions (0.1 M TEAP) at -1.1 V versus SCE using Hg, Pb, In, graphite, and n-Ti02 electrodes.148 Formate was the main... 

By contrast, much of the work performed using ruthenium-based catalysts has employed well-defined complexes. These have mostly been studied in the ATRP of MMA, and include complexes (158)-(165).400-405 Recent studies with (158) have shown the importance of amine additives which afford faster, more controlled polymerization.406 A fast polymerization has also been reported with a dimethylaminoindenyl analog of (161).407 The Grubbs-type metathesis initiator (165) polymerizes MMA without the need for an organic initiator, and may therefore be used to prepare block copolymers of MMA and 1,5-cyclooctadiene.405 Hydrogenation of this product yields PE-b-PMMA. N-heterocyclic carbene analogs of (164) have also been used to catalyze the free radical polymerization of both MMA and styrene.408... 

Noyori and coworkers reported well-defined ruthenium(II) catalyst systems of the type RuH( 76-arene)(NH2CHPhCHPhNTs) for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones and imines [94]. These also act via an outer-sphere hydride transfer mechanism shown in Scheme 3.12. The hydride transfer from ruthenium and proton transfer from the amino group to the C=0 bond of a ketone or C=N bond of an imine produces the alcohol or amine product, respectively. The amido complex that is produced is unreactive to H2 (except at high pressures), but readily reacts with iPrOH or formate to regenerate the hydride catalyst. 

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