Hydrogenation is a core technology in chemical synthesis. High rates and selectivities are attainable only by the coordination of structurally well-designed catalysts and suitable reaction conditions. The newly devised [RuCl(2)(phosphane)(2)(1,2-diamine)] complexes are excellent precatalysts for homogeneous hydrogenation of simple ketones which lack any functionality capable of interacting with the metal center. This catalyst system allows for the preferential reduction of a C=O function over a coexisting C=C linkage in a 2-propanol solution containing an alkaline base. The hydrogenation tolerates many substituents including F, Cl, Br, I, CF(3), OCH(3), OCH(2)C(6)H(5), COOCH(CH(3))(2), NO(2), NH(2), and NRCOR as well as various electron-rich and -deficient heterocycles. Furthermore, stereoselectivity is easily controlled by the electronic and steric properties (bulkiness and chirality) of the ligands as well as the reaction conditions. Diastereoselectivities observed in the catalytic hydrogenation of cyclic and acyclic ketones with the standard triphenylphosphane/ethylenediamine combination compare well with the best conventional hydride reductions. The use of appropriate chiral diphosphanes, particularly BINAP compounds, and chiral diamines results in rapid and productive asymmetric hydrogenation of a range of aromatic and heteroaromatic ketones and gives a consistently high enantioselectivity. Certain amino and alkoxy ketones can be used as substrates. Cyclic and acyclic alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones can be converted into chiral allyl alcohols of high enantiomeric purity. Hydrogenation of configurationally labile ketones allows for the dynamic kinetic discrimination of diastereomers, epimers, and enantiomers. This new method shows promise in the practical synthesis of a wide variety of chiral alcohols from achiral and chiral ketone substrates. Its versatility is manifested by the asymmetric synthesis of some biologically significant chiral compounds. The high rate and carbonyl selectivity are based on nonclassical metal-ligand bifunctional catalysis involving an 18-electron amino ruthenium hydride complex and a 16-electron amido ruthenium species.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/1521-3773%2820010105%2940%3A1%3C40%3A%3AAID-ANIE40%3E3.0.CO%3B2-5

Asymmetric Catalysis by Architectural and Functional Molecular Engineering: Practical Chemo‐ and Stereoselective Hydrogenation of Ketones

Cyclometalated phosphine-based pincer complexes: Mechanistic insight in catalysis, coordination, and bond activation

The chemistry of copper is extremely rich because it can easily access Cu0, CuI, CuII, and CuIII oxidation states allowing it to act through one-electron or two-electron processes. As a result, both radical pathways and powerful two-electron bond forming pathways via organmetallic intermediates, similar to those of palladium, can occur. In addition, the different oxidation states of copper associate well with a large number of different functional groups via Lewis acid interactions or π-coordination. In total, these feature confer a remarkably broad range of activities allowing copper to catalyze the oxidation and oxidative union of many substrates.

Oxygen is a highly atom economical, environmentally benign, and abundant oxidant, which makes it ideal in many ways.1 The high activation energies in the reactions of oxygen require that catalysts be employed.2 In combination with molecular oxygen, the chemistry of copper catalysis increases exponentially since oxygen can act as either a sink for electrons (oxidase activity) and/or as a source of oxygen atoms that are incorporated into the product (oxygenase activity). The oxidation of copper with oxygen is a facile process allowing catalytic turnover in net oxidative processes and ready access to the higher CuIII oxidation state, which enables a range of powerful transformations including two-electron reductive elimination to CuI. Molecular oxygen is also not hampered by toxic byproducts, being either reduced to water, occasionally via H2O2 (oxidase activity) or incorporated into the target structure with high atom economy (oxygenase activity). Such oxidations using oxygen or air (21% oxygen) have been employed safely in numerous commodity chemical continuous and batch processes.3

However, batch reactors employing volatile hydrocarbon solvents require that oxygen concentrations be kept low in the head space (typically <5–11%) to avoid flammable mixtures, which can limit the oxygen concentration in the reaction mixture.4,5,6 A number of alternate approaches have been developed allowing oxidation chemistry to be used safely across a broader array of conditions. For example, use of carbon dioxide instead of nitrogen as a diluent leads to reduced flammability.5 Alternately, water can be added to moderate the flammability allowing even pure oxygen to be employed.6 New reactor designs also allow pure oxygen to be used instead of diluted oxygen by maintaining gas bubbles in the solvent, which greatly improves reaction rates and prevents the build up of higher concentrations of oxygen in the head space.4a,7 Supercritical carbon dioxide has been found to be advantageous as a solvent due its chemical inertness towards oxidizing agents and its complete miscibility with oxygen or air over a wide range of temperatures.8 An number of flow technologies9 including flow reactors,10 capillary flow reactors,11 microchannel/microstructure structure reactors,12 and membrane reactors13 limit the amount of or afford separation of hydrocarbon/oxygen vapor phase thereby reducing the potential for explosions.

