Making Chiral Salen Complexes Work with Organocatalysts.

Bisimine derivatives of salicylaldehyde with chiral diamines (salens) are privileged ligands in asymmetric organometallic catalysis, which can be used in cooperation with organocatalysts as additives. The latter can be a modifier of the metal reactivity by liganding or a true co-catalyst working in tandem or in a dual system. All scenarios encountered in the literature are reviewed and classified according to the organocatalyst. In each case, mechanistic and physical-organic chemistry considerations are discussed to better understand the gears of these complex catalytic settings.

Post-Modification of Copolymers Obtained by ATRP for an Application in Heterogeneous Asymmetric Salen Catalysis.

Copolymers are valuable supports for obtaining heterogeneous catalysts that allow their recycling and therefore substantial savings, particularly in the field of asymmetric catalysis. This contribution reports the use of two comonomers: Azido-3-propylmethacrylate (AZMA) bearing a reactive azide function was associated with 2-methoxyethyl methacrylate (MEMA), used as a spacer, for the ATRP synthesis of copolymers, and then post-functionalized with a propargyl chromium salen complex. The controlled homopolymerization of MEMA by ATRP was firstly described and proved to be more controlled in molar mass than that of AZMA for conversions up to 63%. The ATRP copolymerization of both monomers made it possible to control the molar masses and the composition, with nevertheless a slight increase in the dispersity (from 1.05 to 1.3) when the incorporation ratio of AZMA increased from 10 to 50 mol%. These copolymers were post-functionalized with chromium salen units by click chemistry and their activity was evaluated in the asymmetric ring opening of cyclohexene oxide with trimethylsilyl azide. At an equal catalytic ratio, a significant increase in enantioselectivity was obtained by using the copolymer containing the largest part of salen units, probably allowing, in this case, the more favorable bimetallic activation of both the engaged nucleophile and electrophile. Moreover, the catalytic polymer was recovered by simple filtration and re-engaged in subsequent catalytic runs, up to seven times, without loss of activity or selectivity.

Chiral Chromium Salen@rGO as Multipurpose and Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst.

The first immobilization of a pyrene-tagged chromium salen complex through π-π noncovalent interactions on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is described. A very robust supported catalytic system is obtained to promote asymmetric catalysis in repeated cycles, without loss of activity or enantioselectivity. This specific behavior was demonstrated in two different catalytic reactions (up to ten reuses) promoted by chromium salen complexes, the cyclohexene oxide ring-opening reaction and the hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition between various aldehydes and Danishefsky's diene. Furthermore, the chiral chromium salen@rGO has been found to be compatible with a multi-substrate type use, in which the structure of the substrate involved is modified each time the catalyst is reused.

CO2 activation by electrogenerated divalent samarium for aryl halide carboxylation.

The reductive carboxylation of aryl halides has been investigated using a samarium electrode as a sacrificial anode to yield the corresponding benzoic acids, providing a smooth strategy for CO2 activation. Carboxylation occurred after an efficient reduction of carbon dioxide mediated by an electrogenerated Sm(ii)-complex acting as a strong monoelectronic reductive reagent.

Well-defined four-coordinate iron(II) complexes for intramolecular hydroamination of primary aliphatic alkenylamines.

Despite the growing interest in iron catalysis and hydroamination reactions, iron-catalyzed hydroamination of unprotected primary aliphatic amines and unactivated alkenes has not been reported to date. Herein, a novel well-defined four-coordinate ß-diketiminatoiron(II) alkyl complex is shown to be an excellent precatalyst for the highly selective cyclohydroamination of primary aliphatic alkenylamines at mild temperatures (70-90 °C). Both empirical kinetic analyses and the reactivity of an isolated iron(II) amidoalkene dimer, [LFe(NHCH2 CPh2 CH2 CHCH2 )]2 favor a stepwise σ-insertive mechanism that entails migratory insertion of the pendant alkene into an iron-amido bond associated with a rate-determining aminolysis step.

New chiral calixsalen chromium complexes: recyclable asymmetric catalysts.

A chiral N,N'-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine (salen) polymer has been prepared by a condensation reaction between a thiophenedisalicyladehyde derivative and (S,S)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine. This polymeric compound was demonstrated to possess a cyclic structure with two to five repetitive units. The addition of chromium(II) salts led to the generation of a chiral catalyst that could be recovered as an insoluble powder. The performance of this new calixsalen-type catalyst was examined in various transformations, particularly in its ability to promote nucleophilic epoxide ring opening under heterogeneous conditions. The target products were obtained in high yields and with improved selectivity compared with those obtained by using analogous linear polymers. The arrangement of the catalytic sites in the cyclic structure is probably more suitable for the necessary cooperative bimetallic pathway of this demanding reaction. The catalyst could be successfully recycled. This approach represents the first use of calixsalen complexes under heterogeneous catalytic conditions.

New chiral thiophene-salen chromium complexes for the asymmetric Henry reaction.

Chiral thiophene-salen chromium complexes were investigated in their monomeric form as soluble catalysts in the enantioselective Henry reaction of several aldehydes. The anodic polymerization of one complex led to an insoluble powder that was successfully used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the transformation of 2-methoxybenzaldehyde with enantiomeric excesses up to 77%. The polymerized catalyst was recovered and also recycled in an original multisubstrate procedure.

Electrogenerated Sm(II)-Catalyzed CO2 Activation for Carboxylation of Benzyl Halides.

Sm(II)-catalyzed carboxylation of benzyl halides is reported through the electrochemical reduction of CO2. The transformation proceeds under mild reaction conditions to afford the corresponding phenylacetic acids in good to excellent yields. This user-friendly and operationally simple protocol represents an alternative to traditional strategies, which usually proceeds through the C(sp3)-halide activation pathway.

Recoverable chiral salen complexes for asymmetric catalysis: recent progress.

Chiral salen-type complexes have already been proven to be particularly useful asymmetric catalysts for the preparation of a wide range of enantioenriched products. Research for efficient recovery and recycling of such complexes is ongoing and has already demonstrated the value of these procedures in terms of atom economy and overall economical savings. Results reported in the near past (2006-2009) dealing with the use of recyclable chiral salen complexes are summarized here, classified according to the type of heterogenization procedures involved.

Original use of the same heterogeneous chiral catalyst batch to promote different asymmetric reactions.

An electrogenerated heterogeneous chiral (poly)salen-thiophene chromium complex successfully promoted different asymmetric catalytic reactions in an original successive manner, demonstrating its high stability and versatility.