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Owing to their distinctive 1,3-dipolar structure, the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of nitrones to hydroxylamines has been a formidable and longstanding challenge, characterized by intricate enantiocontrol and susceptibility to N-O bond cleavage. In this study, the asymmetric hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation of nitrones were accomplished with a tethered TsDPEN-derived cyclopentadienyl rhodium(III) catalyst (TsDPEN: p-toluenesulfonyl-1,2-diphenylethylene-1,2-diamine), the reaction proceeds via a novel 7-membered cyclic transition state, producing chiral hydroxylamines with up to 99 % yield and >99 % ee. The practical viability of this methodology was underscored by gram-scale catalytic reactions and subsequent transformations. Furthermore, mechanistic investigations and DFT calculations were also conducted to elucidate the origin of enantioselectivity., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

We herein reported the design and synthesis of a ferrocene-based tetradentate ligand that is featured with modular synthesis and rigid skeleton. Its iron(II) complex facilitates asymmetric direct hydrogenation of ketones without the participation of extra strong-field ligand such as CO and isocyanide. Hydride donor lithium aluminum hydride (LAH) converted non-reactive Fe(II) species to reactive Fe(II) hydride species. With this catalyst, various chiral alcohols including the intermediate for montelukast could be prepared with satisfactory yields and enantioinduction., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The atom- and step-efficient synthesis of chiral fused tricyclic lactams from readily available ketoesters using cheap ammonium salts as the nitrogen source is reported. This ruthenium-catalyzed system operates through an efficient tandem dynamic kinetic asymmetric reductive amination (ARA)/lactamization and produces chiral fused tricyclic lactams in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee, >20 : 1 dr and 98 % yield). The robust method was also applied to the concise synthesis of key intermediates in the synthesis of rivastigmine analogues and chiral N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

By combining the concept of flash chemistry and radial synthesis, a novel microreactor (Flashstop reactor) was designed to study isomerization process of hydroformylation by a Rh/tetraphosphite catalyst in a time scale of seconds. It was found that in the initial 313 seconds, 60-99 % of 1-octene was isomerized to 2- and 3-octenes before the formation of aldehydes. Within this period, two different types of isomerization reactions were observed. It was proposed that a monohydride complex without CO ligand accounts for the ultrafast isomerization in the initial 30 seconds. The isomerization rate with such monohydride species was calculated much faster than that with the well-known H(CO)Rh(P-P) species. Both experimental and DFT computational studies were carried out to support this assumption. Fast transformations early on in catalytic cycles have been rarely studied due to the lack of proper tools. We believe that the Flashstop reactor is a powerful tool for analysis of kinetics in gas-liquid biphasic reactions within a time scale of seconds to minutes., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Arene hydrogenation is the most straightforward method to prepare carbo- and heterocycles. However, the high resonance energy prevents aromatic substrates from hydrogenation. Herein the homogeneous, nucleophilic hydrogenation of less electron-rich arenes and heteroarenes is reported. The Co(P 4 N 2 )H species that has been demonstrated to be a strong hydride donor could deliver a hydride ion to the cyano (hetero)arene substrates. Deuterium labeling experiments supported a Michael-type reaction pathway. Theoretical analyses have been conducted to investigate the hydricity of the catalytically active CoH species and the electrophilicity of the arene substrates. An outlook for the synthesis of more challenging substituted benzenes was proposed based on the in silico modification of the CoH species., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The first rhodium-catalyzed highly chemo-, regio- and enantioselective hydroformylation of cyclopropyl-functionalized trisubstituted alkenes affording useful chiral cyclopropyl entities is reported. Compared to generally used diphosphine ligands for asymmetric catalysis, the modified hybrid phosphorus ligand, named (R,S)-DTBM-Yanphos, can convert a series of readily available cyclopropyl-functionalized trisubstituted alkenes into high-value chiral cyclopropyl-functionalized aldehydes with high selectivities (81-98 % ee). Gram-scale reactions (TON up to 1500) and follow-up transformations to the corresponding alcohol, acid, esters and nitrile are also presented. Finally, a possible hydroformylation mechanism involving ring-open-hydroformylation pathways is proposed based on control and deuteroformylation reactions., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

