J. Appl. Cryst.の発刊に際して

Biomass is an important feedstock for the renewable production of fuels, chemicals, and energy. As of 2005, over 3% of the total energy consumption in the United States was supplied by biomass, and it recently surpassed hydroelectric energy as the largest domestic source of renewable energy. Similarly, the European Union received 66.1% of its renewable energy from biomass, which thus surpassed the total combined contribution from hydropower, wind power, geothermal energy, and solar power. In addition to energy, the production of chemicals from biomass is also essential; indeed, the only renewable source of liquid transportation fuels is currently obtained from biomass.

The Catalytic Valorization of Lignin for the Production of Renewable Chemicals

New polymer synthesis by nitroxide mediated living radical polymerizations.

The increasing demand to produce enantiomerically pure pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, flavors, and other fine chemicals has advanced the field of asymmetric catalytic technologies.1,2 Among all asymmetric catalytic methods, asymmetric hydrogenation utilizing molecular hydrogen to reduce prochiral olefins, ketones, and imines, have become one of the most efficient methods for constructing chiral compounds.3 The development of homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation was initiated by Knowles4a and Horner4b in the late 1960s, after the discovery of Wilkinson’s homogeneous hydrogenation catalyst [RhCl(PPh3)3]. By replacing triphenylphosphine of the Wilkinson’s catalystwithresolvedchiralmonophosphines,6Knowles and Horner reported the earliest examples of enantioselective hydrogenation, albeit with poor enantioselectivity. Further exploration by Knowles with an improved monophosphine CAMP provided 88% ee in hydrogenation of dehydroamino acids.7 Later, two breakthroughs were made in asymmetric hydrogenation by Kagan and Knowles, respectively. Kagan reported the first bisphosphine ligand, DIOP, for Rhcatalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation.8 The successful application of DIOP resulted in several significant directions for ligand design in asymmetric hydrogenation. Chelating bisphosphorus ligands could lead to superior enantioselectivity compared to monodentate phosphines. Additionally, P-chiral phosphorus ligands were not necessary for achieving high enantioselectivity, and ligands with backbone chirality could also provide excellent ee’s in asymmetric hydrogenation. Furthermore, C2 symmetry was an important structural feature for developing new efficient chiral ligands. Kagan’s seminal work immediately led to the rapid development of chiral bisphosphorus ligands. Knowles made his significant discovery of a C2-symmetric chelating bisphosphine ligand, DIPAMP.9 Due to its high catalytic efficiency in Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of dehydroamino acids, DIPAMP was quickly employed in the industrial production of L-DOPA.10 The success of practical synthesis of L-DOPA via asymmetric hydrogenation constituted a milestone work and for this work Knowles was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2001.3k This work has enlightened chemists to realize * Corresponding author. 3029 Chem. Rev. 2003, 103, 3029−3069

New Chiral Phosphorus Ligands for Enantioselective Hydrogenation

and Fuels Changzhi Li,† Xiaochen Zhao,† Aiqin Wang,† George W. Huber,†,‡ and Tao Zhang*,† †State Key Laborotary of Catalysis, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China ‡Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of WisconsinMadison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States

Catalytic Transformation of Lignin for the Production of Chemicals and Fuels

Thermodynamics of ligand and oxygen binding to cobalt protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester in toluene solution.

The reactivity of five-coordinate Ru(II) (1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane) complexes with the N-donor ligands: ammonia, pyridine, 4-substituted pyridines, 2,2′-bipyridine, bis(o-pyridyl)amine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 4,7-diphenylphenanthroline and ethylenediamine

Catalysed aerobic dehydrogenation of amines and an X-ray crystal structure of a bis(benzylamine) ruthenium(II) porphyrin species

Synthesis of chiral amines catalyzed homogeneously by metal complexes

Hydrogenolysis reactions of so-called lignin model dimers using a Ru-xantphos catalyst are presented (xantphos = 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene). For example, of some nine models studied, the alcohol, 2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-phenylethanol (1), with 5 mol% Ru(H)2(CO)(PPh3)(xantphos) (18) in toluene-d8 at 135 °C for 20 h under N2, gives in ∼95% yield the C–O cleavage hydrogenolysis products, acetophenone (14) and guaiacol (17), and a small amount (<5%) of the ketone, 2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-phenylethanone (4), as observed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The in situ Ru(H)2(CO)(PPh3)3/xantphos system gives similar findings, confirming a recent report (J. M. Nichols et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2010, 132, 12554). The active catalyst is formulated ‘for convenience’ as ‘Ru(CO)(xantphos)’. The hydrogenolysis mechanism proceeds by initial dehydrogenation to give the ketone 4, which then undergoes hydrogenolysis of the C–O bond to give 14 and 17. Hydrogenolysis of 4 to 14 and 17 also occurs using the Ru catalyst under 1 atm H2; in contrast, use of 3-hydroxy-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-phenyl-1-propanone (7), for example, where the CH2 of 4 has been changed to CHCH2OH, gives a low yield (≤15%) of hydrogenolysis products. Similarly, the diol substrate, 2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol (9), gives low yields of hydrogenolysis products. These low yields are due to formation of the catalytically inactive complexes Ru(CO)(xantphos)[C(O)C(OC6H4OMe)C(Ph)O] (20) and/or Ru(CO)(xantphos)[C(O)CHC(Ph)O] (21), where the organic fragments result from dehydrogenation of CH2OH moieties in 7 and 9. Trace amounts of Ru(CO)(xantphos)(OC6H4O), a catecholate complex, are isolated from the reaction of 18 with 1. Improved syntheses of 18 and lignin models are also presented.

Brian R. James

Papers

Thermodynamics of ligand and oxygen binding to cobalt protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester in toluene solution.

The reactivity of five-coordinate Ru(II) (1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane) complexes with the N-donor ligands: ammonia, pyridine, 4-substituted pyridines, 2,2′-bipyridine, bis(o-pyridyl)amine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 4,7-diphenylphenanthroline and ethylenediamine

Catalysed aerobic dehydrogenation of amines and an X-ray crystal structure of a bis(benzylamine) ruthenium(II) porphyrin species

Synthesis of chiral amines catalyzed homogeneously by metal complexes

Hydrogenolysis of β-O-4 lignin model dimers by a ruthenium-xantphos catalyst.