Asymmetric hydrogenation via architectural and functional molecular
engineering*
Ryoji Noyori**, Masatoshi Koizumi, Dai Ishii, and Takeshi Ohkuma
Department of Chemistry and Research Center for Materials
Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
Abstract: RuCl2 (phosphine) 2 (1,2-diamine)
complexes, coupled with an alkaline base in 2-propanol, allows for preferential
hydrogenation of a C=O function over coexisting conjugated or nonconjugated
C=C linkages, a nitro group, halogen atoms, and various heterocycles.
The functional group selectivity is based on the novel metal-ligand
bifunctional mechanism. The use of appropriate chiral diphosphines and
diamines results in rapid and productive asymmetric hydrogenation of
a range of aromatic, hetero-aromatic, and olefinic ketones. The versatility
of this method is manifested by the asymmetric synthesis of various
biologically significant chiral compounds.
* Lecture presented at the XIXth International Conference
on Organometallic Chemistry (XIX ICOMC) , Shanghai, China, 23-28 July
2000. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 205-376.
** Corresponding author.
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