Enantiopure bisphosphine ligands with appended crown ether groups as regulation sites for Rh-mediated hydrogenations

Chiral Crown Ethers Accessed from Catalytic Enantioselective Desymmetrization Reactions

A diversity of unprecedented chiral aza-crown ethers were synthesized straightforwardly from readily available and inexpensive aza-crown ethers. Catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid, desymmetrization of an array of symmetric N-arylated aza-crown ethers through tert-amino reaction proceeded efficiently under mild conditions to produce novel tetrahydroquinoline-fused aza-crown ethers in good to excellent yields with up to 96% ee. Our strategy opens a new route to functionalized chiral crown ethers.

Mechanochemical Regulation of Oxidative Addition to a Palladium(0) Bisphosphine Complex

Here, we report the effect of force applied to the biaryl backbone of a bisphosphine ligand on the rate of oxidative addition of bromobenzene to a ligand-coordinated palladium center. Local compressive and tensile forces on the order of 100 pN were generated using a stiff stilbene force probe. A compressive force increases the rate of oxidative addition, whereas a tensile force decreases the rate, relative to that of the parent complex of strain-free ligand. Rates vary by a factor of ∼6 across ∼340 pN of force applied to the complexes. The crystal structures and DFT calculations support that force-induced perturbation of the geometry of the reactant is negligible. The force-rate relationship observed is mainly attributed to the coupling of force to nuclear motion comprising the reaction coordinate. These observations inform the development of catalysts whose activity can be tuned by an external force that is adjusted within a catalytic cycle.

Supramolecularly regulated copper-bisoxazoline catalysts for the efficient insertion of carbenoid species into hydroxyl bonds

The catalytic insertion of copper carbenoids into O-H bonds affords synthetically useful α-alkyl/aryl-α-alkoxy/aryloxy derivatives. Herein, the design, preparation and application of supramolecularly regulated copper(i) complexes of bisoxazoline ligands is reported. We have demonstrated that the catalytic performance of these systems can be modulated by the use of an external molecule (i.e. the regulation agent), which interacts with a polyethyleneoxy chain on the ligand (i.e. the regulation site) via supramolecular interactions. This approach has been applied to an array of structurally diverse alcohols (cycloalkyl, alkyl and aryl derivatives). Moreover, we have used this methodology to synthesise advanced synthetic intermediates of biologically relevant compounds.

Selective functionalisation of aromatic alcohols with supramolecularly regulated gold(i) catalysts

Phosphite-based Au(i) catalytic systems containing an array of structurally diverse polyether-based regulation sites were designed and synthesised.

Halogen bonding effects on the outcome of reactions at metal centres

Key findings regarding the effects of ligand preorganisation via halogen bonding on the outcome of reactions at rhodium are reported.

Cation-controlled catalysis with crown ether-containing transition metal complexes

This Feature Article reviews the structural motifs and catalytic applications of crown ether-containing catalysts and details the development of “pincer-crown ether” ligands for applications in controlled catalysis.

Efficient modular phosphorus-containing ligands for stereoselective catalysis

Over several years, our research team has contributed to ligand design for metal-catalyzed stereoselective transformations. This has been achieved with the synthesis and application to organic transformations of interest of an array of structurally diverse P-containing ligands. These range from highly modular enantiopure phosphine–phosphite ligands to supramolecularly regulated enantioselective phosphorus-based catalysts. Our research in supramolecular interactions has also led to the discovery of an unprecedented halogen-bonded rhodium-catalyst.

Syntheses, characterisation and solid-state study of alkali and ammonium BArF salts

Syntheses, characterisation in solution and solid-state studies of alkali and ammonium BArF salts are reported.

Supramolecularly fine-regulated enantioselective catalysts

The use of supramolecular interactions in catalysis has undergone major growth in the last decade and has contributed to the major advances achieved in the field of enantioselective catalysis.

Asymmetric Hydroformylation of Heterocyclic Olefins Mediated by Supramolecularly Regulated Rhodium-Bisphosphite Complexes

Rhodium complexes derived from conformationally transformable α,ω-bisphosphite ligands combined with a suitable alkali metal BArF salt as a regulation agent (RA) provide high regio- and enantioselectivities in the asymmetric hydroformylation (AHF) of three heterocyclic olefins. The outcome of the AHF could be exquisitely regulated by choosing the appropriate RA with an increase in the ee, the reversal of the regioselectivity, or the complete suppression of one byproduct.