Ruthenium complexes secondary alcohols

Other amino alcohols have also been used as chiral ligands in asymmetric catalytic hydrogen transfer. Scheme 6-54 depicts another example. Ruthenium complex bearing 2-azanorbornyl methanol was used as the chiral ligand, and the corresponding secondary alcohols were obtained in excellent ee.116... 

The first hydration step was promoted by Bronsted acids containing weakly or noncoordinating anions. In the second step, an intramolecular hydrogen transfer in the secondary alcohol was catalyzed by ruthenium(III) salts with chelating bipyridyl-type ligands. The possible complexation of the latter with the diene did not inhibit its catalytic activity in the allylic rearrangements, under acid-catalyzed hydration conditions. 

Van Nispen, S.E.G.M., van Buijtenen, J., Vekemans, J.A.J.M., Meuldijk, J. and Hulshof, L.A., Efficient dynamic kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols with a novel tetrafluorosuccinato ruthenium complex. Tetrahedron Asymm., 2006, 17, 2299. 

The enantioselective oxidative coupling of 2-naphthol itself was achieved by the aerobic oxidative reaction catalyzed by the photoactivated chiral ruthenium(II)-salen complex 73. 2 it reported that the (/ ,/ )-chloronitrosyl(salen)ruthenium complex [(/ ,/ )-(NO)Ru(II)salen complex] effectively catalyzed the aerobic oxidation of racemic secondary alcohols in a kinetic resolution manner under visible-light irradiation. The reaction mechanism is not fully understood although the electron transfer process should be involved. The solution of 2-naphthol was stirred in air under irradiation by a halogen lamp at 25°C for 24 h to afford BINOL 66 as the sole product. The screening of various chiral diamines and binaphthyl chirality revealed that the binaphthyl unit influences the enantioselection in this coupling reaction. The combination of (/f,f )-cyclohexanediamine and the (R)-binaphthyl unit was found to construct the most matched hgand to obtain the optically active BINOL 66 in 65% ee. 

Many different metal catalysts have been explored for racemization of secondary alcohols. Among them, ruthenium-based organometallic complexes have been most intensively tested as the racemization catalyst (Figure 1.1). 

DKR of secondary alcohol is achieved by coupling enzyme-catalyzed resolution with metal-catalyzed racemization. For efficient DKR, these catalyhc reactions must be compatible with each other. In the case of DKR of secondary alcohol with the lipase-ruthenium combinahon, the use of a proper acyl donor (required for enzymatic reaction) is parhcularly crucial because metal catalyst can react with the acyl donor or its deacylated form. Popular vinyl acetate is incompatible with all the ruthenium complexes, while isopropenyl acetate can be used with most monomeric ruthenium complexes. p-Chlorophenyl acetate (PCPA) is the best acyl donor for use with dimeric ruthenium complex 1. On the other hand, reaction temperature is another crucial factor. Many enzymes lose their activities at elevated temperatures. Thus, the racemizahon catalyst should show good catalytic efficiency at room temperature to be combined with these enzymes. One representative example is subtilisin. This enzyme rapidly loses catalytic activities at elevated temperatures and gradually even at ambient temperature. It therefore is compatible with the racemization catalysts 6-9, showing good activities at ambient temperature. In case the racemization catalyst requires an elevated temperature, CALB is the best counterpart. 

The first use of a metal catalyst in the DKR of secondary alcohols was reported by Williams et al. [7]. In this work, various rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and aluminum complexes were tested. Among them, only Rh2(OAc)4 and [Rh(cod)Cl]2 showed reasonable activity as the racemization catalyst in the DKR of 1-phenylethanol. The racemization occurred through transfer-hydrogenation reactions and required stoichiometric amounts of ketone as hydrogen acceptor. The DKR of 1-phenylethanol performed with Rh2(OAc)4 and Pseudomonas Jluore-scens lipase gave (R)-l-phenylethyl acetate of 98%e.e. at 60% conversion after 72 h. 

A ruthenium(II) complex (5,5,55)-BrXuPHOS-Ru-DPEN (4) containing BINOL-based monodonor phosphorus ligand BrXuPHOS (1) has been prepared and applied as a catalyst (S/C = up to 10000) for the asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones, providing the enantiomerically pure secondary alcohols with up to 99 % ee. 

Naturally occurring Upases are (R)-selective for alcohols according to Kazlauskas rule [58, 59]. Thus, DKR of alcohols employing lipases can only be used to transform the racemic alcohol into the (R)-acetate. Serine proteases, a sub-class of hydrolases, are known to catalyze transesterifications similar to those catalyzed by lipases, but, interestingly, often with reversed enantioselectivity. Proteases are less thermostable enzymes, and for this reason only metal complexes that racemize secondary alcohols at ambient temperature can be employed for efficient (S)-selective DKR of sec-alcohols. Ruthenium complexes 2 and 3 have been combined with subtilisin Carlsberg, affording a method for the synthesis of... 

