Ruthenium complexes amino esters

Ruthenium complexes have been used for the hydrogenation of alkenes but they had not been used for hydrogenations of carbonyl compounds until recently, when several highly selective catalytic hydrogenations of carbonyl compounds (P-keto esters, a-diketones, a-amino ketones etc., ee > 95%) were reported using BINAP-Ru" complexes (equation 18). ° ... 

Hydrogenation of f)-oxo esters by BINAP-ruthenium(II) complexes produces the corresponding y-amino- 3-hydroxy adds with very high stereoselectivity)44 461 For example, hydrogenation of the AT-Boc derivative 31 (R1 = iBu R2 = Et X = Boc Y = H) in the presence of RuBr2[(R)-BINAP] leads to (35,4R)-Boc-statine almost exclusively and in quantitative yield (Table 4, entry g))44 ... 

The electrophilic activation of terminal alkynes by arene-ruthenium(II) catalysts has provided selective access to enol esters. Enol esters are much more reactive than alkyl esters and have been used in a variety of reactions. In the past decade, Dixneuf and co-workers have developed selective approaches to the Markovnikov and antz-Markovnikov addition of carboxylic acids across alkynes by employing different arene-ruthenium(II) catalysts [48,53,54]. Of special interest is the synthesis of AT-Boc-protected 1-alanine isopropenyl ester 110 from N-Boc-l-alanine 108 and propyne 109 mediated by (Ty -cymene)RuCl2(PPh3) complex 107 (Scheme 30) [53]. Addition of the amino acid 108 to the propyne 109 proceeded exclusively in the Markovnikov sense and without accompanying racemization of the substrate. 

One of the standard methods for preparing enantiomerically pure compounds is the enantioselective hydrogenation of olefins, a,/3-unsaturated amino acids (esters, amides), a,/3-unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, enol esters, enamides, /3- and y-keto esters etc. catalyzed by chiral cationic rhodium, ruthenium and iridium complexes ". In isotope chemistry, it has only been exploited for the synthesis of e.p. natural and nonnatural H-, C-, C-, and F-labeled a-amino acids and small peptides from TV-protected a-(acylamino)acrylates or cinnamates and unsaturated peptides, respectively (Figure 11.9). This methodology has seen only hmited use, perhaps because of perceived radiation safety issues with the use of hydrogenation procedures on radioactive substrates. Also, versatile alternatives are available, including enantioselective metal hydride/tritide reductions, chiral auxiliary-controlled and biochemical procedures (see this chapter. Sections 11.2.2 and 11.3 and Chapter 12). 

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