Sulfoxide complexes asymmetric hydrogenation

Similar studies have been performed on rhodium(I) complexes of monodentate and potentially chelating sulfoxides (301, 307), again with rather mixed results. Complexes of the type [Rh(diene)(PPh3) (sulfoxide)]+ have been synthesized (302,306) for a range of chiral sulfoxides where coordination appears to be via oxygen, but attempts to asymmetrically hydrogenate itaconic acid using these precursors were... 

In addition, it has been observed that iridum complexes generated in situ from (TrCl3-3H20] and chiral sulfoxides cause no asymmetric induction during hydrogenation (300). 

Chiral (salen)Mn(III)Cl complexes are useful catalysts for the asymmetric epoxidation of isolated bonds. Jacobsen et al. used these catalysts for the asymmetric oxidation of aryl alkyl sulfides with unbuffered 30% hydrogen peroxide in acetonitrile [74]. The catalytic activity of these complexes was high (2-3 mol %), but the maximum enantioselectivity achieved was rather modest (68% ee for methyl o-bromophenyl sulfoxide). The chiral salen ligands used for the catalysts were based on 23 (Scheme 6C.9) bearing substituents at the ortho and meta positions of the phenol moiety. Because the structures of these ligands can easily be modified, substantia] improvements may well be made by changing the steric and electronic properties of the substituents. Katsuki et al. reported that cationic chiral (salen)Mn(III) complexes 24 and 25 were excellent catalysts (1 mol %) for the oxidation of sulfides with iodosylbenzene, which achieved excellent enantioselectivity [75,76]. The best result in this catalyst system was given by complex 24 in the formation of orthonitrophenyl methyl sulfoxide that was isolated in 94% yield and 94% ee [76]. 

Kinetic resolutions. A chiral alcohol is obtained on. selective removal of one enantiomer by acetylation using a chiral analog 1 of DMAP, or by oxidation based on hydrogen transfer to acetone mediated by a Ru complex 2. Benzylic secondary alcohols are resolved by selective pivaloylation with optically activeA-pivaloyl-4-t-butylthiazolidine-2-thione. A kinetic resolution of sulfoxides is based on asymmetric oxidation with (i-PrO)4Ti-cumyl hydroperoxide in the presence of a tartrate ester. Kinetic resolution of 1,3-diarylallenes is realized by selective oxidation with NaClO catalyzed by a chiral (salen)manganese(III) complex, whereas asymmetric hydrolysis of terminal epoxides with the aid of a chiral (salen)cobalt(II) catalyst solves the problem of their accessibility. 

A similar (salen)manganese(III) catalyst was used by Katsuki for asymmetric sulfide oxidations [35]. Chiral complex 20 bears additional asymmetric carbons in the salicylidene part of the salen. In this system, hydrogen peroxide, which was the preferred oxidant in the Jacobsen procedure, turned out to be inefficient. Instead, iodosylbenzene was chosen, and in the presence of only 1 mol % of catalyst several aryl alkyl sulfides were oxidized in acceptable yields having enantiomeric excesses in the range of 8% to 90%. As in the Jacobsen-KatsuJd-epoxida-tion, the presence of additives such as pyridine N-oxide has a beneficial effect on chemical and optical yields. In addition, such co-ligands suppress the overoxidation of sulfoxides to the corresponding sulfones so that a sulfoxide sulfone ratio of 47 1 can be achieved. Consequentely, as shown for the case of thioanisole. 

In 1995, Bolm and Bienewald introduced a new, very practical method for the asymmetric catalytic oxidation of sulfides [44]. In the presence of vanadium complex prepared in situ from VO(acac)2 and 23 reactions of various sulfides or dithianes fike 24 with aqueous hydrogen peroxide afforded the corresponding sulfoxides with enantiomeric excesses of up to 85% (Eq. 2). Only traces of the corresponding sulfones were observed. The transformation can easily be carried out in open vessels at room temperature using inexpensive H2O2 as oxidant. 

Having demonstrated the potential of artificial metalloenzymes for the reduction of V-protected dehydroaminoacids, we turned our attention towards organometallic-catalyzed reactions where the enantiodiscrimination step occurs without coordination of one of the reactants to the metal centre. We anticipated that incorporation of the metal complex within a protein enviromnent may steer the enantioselection without requiring transient coordination to the metal. In this context, we selected the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation, the ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation as well as the vanadyl-catalyzed sulfoxidation reaction. Indeed, these reactions are believed to proceed without prior coordination of the soft nucleophile, the prochiral ketone or the prochiral sulfide respectively. Figure 13.5. 

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