Selective oxidation of alcohols. Primary alcohols are oxidized by this RuCL complex about 50 times as rapidly as secondary alcohols. Use of benzene as solvent is critical lor this high selectivity. Little or no reaction occurs in CH3CN, THF, or DMF. Most oxidants, if they show any selectivity, oxidize secondary alcohols more rapidly than primary ones. However, ruthenium-catalyzed oxidations with N-mcthylmorpholine N-nxide and oxidations with PCC4 proceed about three times as rapidly with primary alcohols as with secondary ones. 

Similarities between [Ru(bpy),]2+ (discussed in Chapter 13) and [Pt,(pop)J4 are apparent. Reactive excited states are produced in each when it is subjected to visible light. The excited state ruthenium cation, [Ru(bpy)3]" +, can catalytically convert water to hydrogen and oxygen. The excited slate platinum anion, [Pt,(pop)J 4-, can catalytically convert secondary alcohols to hydrogen and ketones. An important difference, however, is that the ruthenium excited stale species results from (he transfer of an electron from the metal to a bpy ligand, while in the platinum excited state species the two unpaired electrons are metal centered. As a consequence, platinum reactions can occur by inner sphere mechanisms (an axial coordination site is available), a mode of reaction rot readily available to the 18-clectron ruthenium complex.-03... 

Ru(II) halosulfoxide complexes catalyse the oxidation of secondary alcohols by N-methylmorpholi nc-/ -ox idc (NMO) via a proposed Ru(IV)oxo species.92 Ruthenium (VI) catalyses the oxidation of diethylene glycol by alkaline solution of potassium bromate.93 Acid bromate oxidation of butylethylene glycol is catalysed by ruthenium(III).94 Ruthenium(III) catalyses DMF oxidation by periodate in alkaline... 

Although, in separate experiments, secondary alcohols are oxidized faster than primary ones, in competition experiments the ruthenium/TEMPO system displayed a preference for primary over secondary alcohols. This can be explained by assuming that initial complex formation between the alcohol and the ruthenium precedes rate-limiting hydrogen transfer and determines substrate specificity, i.e. complex formation with a primary alcohol is favoured over a secondary one. 

Other ruthenium-based catalysts for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols have been described where it is not clear if they involve oxidative dehydrogenation by low-valent ruthenium, to give hydridoruthenium intermediates, or by high-valent oxoruthenium. Masutani et al. [107] described (nitrosyl)Ru(salen) complexes, which can be activated by illumination to release the NO ligand. These complexes demonstrated selectivity for oxidation of the alcoholic group versus epoxidation, which was regarded as evidence for the intermediacy of Ru-oxo moieties. Their excellent alcohol coordination properties led to a good enantiomer differentation in the aerobic oxidation of racemic secondary alcohols (Fig. 19) and to a selective oxidation of primary alcohols in the presence of secondary alcohols [108]. 

Ruthenium compounds are widely used as catalysts for hydrogen transfer reactions. These systems can be readily adapted to the aerobic oxidation of alcohols by employing dioxygen, in combination with a hydrogen acceptor as a cocatalyst, in a multistep process. These systems demonstrate high activity. For example, Backvall and coworkers [146] used low-valent ruthenium complexes in combination with a benzoquinone and a cobalt-Schiffs base complex. Optimization of the electron-rich quinone, combined with the so-called Shvo Ru-cata-lyst, led to one of the fastest catalytic systems reported for the oxidation of secondary alcohols (Fig. 4.59). 

Following on from this initial publication of Backvall, many groups have reported on a variety of ruthenium-based systems for the DKR of secondary alcohols [9-17] mainly with the goal of eliminating the need for added base and ketone and reducing the reaction time by increasing the rate of racemization. Some examples of ruthenium complexes (1-8) which have been used as the racemization catalysts in these systems are depicted in Fig. 9.5. 

A number of derivatives of ruthenium(II) have the potential to oxidize a primary alcohol in the presence of a secondary alcohol the original report of Sharpless et al has been followed by a number of modifications. The ruthenium complex can be used as a catalyst in conjunction with a cooxidant, which in the original work was A -methylmorpholine A -oxide. In general benzylic and allylic alcohols react more readily than their saturated counterparts, and primary alcohols react more readily than secondary alcohols. Alkenes can interfere with this oxidation, probably by binding to the metal and inhibiting the catalytic process. The stoichiometric use of tris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(II) chloride will oxidize a primary/secondary diol to the corresponding hydroxy aldehyde in excellent yield (equation 13). ... 

A cobalt(II)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization converted a secondary alcohol to the trans-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran <03JA14702>. Oxidants such as vanadium(V) complex <03EJO2388>, ruthenium tetroxide <03TL5499> and osmium tetroxide <03AG(E)948> were all employed to convert either homoallyl alcohol or polyenes to molecules that contain... 

Asymmetric lactonization of prochiral diols has been performed vsdth chiral phosphine complex catalysts (Ru2Cl4((-)-DIOP)3 and [RuCl((S)-BINAP)(QH6)]Cl [17, 18]. Kinetic resolution of racemic secondary alcohol was also carried out with chiral ruthenium complexes 7 and 8 in the presence of a hydrogen acceptor, and optically active secondary alcohols were obtained with >99% e.e. (Eqs. 3.7 and 3.8) [19, 20]. 

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