Transition metal complexes, olefin hydrogenation

Thus far, we have discussed the transition metal complex-catalyzed hydrogenation of C=C, C=0, and C N bonds. In this section, another type of transition metal complex-mediated reaction, namely, the hydroformylation of olefins, is presented. 

A chiral diphosphine ligand was bound to silica via carbamate links and was used for enantioselective hydrogenation.178 The activity of the neutral catalyst decreased when the loading was increased. It clearly indicates the formation of catalytically inactive chlorine-bridged dimers. At the same time, the cationic diphosphine-Rh catalysts had no tendency to interact with each other (site isolation).179 New cross-linked chiral transition-metal-complexing polymers were used for the chemo- and enantioselective epoxidation of olefins.180... 

Scheme 6.1 Elementary steps for the hydrogenation of olefins with d° transition-metal complexes.

In summary, the asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins or functionalized ketones catalysed by chiral transition metal complexes is one of the most practical methods for preparing optically active organic compounds. Ruthenium and rhodium-diphosphine complexes, using molecular hydrogen or hydrogen transfer, are the most common catalysts in this area. The hydrogenation of simple ketones has proved to be difficult with metallic catalysts. However,... 

Figure 12.2 Mechanism of olefin hydrogenation by transition metal complexes.

Asymmetric synthesis (i) has gained new momentum with the potential k use of homogeneous catalysts. The use of a transition metal complex with chiral ligands to catalyze a synthesis asymmetrically from a prochiral substrate is beneficial in that resolution of a normally obtained racemate product may be avoided. In certain catalytic hydrogenations of olefinic bonds, optical purities approaching 100% have been attained (2,3,4,5) hydrogenations of ketones (6,... 

Racemic diphosphines may be resolved by using transition metal complexes that contain optically active olefinic substrates (Scheme 11) (24). When racemic CHIRAPHOS is mixed with an enantiomerically pure Ir(I) complex that has two ( —)-menthyl (Z)-a-(acetam-ido)cinnamate ligands, (S,5)-CHIRAPHOS forms the Ir complex selectively and leaves the R,R enantiomer uncomplexed in solution. Addition of 0.8 equiv of [Rh(norbomadiene)2]BF4 forms a catalyst system for the enantioselective hydrogenation of methyl (Z)-a-(acetamido)cinnamate to produce the S amino ester with 87% ee. Use of the enantiomerically pure CHIRAPHOS-Rh complex produces the hydrogenation product in 90% ee. These data indicate that, in the solution containing both (S,S)-CHIRAPHOS-Ir and (/ ,/ )-CHIRAPHOS-Rh complexes, hydrogenation is catalyzed by the Rh complex only. 

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the oxidation of substituted olefins in the presence of hydrocarbon-soluble transition metal complexes. Results indicate that the initial interaction of oxygen with the olefin probably does not occur within the coordination sphere of the metal. The best interpretation appears to be autoxidation of the olefin, initiated either by the metal or by metal catalyzed decomposition of peroxidic impurities. The initial product of an olefin having allylic hydrogens is an allylic hydroperoxide species this is usually the case in radical initiated autoxidations. Nonetheless, with some metal complexes the product profile differs markedly from that observed when radical initiators are used. In the presence of several complexes, oxidation is... 

Oxidation of Styrene. Until now we have considered only olefins which have allylic hydrogen available for radical abstraction. Most of the evidence in these systems suggests the formation of allylic hydroperoxides and their subsequent reaction to form stable oxidation products in the presence of various transition metal complexes. It has not been necessary to postulate novel catalytic activation of oxygen to explain our... 

This procedure represents an example of the use of a soluble transition metal complex for the catalytic transfer of hydrogen to an olefin. First developed by Wilkinson and co-workers,4 subsequent extensive investigation in those laboratories and others5 has shown that the hydrogenation is sensitive to steric congestion and only unhindered double bonds are re-... 

Highly enantioselective hydrogenation of olefins with aprotic oxygen functionalities like esters and ethers has rarely been attained. Recent investigation with chiral transition-metal complexes, especially BINAP-Ru and DuPHOS-Rh complexes, has expanded the substrates... 

Historically, reaction of simple olefins in the presence of chiral phosphine-Rh complexes in 1968 marked the first examples of homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation [6], However, only a few successful results have been reported for asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized olefins. Some examples with late and early transition-metal complexes are illustrated in Schemes 1.27-28 and Schemes 1.29-30, respectively. 

Abstract The applications of hybrid DFT/molecular mechanics (DFT/MM) methods to the study of reactions catalyzed by transition metal complexes are reviewed. Special attention is given to the processes that have been studied in more detail, such as olefin polymerization, rhodium hydrogenation of alkenes, osmium dihydroxylation of alkenes and hydroformylation by rhodium catalysts. DFT/MM methods are shown, by comparison with experiment and with full quantum mechanics calculations, to allow a reasonably accurate computational study of experimentally relevant problems which otherwise would be out of reach for theoretical chemistry. 

---