Me-DuPHOS-Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of the Pivotal Glutarate Intermediate for Candoxatril

Rhodium diphosphine complexes: a case study for catalyst activation and deactivation

The present work provides an overview of possible activation and deactivation phenomena in homogeneous catalytic processes promoted by different types of rhodium complexes containing diphosphine ligands.

Rhodium-catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation as a valuable synthetic tool for the preparation of chiral drugs

During the last few decades, rhodium-catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation of diverse alkene classes has emerged as a powerful synthetic tool in the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to the manufacturing of chiral drugs, recent drug candidates for clinical trials, and major synthetic precursors of drugs. Numerous efficient chiral rhodium complexes, most of which are derived from enantiopure phosphorus ligands, have been employed for the preparation of chiral drugs and intermediates thereof. This review article is intended to provide an updated overview of the most striking contributions in this field, organised according to substrate class: acrylate derivatives, itaconate derivatives, α-substituted enamides, α-arylenol acetates, and minimally functionalised olefins.

Carbon−Oxygen Bond Formation between a Terminal Alkoxo Ligand and a Coordinated Olefin. Evidence for Olefin Insertion into a Rhodium Alkoxide

Preparation and reactivity of a series of bis(phosphine) rhodium(I) alkoxides stabilized by intramolecular olefin coordination are reported. {Rh(PEt3)2[kappa1:eta2-OCRR'(CH2)nCH=CH2]} (n = 1, 2) were prepared via alcoholysis of {Rh(PEt3)2[N(SiMe3)2]} by the corresponding alcohols HOCRR'(CH2)nCH=CH2. The in situ generated {Rh(PEt3)2[kappa1:eta2-OCRR'(CH2)2CH=CH2]} were not stable at ambient temperatures and decomposed in the presence of added PEt3 to afford 2,2-disubstituted-5-methylenetetrahydrofurans and [(PEt3)4Rh-H] in good to high yields. Kinetic and deuterium labeling results support a syn-oxyrhodation pathway via direct olefin insertion into a Rh-O bond, followed by rapid beta-hydride elimination. In comparison, {Rh(PEt3)2[kappa1:eta2-OCRR'CH2CH=CH2]} are isolated as stable crystals, and the Rh-olefin interactions are evidenced by an X-ray structure. Heating of these complexes generated [Rh(PEt3)2(eta2-allyl)] and the corresponding ketones in high yields following an apparent beta-allyl elimination pathway.

Asymmetry on large scale: the roadmap to stereoselective processes

In recent years there has been a movement in drug discovery and development away from chemical processes that produce racemic compounds towards those that produce stereochemically defined products. Asymmetric reactions are an attractive way to produce such products. Here, I discuss the factors that are important in deciding whether using an asymmetric reaction is the most appropriate approach for the large-scale synthesis of a stereochemically defined pharmaceutical compound, and highlight progress in the development of large-scale stereoselective processes.

Asymmetric catalysis: an enabling science

Chirality of organic molecules plays an enormous role in areas ranging from medicine to material science, yet the synthesis of such entities in one enantiomeric form is one of the most difficult challenges. The advances being made stem from the convergence of a broader understanding of theory and how structure begets function, the developments in the interface between organic and inorganic chemistry and, most notably, the organic chemistry of the transition metals, and the continuing advancements in the tools to help define structure, especially in solution. General themes for designing catalysts to effect asymmetric induction are helping to make this strategy more useful, in general, with the resultant effect of a marked enhancement of synthetic efficiency.

An enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(+)-3-aminomethyl-5-methylhexanoic acid via asymmetric hydrogenation

A concise enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(+)-3-aminomethyl-5-methylhexanoic acid (1, Pregabalin) has been developed. The key step is the asymmetric hydrogenation of a 3-cyano-5-methylhex-3-enoic acid salt 2 with a rhodium Me-DuPHOS catalyst, providing the desired (S)-3-cyano-5-methylhexanoate 3 in very high ee. Subsequent hydrogenation of the nitrile 3 with a heterogeneous nickel catalyst provides Pregabalin 1 in excellent overall yield and purity.

Expanding the family of phospholane-based ligands: 1,2-bis(2,5-diphenylphospholano)ethane

[reaction: see text] 1,2-Bis(2,5-diphenylphospholano)ethane (Ph-BPE) has been synthesized for the first time through employment of an undemanding synthetic pathway. The new ligand exhibits enhanced activity and selectivity over the existing members of the BPE ligand family in rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation.

Synthesis of chiral hydroxyl phospholanes from D-mannitol and their use in asymmetric catalytic reactions

Chiral hydroxyl monophosphane 3 [(2S,3S,4S,5S)-3,4-dihydroxy-2, 5-dimethyl-1-phenylphospholane] and bisphospholanes 5a [1,2-bis[(2S, 3S,4S,5S)-3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-dimethylphospholanyl]benzene] and 5b [1, 2-bis[(2S,3S,4S,5S)-2,5-diethyl-3,4-dihydroxyphospholanyl]benzene] were synthesized from readily available D-mannitol in high yields. Strategies for protection and deprotection of OH-groups in the presence of phosphines have been explored. Rate acceleration in the Baylis-Hillman reaction was observed when a hydroxyl phosphine was used as the catalyst. Rhodium complexes with chiral bisphospholanes are highly enantioselective catalysts for the asymmetric hydrogenation of various kinds of functionalized olefins such as dehydroamino acid derivatives, itaconic acid derivatives, and enamides. An interesting feature of the hydroxyl phospholane system is that hydrogenation of some substrates can be carried out in water with >99% ee and 100% conversion (e.g., itaconic acid).

Modular phospholane ligands in asymmetric catalysis

This Account outlines the preparation and application of a class of phosphine ligands based upon the trans-2,5-disubstituted phospholane moiety. The modular nature of these ligands has allowed facile variation of both phospholane substituent and backbone structure, thus providing access to a series of ligands. Bidentate bis(phospholane) ligands have been found to be very useful in asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation reactions. In particular, we highlight the versatility of highly efficient bis(phospholane)rhodium catalysts that allow enantioselective hydrogenation to produce a diverse range of compounds containing C-N, C-O, and C-C stereogenic centers.