Reduction Over Condensation of Carbonyl Compounds Through a Transient Hemiaminal Intermediate Using Hydrazine.

Reduction of carbonyl moieties to the corresponding alcohol using simply hydrazine hydrate has been considerably unfeasible until now due to the well-known condensation reaction. However, herein, we report that using an excess of 20-fold equivalents, the reduction proceeds in excellent yields. 1H NMR study of the reaction and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the final fate of the hemiaminal intermediate is crucial to obtain the alcohol or the hydrazone.

In Situ FTIR and NMR Spectroscopic Investigations on Ruthenium-Based Catalysts for Alkene Hydroformylation.

Homogeneous ruthenium complexes modified by imidazole-substituted monophosphines as catalysts for various highly efficient hydroformylation reactions were characterized by in situ IR spectroscopy under reaction conditions and NMR spectroscopy. A proper protocol for the preformation reaction from [Ru3 (CO)12] is decisive to prevent the formation of inactive ligand-modified polynuclear complexes. During catalysis, ligand-modified mononuclear ruthenium(0) carbonyls were detected as resting states. Changes in the ligand structure have a crucial impact on the coordination behavior of the ligand and consequently on the catalytic performance. The substitution of CO by a nitrogen atom of the imidazolyl moiety in the ligand is not a general feature, but it takes place when structural prerequisites of the ligand are fulfilled.

Domino hydroformylation/aldol condensation/hydrogenation catalysis: highly selective synthesis of ketones from olefins.

A general and highly chemo- and regioselective synthesis of ketones from olefins by domino hydroformylation/aldol condensation/hydrogenation reaction has been developed. A variety of olefins are efficiently converted into various ketones in good to excellent yields and regioselectivities in the presence of a specific rhodium phosphine/base-acid catalyst system.

An operando FTIR spectroscopic and kinetic study of carbon monoxide pressure influence on rhodium-catalyzed olefin hydroformylation.

The influence of carbon monoxide concentration on the kinetics of the hydroformylation of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene with a phosphite-modified rhodium catalyst has been studied for the pressure range p(CO)=0.20-3.83 MPa. Highly resolved time-dependent concentration profiles of the organometallic intermediates were derived from IR spectroscopic data collected in situ for the entire olefin-conversion range. The dynamics of the catalyst and organic components are described by enzyme-type kinetics with competitive and uncompetitive inhibition reactions involving carbon monoxide taken into account. Saturation of the alkyl-rhodium intermediates with carbon monoxide as a cosubstrate occurs between 1.5 and 2 MPa of carbon monoxide pressure, which brings about a convergence of aldehyde regioselectivity. Hydrogenolysis of the acyl intermediate is fast at 30 °C and low pressure of p(CO)=0.2 MPa, but is of minus first order with respect to the solution concentration of carbon monoxide. Resting 18-electron hydrido and acyl complexes that correspond to early and late rate-determining states, respectively, coexist as long as the conversion of the substrate is not complete.

Propane-1,2-diols from dilactides, oligolactides, or poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA): from plastic waste to chiral bulk chemicals.

The preparation of racemic or enantioenriched propane-1,2-diol from dilactides, oligolactides, or poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is described. The transformation is carried out as tandem reactions in MeOH, covering hydrolysis and subsequent hydrogenation by using copper chromite as a catalyst. The starting material present undesired side products of the PLLA synthesis or PLLA waste.

Carbon-yl{3,3'-di-tert-butyl-5,5'-dimeth-oxy-2,2'-bis-[(4,4,5,5-tetra-methyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospho-lan-2-yl)-oxy]biphenyl-κ(2) P,P'}hydrido(triphenyl-phosphane-κP)rhodium(I) diethyl ether tris-olvate.

In the title compound, [RhH(C74H68O8P2)(C18H15P)(CO)]·3C4H10O, the CHP3 coordination set at the Rh(I) ion is arranged in a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry with the P atoms adopting equatorial coordination sites and the C atom of the carbonyl ligand as well as the H atom adopting the axial sites. The asymmetric unit contains two very similar mol-ecules of the rhodium complex, two half-occupied diethyl ether mol-ecules and further diethyl ether solvent mol-ecules which could not be modelled successfully. Therefore contributions of the latter were removed from the diffraction data using the SQUEEZE procedure in PLATON [Spek (2009 ▶). Acta Cryst. D65, 148-155].

Carbonyl-bis-{6,6'-[(3,3'-di-tert-butyl-5,5'-dimeth-oxy-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-di-yl)bis(oxy)]bis-(dibenzo[d,f][1,3,2]-dioxaphosphepine)}hydridorhodium(I) toluene-d 8 2.25-solvate.

