Asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized, purely alkyl-substituted olefins.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins is one of the most useful reactions for the synthesis of optically active compounds, especially in industry. However, the application range of the catalysts developed so far is limited to alkenes with a coordinating functional group or an aryl substituent next to the double bond. We have found a class of chiral iridium catalysts that give high enantioselectivity in the hydrogenation of unfunctionalized, trialkyl-substituted olefins.

SimplePHOX, a readily available chiral ligand system for iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation.

[reaction: see text] New Ir-SimplePHOX complexes Ir-6-Ir-9 catalyze the quantitative, highly enantioselective hydrogenation of a range of unfunctionalized and functionalized olefins. Synthesis, catalytic results, and X-ray crystal structures are presented here.

Synthesis and application of chiral phosphino-imidazoline ligands: Ir-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation.

[reaction: see text] A series of chiral phosphino-imidazolines (PHIM ligands) 1a-j with different substituents at the stereogenic center, the nitrogen atom of the imidazoline ring, and at the phosphorus atom were synthesized. Iridium complexes derived from these ligands have been evaluated as catalysts for the enantioselective hydrogenation of unfunctionalized olefins. In several cases, higher enantiomeric excesses were observed than with analogous phosphino-oxazoline ligands.