Wilkinson type complex

In order to eliminate the possibility for in situ carbene formation Raubenheimer et al. synthesized l-alkyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium triflate ionic liquids and applied these as solvents in the rhodium catalyzed hydroformylation of l-hejEne and 1-dodecene [178]. Both, the classical Wilkinson type complex [RhCl(TPP)3] and the chiral, stereochemically pure complex (—)-(j7 -cycloocta-l,5-diene)-(2-menthyl-4,7-dimethylindenyl)rhodium(i) were applied. The Wilkinson catalyst showed low selectivity towards n-aldehydes whereas the chiral catalyst formed branched aldehydes predominantly. Hydrogenation was significant with up to 44% alkanes being formed and also a significant activity for olefin isomerization was observed. Additionally, hydroformylation was found to be slower in the ionic liquid than in toluene. Some of the findings were attributed by the authors to the lower gas solubility in the ionic liquid and the slower diffusion of the reactive gases H2 and CO into the ionic medium. 

Asymmetric hydrogenation has been achieved with dissolved Wilkinson type catalysts (A. J. Birch, 1976 D. Valentine, Jr., 1978 H.B. Kagan, 1978). The (R)- and (S)-[l,l -binaph-thalene]-2,2 -diylblsCdiphenylphosphine] (= binap ) complexes of ruthenium (A. Miyashita, 1980) and rhodium (A. Miyashita, 1984 R. Noyori, 1987) have been prepared as pure atrop-isomers and used for the stereoselective Noyori hydrogenation of a-(acylamino) acrylic acids and, more significantly, -keto carboxylic esters. In the latter reaction enantiomeric excesses of more than 99% are often achieved (see also M. Nakatsuka, 1990, p. 5586). 

Another possibility for asymmetric reduction is the use of chiral complex hydrides derived from LiAlH. and chiral alcohols, e.g. N-methylephedrine (I. Jacquet, 1974), or 1,4-bis(dimethylamino)butanediol (D. Seebach, 1974). But stereoselectivities are mostly below 50%. At the present time attempts to form chiral alcohols from ketones are less successful than the asymmetric reduction of C = C double bonds via hydroboration or hydrogenation with Wilkinson type catalysts (G. Zweifel, 1963 H.B. Kagan, 1978 see p. 102f.). 

In transfer hydrogenation with 2-propanol, the chloride ion in a Wilkinson-type catalyst (18) is rapidly replaced by an alkoxide (Scheme 20.9). / -Elimination then yields the reactive 16-electron metal monohydride species (20). The ketone substrate (10) substitutes one of the ligands and coordinates to the catalytic center to give complex 21 upon which an insertion into the metal hydride bond takes place. The formed metal alkoxide (22) can undergo a ligand exchange with the hydride donor present in the reaction mixture, liberating the product (15). 

The first step consists of the substitution of one of the ligands (L) of 18 by dioxane (39) in an oxidative addition (a) (Scheme 20.16). / -Elimination of 40 releases 2,3-dihydro-dioxine (41) and the 16-electron dihydrogen rhodium complex (42) (b). Alkene 43 coordinates to the vacant site of 42 (c) to give complex 44. A hydride insertion then takes place (d), affording complex 45. After a reductive elimination (e) of the product 46, the coordination of a ligand reconstitutes the Wilkinson-type catalyst (18). 

During the late 1960s, Homer et al. [13] and Knowles and Sabacky [14] independently found that a chiral monodentate tertiary phosphine, in the presence of a rhodium complex, could provide enantioselective induction for a hydrogenation, although the amount of induction was small [15-20]. The chiral phosphine ligand replaced the triphenylphosphine in a Wilkinson-type catalyst [10, 21, 22]. At about this time, it was also found that [Rh(COD)2]+ or [Rh(NBD)2]+ could be used as catalyst precursors, without the need to perform ligand exchange reactions [23]. 

More recently, Noyori [2] [9] has developed a "second generation" of soluble chiral catalysts of Wilkinson-type, such as the Ru-BINAP dicarboxylate complexes which greatly extended the utility and applications of asymmetric hydrogenation. 

In principle, the mechanism of homogeneous hydrogenation, in the chiral as well as in the achiral case, can follow two pathways (Figure 9.5). These involve either dihydrogen addition, followed by olefin association ( hydride route , as described in detail for Wilkinson s catalyst, vide supra) or initial association of the olefin to the rhodium center, which is then followed by dihydrogen addition ( unsaturate route ). As a rule of thumb, the hydride route is typical for neutral, Wilkinson-type catalysts whereas the catalytic mechanism for cationic complexes containing diphosphine chelate ligands seems to be dominated by the unsaturate route [1]. 