The crystal-structure determination of the title compound, [RhH(C46H44O8P2)2(CO)]·2.25C7D8, is reported. The bis-phosphite ligand, C46H44O8P2, is well known as Biphephos. One specific characteristic of this hydrido rhodium(I) monocarbonyl complex is that one bis-phosphite ligand is coordinated in the expected bidentate mode and the other is coordinated in a monodentate mode. Thus, one phosphite moiety remains non-coordinating. All three coordinating phospho-rus atoms occupy the equatorial positions in the trigonal-bipyramidal environment around the rhodium atom. The crystals of the hydrido rhodium(I) monocarbonyl complex contains deuterated solvent mol-ecules (toluene-d 8). Most of them are included in the model, but the contributions of about 0.84 toluene per unit cell were removed from the diffraction data, using the SQUEEZE procedure in PLATON [Spek (2015 ▸). Acta Cryst. C71, 9-18].

Exploring between the extremes: conversion-dependent kinetics of phosphite-modified hydroformylation catalysis.

The kinetics of the hydroformylation of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene with a rhodium monophosphite catalyst has been studied in detail. Time-dependent concentration profiles covering the entire olefin conversion range were derived from in situ high-pressure FTIR spectroscopic data for both, pure organic components and catalytic intermediates. These profiles fit to Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics with competitive and uncompetitive side reactions involved. The characteristics found for the influence of the hydrogen concentration verify that the pre-equilibrium towards the catalyst substrate complex is not established. It has been proven experimentally that the hydrogenolysis of the intermediate acyl complex remains rate limiting even at high conversions when the rhodium hydride is the predominant resting state and the reaction is nearly of first order with respect to the olefin. Results from in situ FTIR and high-pressure (HP) NMR spectroscopy and from DFT calculations support the coordination of only one phosphite ligand in the dominating intermediates and a preferred axial position of the phosphite in the electronically saturated, trigonal bipyramidal (tbp)-structured acyl rhodium complex.

Dicarbonyl-{3,3'-di-tert-butyl-5,5'-di-meth-oxy-2,2'-bis-[(4,4,5,5-tetra-phenyl-1,3,2-dioxa-phospho-lan-2-yl)-oxy-κP]biphen-yl}hydridorhodium(I) diethyl ether monosolvate.

In the title compound, [Rh(C(74)H(68)O(8)P(2))H(CO)(2)]·C(4)H(10)O, the C(2)HP(2) coordination set at the Rh(I) ion is arranged in a distorted trigonal-planar geometry with one P atom of the diphosphite mol-ecule and the H atom adopting the axial coordination sites.

{2-[Bis(2,4-di-tert-butyl-phen-oxy)phosphan-yloxy-κP]-3,5-di-tert-butyl-phenyl-κC}[(1,2,5,6-η)-cyclo-octa-1,5-diene]rhodium(I) toluene monosolvate.

The reaction of (η(3)-all-yl)[(1,2,5,6-η)-cyclo-octa-1,5-diene]rhodium(I) with tris-(2,4-di-tert-butyl-phen-yl)phosphite in toluene produces the title compound, [Rh(C(42)H(62)O(3)P)(C(8)H(12))]·C(7)H(8), by spontaneous metallation at one of the nonsubstituted phenyl ortho-C atoms of the phosphite mol-ecule. The coordination geometry at the Rh(I) ion is distorted square-planar. The toluene solvent mol-ecule is disordered over two different orientations, with site-occupation factors of 0.810 (2) and 0.190 (2).

Heteroatom-substituted secondary phosphine oxides (HASPOs) as decomposition products and preligands in rhodium-catalysed hydroformylation.

O,O'-3,3'-Di-tert-butyl-5,5'-dimethoxy-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-diyl phosphonate (1) is the hydrolysis product of several mono- and bis-phosphites used as ligands in industrial hydroformylation and other catalytic reactions. As a result of a tautomeric equilibrium, this pentavalent heteroatom-substituted phosphine oxide (HASPO) can rearrange to the corresponding trivalent phosphorus compound. The latter is able to react with typical rhodium-containing precursors frequently used for the generation of catalysts. The resulting species were characterised by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray structure analysis. Proof is given that a rhodium complex of 1 forms an active hydroformylation catalyst. Moreover, 1 can add to aldehydes, which are generated as products in the hydroformylation. Thus a broad range of subsequent reactions can be associated with the degradation of the original phosphite ligands, which has a strong influence on the overall outcome of the hydroformylation reaction.

Synthesis and characterization of bis-cyclopropanated 1,3,5-tricarbonyl compounds. A combined synthetic, spectroscopic and theoretical study.

Bis-cyclopropanated 1,3,5-tricarbonyl compounds were prepared by a sequence of Claisen condensations and cyclopropanations. The optimization of the conditions proved to be very important to suppress retro-Claisen reactions. The conformation of these molecules was studied by experimental and computational methods. The syn/syn;syn/syn conformation is present for all derivatives. It is exclusively present in the case of the derivative containing a phenyl group located at the terminal carbon atom. In most cases, equilibria with other conformers are found.

Highly stereoselective hydrogenations--as key-steps in the total synthesis of statins.

