Ruthenium synthesis catalyst

Iglesia, E., Soled, S. L., Fiato, R. A., and Via, G. H. 1993. Bimetallic synergy in cobalt-ruthenium Fischer-Tropsch synthesis catalysts. J. Catal. 143 345-68. 

Initial reports of cross-metathesis reactions using well-defined catalysts were limited to simple isolated examples the metathesis of ethyl or methyl oleate with dec-5-ene catalysed by tungsten alkylidenes [13,14] and the cross-metathesis of unsaturated ethers catalysed by a chromium carbene complex [15]. With the discovery of the well-defined molybdenum and ruthenium alkylidene catalysts 3 and 4,by Schrock [16] and Grubbs [17],respectively, the development of alkene metathesis as a tool for organic synthesis began in earnest. 

In recent years, much effort has been devoted to the enantioselective hydrogenation of yS-ketoesters, essentially using ruthenium-based catalysts. The aim of these reactions is to produce selectively enantiopure syn diols which are the key building blocks for the synthesis of inhibitors of HMG-coenzyme A reductase. Due to the availability of the AMPP ligands, and the reactivity of the rhodium catalysts based on them (notably the alkyl-substituted ones) towards ketonic sub-... 

Consequently, in the early 1990s, interest in the direct processes decreased markedly, and the emphasis in research on CH4 conversion returned to the indirect processes giving synthesis gas (13). In 1990, Ashcroft et al. (13) reported some effective noble metal catalysts for the reaction about 90% conversion of methane and more than 90% selectivity to CO and H2 were achieved with a lanthanide ruthenium oxide catalyst (L2Ru207, where L = Pr, Eu, Gd, Dy, Yb or Lu) at a temperature of about 1048 K, atmospheric pressure, and a GHSV of 4 X 104 mL (mL catalyst)-1 h-1. This space velocity is much higher than that employed by Prettre et al. (3). Schmidt et al. (14-16) and Choudhary et al. (17) used even higher space velocities (with reactor residence times close to 10-3 s). 

The asymmetric synthesis of allenes via enantioselective hydrogenation of ketones with ruthenium(II) catalyst was reported by Malacria and co-workers (Scheme 4.11) [15, 16]. The ketone 46 was hydrogenated in the presence of iPrOH, KOH and 5 mol% of a chiral ruthenium catalyst, prepared from [(p-cymene) RuC12]2 and (S,S)-TsDPEN (2 equiv./Ru), to afford 47 in 75% yield with 95% ee. The alcohol 47 was converted into the corresponding chiral allene 48 (>95% ee) by the reaction of the corresponding mesylate with MeCu(CN)MgBr. A phosphine oxide derivative of the allenediyne 48 was proved to be a substrate for a cobalt-mediated [2 + 2+ 2] cycloaddition. 

The allenylidene-ruthenium(arene) catalyst precursors I have been used for the synthesis of macrocycles by the RCM reaction and were revealed as active as the first generation Grubbs catalyst RuCl2(=CHPh)(PCy3)2 [35], depending on the nature of the diene functional groups and macrocyde size [32] (Scheme 8.3).These macrocyde syntheses show that the allenylidene mthenium catalysts I offer functional group tolerance. 

Ring-closing metathesis, which has proved to be a popular route to the marine toxins, has found a further application as the key step in the synthesis of the pheromone (-)- and ( )-frontalin <99TL1425>. The precursor in this reaction is a mixture of the syn- and anri-isomers 39. Ring closure in the presence of a ruthenium benzylidene catalyst occurs within minutes at room temperature when only the syn-isomer cyclises to 40. The unreacted anri-isomer can be re-equilibrated for a further cyclisation. 

Enyne intramolecular metathesis reactions, of the type shown in equation 61, can be very useful in organic synthesis. A number of such reactions, catalysed by tungsten or chromium carbene complexes, have been reported634,635,737 - 740. The ruthenium carbene catalysts 18-20 (Table 2) are likely to be increasingly used for this purpose because of their stability, ease of handling and good yields, as in the synthesis of various 5-, 6- and 7-membered heterocycles, e.g. equation 67741. 

Olefin metathesis has proved to be a powerful synthetic tool in organic synthesis.5 The advent of well-defined metal carbene complexes with remarkable functional group tolerance has rendered metathesis as an efficient route to the synthesis of new C-C bonds. Examples of widely used ruthenium metathesis catalysts include [Ru-1],6 [Ru-2]7 and [Ru-3] 8 (Figure 1). 

Accordingly, the synthesis of highly active and selective heterogeneous catalysts has been explored in recent years. Among these, ruthenium-based catalysts have been found to show interesting catalytic activity, and various types of ruthenium-based heterogeneous catalyst have been developed [7]. 

Olefin metathesis has become a very important reaction in polymer chemistry and natural product synthesis [47-49]. Garber et al. have used the physical properties of dendrimers in order to improve the separation between the dendritic metathesis catalyst and products on silica gel column chromatography [50]. The Van Koten group has reported on the synthesis of different generations of carbosilane dendrimers functionalized with ruthenium metathesis catalysts [51]. 

Scheme 8 Synthesis of Van Koten s dendritic ruthenium metathesis catalyst applied in ring-closure metathesis...

The first transition metal catalysis using BINAP-ruthenium complex in homogeneous phase for enantioselective hydrogenation of P-ketoesters was developed by Noyori and co-workers [31]. Genet and co-workers described a general synthesis of chiral diphosphine ruthenium(II) catalysts from commercially available (COD)Ru(2-methylallyl)2 [32]. These complexes preformed or prepared in situ have been found to be very efficient homogeneous catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation of various substrates such as P-ketoesters at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature [33]. 

Both complexes 12 and 13 are active toward atom-transfer cyclization of N-allyltrichloracetamides [40]. Of particular interest is the synthesis of a pyrrozi-lidine alkaloid skeleton. Much milder conditions are needed when using ruthenium-based catalysts instead of copper derivatives, although a high catalyst loading (30 mol %) is still required. Thus, an N-functionalized vinyl pyrrolidine is smoothly converted at room temperature into a bicyclic lactam, in 90% and 85% yield with complexes 12 and 13, respectively. The product is a precursor of the pyrrozilidine alkaloids trachelantamidine and pseudohehotridane (Eq. 10). 

The control of alkene geometry in RCM reactions has been an area of intense research and interest since the process was first developed. While a general solution to this challenge has not yet been developed, intriguing observations of E Z control in macrocyclizations continue to be reported. For example, in the course of their studies on the synthesis of herbarumin I and II, Fiirstner and co-workers reported the selective formation of either of the two isomeric alkene products 16 or 17 via RCM of diene 15 <02JA7061> (Scheme 8). The diene 15 was transformed into the -alkene 17 using the ruthenium indenylidene catalyst (Fiirstner Metathesis Catalyst FMC, <01MI4811>) while use of the MC2 led to clean formation of the Z-isomer 16. 

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