Chiral imidazolidinone and proline-derived surface modifiers for the Pt-catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation of activated ketones

Designing Sites in Heterogeneous Catalysis: Are We Reaching Selectivities Competitive With Those of Homogeneous Catalysts?

A critical review of different prominent nanotechnologies adapted to catalysis is provided, with focus on how they contribute to the improvement of selectivity in heterogeneous catalysis. Ways to modify catalytic sites range from the use of the reversible or irreversible adsorption of molecular modifiers to the immobilization or tethering of homogeneous catalysts and the development of well-defined catalytic sites on solid surfaces. The latter covers methods for the dispersion of single-atom sites within solid supports as well as the use of complex nanostructures, and it includes the post-modification of materials via processes such as silylation and atomic layer deposition. All these methodologies exhibit both advantages and limitations, but all offer new avenues for the design of catalysts for specific applications. Because of the high cost of most nanotechnologies and the fact that the resulting materials may exhibit limited thermal or chemical stability, they may be best aimed at improving the selective synthesis of high value-added chemicals, to be incorporated in organic synthesis schemes, but other applications are being explored as well to address problems in energy production, for instance, and to design greener chemical processes. The details of each of these approaches are discussed, and representative examples are provided. We conclude with some general remarks on the future of this field.

Chiral tandem modifiers: highly efficient cinchonidine-derivative modifiers at low concentrations for the enantioselective hydrogenation of (E)-2,3-diphenylpropenoic acid over Pd/C

Chiral tandem modifiers linking two or three cinchonidine molecules at the 2′-position of the quinoline ring are highly effective at low concentrations for the enantioselective hydrogenation of PCA over Pd/C.

Adsorption geometry and self-assembling of chiral modifier (R)-(+)-1-(1-naphthylethylamine) on Pt(111)

A mechanistic study on interaction of a chiral modifier - (R)-(+)-1-(1-naphthylethylamine) (R-NEA) - with a single crystalline Pt(111) surface is reported. The details of the adsorption geometry of individual R-NEA molecules and their intermolecular interactions are addressed by combination of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The spectroscopic observations suggest that the molecules are tilted with respect to the underlying metal substrate with the long axis of the naphthyl ring being parallel and the short axis tilted with respect to the surface. In the medium coverage range, formation of directed 3-5 membered chains was observed by STM for the first time, which points to intermolecular bonding between individual molecules and might account for an unusual tilted adsorption geometry deduced from the IR spectra. Based on the STM images revealing the atomic structure of the Pt grid close to the R-NEA chains, we propose the adsorption configuration of NEA fitting both the IRAS and STM data. The obtained results suggest that this strong intermolecular interaction energetically stabilizes the tilted adsorption geometry of the naphthyl ring, which otherwise would be expected to lie flat on the metal to maximize the dispersive interactions. At the coverage close to saturation, R-NEA builds a self-assembled overlayer with hexagonal symmetry, exhibiting intermolecular distances larger than in the directed chains.

Kinetic analysis of the asymmetric hydrogenation of (E)-2,3-diphenylpropenoic acid over cinchonidine derivative-modified Pd/C: quinoline ring modification

The substitutions at the 2′- and/or 6′-positions of the quinoline ring of cinchonidine reduce both the intrinsic enantioselectivity and adsorption strength for the enantioselective hydrogenation of α-phenylcinnamic acid over Pd/C.

Crucial aspects in the design of chirally modified noble metal catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation of activated ketones

In view of the importance of optically pure chiral products there is ample reason to develop methods that facilitate their efficient production. Compared to the mostly applied homogeneous catalysts based on transition metals coordinated to suitable chiral ligands, heterogeneous chiral catalysts could offer several features that are beneficial for practical application such as stability, ease of catalyst separation and regeneration as well as straightforward access to continuous process operation. Various strategies have been developed for imparting chirality to catalytic active surfaces, among which the chiral modification of active metal surfaces by adsorption of suitable chiral organic compounds has so far been among the most successful. In this tutorial review lessons learned from research on asymmetric hydrogenation on chirally modified noble metals will be presented. Key aspects for the design of such catalysts will be elucidated using chirally modified platinum catalysts for the asymmetric hydrogenation of α-activated ketones as an example.

Chirally-modified metal surfaces: energetics of interaction with chiral molecules

Imparting chirality to non-chiral metal surfaces by adsorption of chiral modifiers is a highly promising route to create effective heterogeneously catalyzed processes for the production of enantiopure pharmaceuticals.