Statins are inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) and became the standard of care for treatment of hypercholesterolemia because of their efficacy, safety, and long-term benefits. They are administered as diastereo- and enantiomerically pure compounds. We summarize here two new approaches for the total synthesis of the most important representatives, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin, based on highly stereoselective hydrogenations as key-steps.

(S)-6-Bromo-BINOL-based phosphoramidite ligand with C(1) symmetry for enantioselective hydrogenation and allylic substitution.

(S)-6-Br-BINOL-derived phosphoramidite, a simple monodentate ligand with a stereogenic center at the phosphorus atom, was synthesized for the first time. This stereoselector generated a high level of enantioselectivity (80-95% ee) in the rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation of alpha-dehydrocarboxylic acid esters and was also successfully employed in the asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution of (E)-1,3-diphenylallyl acetate. The optical yield also showed significant dependence with reaction type: up to 70% ee for allylic amination, up to 75% ee for allylic sulfonylation, and up to 90% ee for allylic alkylation.

Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydroaminomethylation of α-Substituted Acrylamides: Application in the Synthesis of RWAY.

The successful rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydroformylation and hydroaminomethylation of α-substituted acrylamides is described using 1,3-phosphite-phosphoramidite ligands based on a sugar backbone. A broad scope of chiral aldehydes and amines were afforded in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99%). Furthermore, the synthetic potential of this method is demonstrated by the single-step synthesis of the brain imaging molecule RWAY.

Reaction rate ambiguities for perturbed spectroscopic data: Theory and implementation.

The analysis of reaction systems and their kinetic modeling is important for both exploratory research and process design. Multivariate curve resolution (MCR) methods are state-of-the-art tools for the analysis of spectral series, but are also affected by an unavoidable solution ambiguity that impacts the obtained concentration profiles, spectra and model parameters. These uncertainties depend on the underlying model and the magnitude of the measurement perturbations. We present a general theoretical approach together with a computational method for the analysis of the solution ambiguity underlying arbitrary kinetic models. The main idea is to determine all those model parameters for which the corresponding pure component factorizations satisfy all given constraints within small error tolerances. This makes it possible to determine bands of concentration profiles and spectra that reflect the underlying ambiguity and circumscribes the potential reliability of MCR solutions. False conclusions on the uniqueness of a solution can be prevented. The procedure can be applied as a post-processing step to MCR methods as MCR-ALS, ReactLab or others. The Matlab program code is freely accessible and includes not only the proposed ambiguity analysis but also an MCR hard-modeling approach. Application studies are presented for two experimental data sets, namely for UV/Vis spectra on the relaxation of a photoexcited state of benzophenone and for Raman spectra on an aldehyde formation process.

Iridium phosphite-oxazoline catalysts for the highly enantioselective hydrogenation of terminal alkenes.

A modular library of readily available phosphite-oxazoline ligands (L1-L16a-f) has been successfully applied for the first time in the Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of a broad range of highly unfunctionalized 1,1,-disubstituted terminal alkenes. Enantioselectivities up to >99% and full conversions were obtained in several 1,1-disubstituted alkenes, including substrate classes that have never been asymmetrically hydrogenated before (i.e., 1,1-heteoraryl-alkyl, 1,1-diaryl, trifluoromethyl, etc.). The results indicated that these catalytic systems have high tolerance to the steric and electronic requirements of the substrate and also to the presence of a neighboring polar group. The asymmetric hydrogenations were also performed using propylene carbonate as solvent, which allowed the Ir catalyst to be reused and maintained the excellent enantioselectivities.

A general palladium-catalyzed amination of aryl halides with ammonia.

A new robust palladium/phosphine catalyst system for the selective monoarylation of ammonia with different aryl bromides and chlorides has been developed. The active catalyst is formed in situ from [Pd(OAc)(2)] and air- and moisture-stable phosphines as easy-to-handle pre-catalysts. The productivity of the catalyst system is comparable to that of competitive Pd/phosphine systems; full conversion is achieved with most substrates with 1-2 mol % of Pd source and a fourfold excess of ligand (L).

Solvent dependent asymmetric hydrogenation with self-assembled catalysts: a combined catalytic, NMR- and IR-study.

For the first time the hydrogen bond based structure of self-aggregated Rh-phosphine complexes in fluorinated alcohols was directly determined, which gives a rationale for the high enantioselectivity observed in the asymmetric hydrogenation.

Synthesis of chromones and 4-hydroxyquinolines based on uncatalyzed condensations of 1-methoxy-1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadiene with 2-alkoxy- and 2-nitrobenzoyl chlorides and related reactions.

The reaction of 1-methoxy-1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadiene with 2-methoxybenzoyl chlorides afforded 3,5-diketoesters which were transformed, by treatment with boron tribromide, into functionalized 2-hydroxychroman-4-ones or chromones. The reaction of 1-methoxy-1,3-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadiene with 2-nitrobenzoyl chlorides and subsequent reduction of the nitro group afforded functionalized 4-hydroxyquinolines. Their tautomeric equilibrium was studied by NMR spectroscopy and by computational methods.