Enzymatic oxidizing systems based upon copper that exploit the many advantages and unique aspects of copper as a catalyst and oxygen as an oxidant as described in the preceding paragraphs are well known. They represent a powerful set of catalysts able to direct beautiful redox chemistry in a highly site-selective and stereoselective manner on simple as well as highly functionalized molecules. This ability has inspired organic chemists to discover small molecule catalysts that can emulate such processes. In addition, copper has been recognized as a powerful catalyst in several industrial processes (e.g. phenol polymerization, Glaser-Hay alkyne coupling) stimulating the study of the fundamental reaction steps and the organometallic copper intermediates. These studies have inspiried the development of nonenzymatic copper catalysts. For these reasons, the study of copper catalysis using molecular oxygen has undergone explosive growth, from 30 citations per year in the 1980s to over 300 citations per year in the 2000s.

A number of elegant reviews on the subject of catalytic copper oxidation chemistry have appeared. Most recently, reviews provide selected coverage of copper catalysts14 or a discussion of their use in the aerobic functionalization of C–H bonds.15 Other recent reviews cover copper and other metal catalysts with a range of oxidants, including oxygen, but several reaction types are not covered.16 Several other works provide a valuable overview of earlier efforts in the field.17 This review comprehensively covers copper catalyzed oxidation chemistry using oxygen as the oxidant up through 2011. Stoichiometric reactions with copper are discussed, as necessary, to put the development of the catalytic processes in context. Mixed metal systems utilizing copper, such as palladium catalyzed Wacker processes, are not included here. Decomposition reactions involving copper/oxygen and model systems of copper enzymes are not discussed exhaustively. To facilitate analysis of the reactions under discussion, the current mechanistic hypothesis is provided for each reaction. As our understanding of the basic chemical steps involving copper improve, it is expected that many of these mechanisms will evolve accordingly.

/pdf/aerobic-copper-catalyzed-organic-reactions-3ctljpvivz.pdf

Aerobic Copper-Catalyzed Organic Reactions

Dehydrogenation as a substrate-activating strategy in homogeneous transition-metal catalysis.

The Golden Age of Transfer Hydrogenation

The catalytic activity of a series of [Rh L-L chel]X complexes, in which we have varied the unsaturated ligand [L-L = cis, cis-cycloocta 1,5-diene(cod) or 2,5-norbornadiene(nbd) the nitrogen chelating ligand [chel = 2,2′-bipyridine(bipy), 2,2′-dipyridylamine(dipyam), 2,2′-bipyrazine (bipz), 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (4,4′-Me2bipy)] and the counter ion [X = PF6, ClO4, BPh4], has been examined in reactions with phyenylacetylene (PA). The catalytic behaviour of the [Rh(cod)Cl2],tmeda (tmeda = N,N,N′,N′tetramethylethylendiamine), [Rh(cod)Cl2],teda] (teda = triethylendiamine), of the dimer [Rh(cod)Cl]2, and the use of NaOH as cocatalyst in different reaction conditions was also examined. The influence of the ligands on the catalytic activity of these RhI complexes is discussed. 1H and 13C NMR spectra have shown that highly stereoregular polyphenylacetilene can be obtained. Conditions for homogeneous doping of PPA, to obtain materials whose conductivity varies over 10–11 magnitude orders, are proposed. The stability of the doped polymers is also discussed.

The influence of the ligands on the catalytic activity of a series of RhI complexes in reactions with phenylacetylene: Synthesis of stereoregular poly(phenyl) acetylene

In polymerization reactions of phenylacetylene three different types of polyphenylacetylene (PPA) were prepared by using Rh and Pt complexes as catalysts in different reaction conditions. Type I PPA is obtained with [Rh (COD) Chel] PF6 complexes (COD = cis,cis-cycloocta 1,5-diene; chel = 2,2′-bipyridine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) in bulk, benzene methanol, while type II PPA is obtained with the same catalysts in p-dioxane and type III PPA in the presence of [Pt (CCPh)2(PPh3)2] in bulk. Type I, II, and III PPA exhibit different IR and 1H-NMR spectra, which have been compared with literature data. Correlations proposed by different Authors between spectral properties of PPA and chain structures are also discussed.

Rhodium and platinum complexes as catalysts for the polymerization of phenylacetylene

Structure determination of the 2:1 derivatives of copper(I) bromide and iodide with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane. A simple structural scheme for the formation of (CuX)nLm species

Annamaria Camus

Papers

The influence of the ligands on the catalytic activity of a series of RhI complexes in reactions with phenylacetylene: Synthesis of stereoregular poly(phenyl) acetylene

Rhodium and platinum complexes as catalysts for the polymerization of phenylacetylene

Structure determination of the 2:1 derivatives of copper(I) bromide and iodide with bis(diphenylphosphino)methane. A simple structural scheme for the formation of (CuX)nLm species

Synthesis of new cationic complexes of rhodium(I)

Complexes of rhodium(I) and iridium(I) with 2,2′-bipyridine and similar ligands as hydrogenation catalysts