Transition metal catalysts tartrate catalyst

Hie first of Sharpless s reactions is an oxidation of alkenes by asymmetric epoxidation. You met vanadium as a transition-metal catalyst for epoxidation with r-butyl hydroperoxide in Chapter 33, and this new reaction makes use of titanium, as titanium tetraisopropoxide, Ti(OiPr)4, to do the same thing. Sharpless surmised that, by adding a chiral ligand to the titanium catalyst, he might be able to make the reaction asymmetric. The ligand that works best is diethyl tartrate, and the reaction shown below is just one of many that demonstrate that this is a remarkably good reaction. 

This chemical bond between the metal and the hydroxyl group of ahyl alcohol has an important effect on stereoselectivity. Asymmetric epoxidation is weU-known. The most stereoselective catalyst is Ti(OR) which is one of the early transition metal compounds and has no 0x0 group (28). Epoxidation of isopropylvinylcarbinol [4798-45-2] (1-isopropylaHyl alcohol) using a combined chiral catalyst of Ti(OR)4 and L-(+)-diethyl tartrate and (CH2)3COOH as the oxidant, stops at 50% conversion, and the erythro threo ratio of the product is 97 3. The reason for the reaction stopping at 50% conversion is that only one enantiomer can react and the unreacted enantiomer is recovered in optically pure form (28). 

Metals that are capable of 2e redox changes, typically main group elements and 4d and 5d transition metals, can give heterolysis of a peroxide to form a diamagnetic oxidant that may avoid the radical pathways seen in the case of equation (14-15). O atom transfer to the substrate is possible in this way. Sharpless epoxidation provides an excellent example. In this case rBuOOH is the primary oxidant, Ti(i-OPr)4 is the catalyst precursor and a tartrate ester is the ligand that induces a high ee in the epoxy alcohol formed from an allylic alcohol. This reaction has been successfiiUy developed on an industrial scale. 

The vast majority of homogeneous catalysts are transition metal complexes and many systems have been reported, for example, Ru(III) [129], W(VI) [130], polyoxometallates [131], Re(V) [132], Fe(III) [133], and Pt(II) [134] with hydrogen peroxide, Mn(II) [135-137] with peracetic acid, and Ti-tartrate with alkyl hydroperoxides [75]. The subject of epoxidation by H2O2 has been reviewed [138-140]. 

Zn(C2H5)2 above is one. Other examples include those catalyzed by Ti in the presence of tartrate ion and OsO in the presence of chiral ligands. All of the Group VIII (Groups 8,9, and 10) metals, Cu, Zn, and other transition metals have been used for enantioselective syntheses. Enzymes are usually specific for a particular reaction and a particular substrate. Some of the chiral metal catalysts, such as [RuCbinap)] " as a hydrogenation catalyst, are quite general. 

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