Although the structure of the active catalyst obtained in solution was uncertain, the Monsanto group suggested at the time that Wilkinson-type Rh(I) complexes might be involved. They did not speculate on how the reduction of Rh(HI) to Rh(I) might be accomplished, but one possibility is... 

Wilkinson s complex also underwent substitution of phosphines by IMes. The reaction afforded [(IMes)RhCl(PPh3)2] (86), in which the two phosphines are in cis, in contrast to the general behavior of [(L)RhCl(PPh3)2]-type derivatives that usually adopt a trans geometry. ... 

Since 1957 and the discovery of the Speir s catalyst H2PtCl6/ PrOH, considerable efforts have been made to find new catalysts with high activity and selectivity. Along with the platinum-based catalysts, the Wilkinson s complex [103] Rh(Ph3P)3Cl is one of the most popular hydrosilylation catalysts. Ruthenium catalysts are also able to promote the addition of silanes to unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds, and several reports have shown during the past decade that the well-defined ruthenium complexes of type Ru(H)(Cl)(CO)L can provide excellent activity and selectivity [104—... 

The perfluorinated phosphane 12 has also found application in the hydrogenation of various alkenes [18]. Therefore, a Wilkinson-type rhodium complex 18 has been prepared by treatment of RhCl(COD)2 with the phosphane 12 in CF3QFnEq. (9). 

Asymmetric hydrogenation. Morrison et al. have reported on asymmetric hydrogenations catalyzed by rhodium(I) complexes of the Wilkinson type containing chiral ligands. This type of asymmetric synthesis had been carried out previously with relatively inaccessible phosphine ligands that are asymmetric at phosphorus. Phosphines that are asymmetric at carbon are more readily available and appear to be more efficient. Thus reduction of (E)- 3-methylcinnamic acid with prereduced tris(neomenthyldiphenylphosphine)chlororhodium in the presence of triethylamine leads to 3-phenylbutanoic acid, +34.5°, which contains 61% enantiomeric excess of the S-isomer. Hydrogenations of olefins exhibit a lower degree of asymmetric bias. 

Neutral Wilkinson type catalysts with chiral ligands are quite effective for the hydrogenation of C=0 bonds in prochiral 2-oxocarbo Q lic acids or their esters and are applied to the as5mimetric S5mthesis of 2-hydroxyesters with rather high ee s of up to 80-95%. The reduction of alpha- iQ o esters, such as alkyl-pymvates into alkyl-lactates (Scheme 7.18.) on chiral complexes is one of the most important methods of the synthesis of chiral synthones for practical use. 

Polymer-bound heterogenized homogeneous rhodium catalysts have also been successfully used in ketone reduction. Italian scientists studied ionic rhodium complexes supported on a Merrifield resin (4), but the Wilkinson-type analog proved to be active only in the presence of... 

Catalytic hydrogenation of a-keto-esters can be achieved in the presence of homogeneous neutral Rh complexes of the Wilkinson type. Asymmetric reduction occurs when chiral bis-phosphines are employed as ligands, and one of the best optical yields known for homogeneous a-keto-ester hydrogenation (76%) is observed with (20a) as a ligand and propyl pyruvate as substrate. Use of the ligand (20b) increases the lipophilicity of such rhodium catalysts, and hence their solubility in non-polar solvents. ... 

As part of comparative studies, Iyer [47] reported the use of Vaska s complex [IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2l (92) in intermolecular Mizoroki-Heck-type reactions of methyl acrylate (1) and styrene (2). Aryl iodides could be used as electrophiles, while bromobenzene, chlorobenzene and aliphatic halides gave no desired product. The catalytic activity was found to be lower than that observed when using Wilkinson s complex [RhCl(PPh3)3] (84). Thus, a higher reaction temperature of 150 °C was mostly required. In contrast to the corresponding cobalt-catalysed reaction, however, Vaska s complex (92) proved applicable to orf/io-substituted aryl iodides (Scheme 10.33). 

Hydrogenation of ketones generally proceeds with more difficulty than reduction of olefins. This is due in part to lesser stability of complexes with ketones (which activate hydrogen) compared to olefin complexes and to the ability to coordinate of the resulting alcohols in contrast to the alkanes. Moreover, the resulting secondary alcohols show a tendency to oxidize themselves back to ketones. Some rhodium complexes oxidize secondary alcohols to ketones. Wilkinson s complexes RhX(PR3)3 do not represent suitable catalysts for reduction of aldehydes, because decarbonylation of the substrate and the formation of compounds of the type RhCl(CO)(PR3)2 takes place these compounds are not catalytically active. However, hydrogenation of ketones is effectively accelerated by complexes such as [Rh(NBD)(PR3) ] CIO (w = 2, 3). The... 

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