An unprecedented highly enantioselective Ru-catalyzed direct asymmetric reductive amination of α-keto amides with ammonium salts has been disclosed, efficiently offering valuable enantioenriched N-unprotected unnatural α-amino acid derivatives bearing a broad range of aryl or alkyl α-substituents. This protocol features easily accessible substrates, good functional-group tolerance and excellent enantiocontrol, making it a good complementary approach to the known methods. Moreover, this method is also applicable to the preparation of N-unprotected unnatural α-amino acid derivatives containing an additional stereogenic center at the β-position through a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) process. Convenient transformations of the obtained products into chiral N-unprotected unnatural α-amino acids, drug intermediates, peptides, and organocatalysts/ligands further showcase the utility of this method., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A phosphine-catalyzed highly enantioselective and diastereoselective (up to 98 % ee and >20 : 1 dr) (3+2) annulation between vinylcyclopropanes and N-tosylaldimines has been developed, which allows facile access to a range of highly functionalized chiral pyrrolidines. Notably, this method makes use of vinylcyclopropanes as a synthon for phosphine-mediated asymmetric annulation reaction, which will offer new opportunities for potential applications of cyclopropanes substrates in phosphine-catalyzed organic transformations., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Due to the linear coordination nature of gold(I) catalysts, achieving high enantiocontrol in asymmetric gold catalysis is a great challenge. To improve the enantiocontrol of gold catalysis, an ion-pairing strategy was therefore proposed. A series of bifunctional P,N ligands based on chiral spirocyclic and biaryl scaffolds were synthesized and applied in the gold(I)-catalyzed desymmetric lactonization of alkynylmalonic acids. A wide range of chiral lactones containing an α-position quaternary stereocenter were synthesized with high yields, excellent regioselectivity and enantioselectivity under mild reaction conditions. The synthetic utilities of the current reaction were demonstrated by gram-scale synthesis and transformations of chiral lactones. The origin of enantioselectivity and the role of the alcohol additive were elucidated via control experiments and DFT calculations., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Chiral carboxylic acids are important compounds because of their prevalence in pharmaceuticals, natural products and agrochemicals. Asymmetric hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids has been widely recognized as one of the most efficient synthetic approaches to afford such compounds. Although related asymmetric hydrogenation of di- and trisubstituted unsaturated acids with noble metals is well established, asymmetric hydrogenation of challenging tetrasubstituted α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids is rarely reported. We demonstrate enantioselective hydrogenation of cyclic and acyclic tetrasubstituted α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids via cobalt(II) catalysis. This protocol showed broad substrate scope and gave chiral carboxylic acids in good yields with excellent enantiocontrol (up to 98 % yield and 99 % ee). Combined experimental and computational mechanistic studies support a Co II catalytic cycle involving migratory insertion and σ-bond metathesis processes. DFT calculations reveal that enantioselectivity may originate from the steric effect between the phenyl groups of the ligand and the substrate., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

An unprecedented Ir/f-amphox-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of racemic 2,3-syn-dihydroxy-1,4-diones is presented involving dynamic kinetic resolution, which produces (1R,2R,3R,4R)-tetraols. This protocol constitutes an efficient and straightforward approach to accessing sugar alcohols bearing four contiguous stereocenters. The strategy exhibits various advantages over existing methods, including excellent yields (up to 98 %), exceptional stereoselectivities (up to 99:1 dr, 99.9 % ee), operational simplicity and substrate generality. Moreover, the nature of the reaction was revealed as a stepwise transformation by in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and isolation of intermediates., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

For over half a century, transition-metal-catalyzed homogeneous hydrogenation has been mainly focused on neutral and readily prepared unsaturated substrates. Although the addition of molecular hydrogen to C=C, C=N, and C=O bonds represents a well-studied paradigm, the asymmetric hydrogenation of cationic species remains an underdeveloped area. In this study, we were seeking a breakthrough in asymmetric hydrogenation, with cationic intermediates as targets, and thereby anticipating applying this powerful tool to the construction of challenging chiral molecules. Under acidic conditions, both N- or O-acetylsalicylamides underwent cyclization to generate cationic intermediates, which were subsequently reduced by an iridium or rhodium hydride complex. The resulting N,O-acetals were synthesized with remarkably high enantioselectivity. This catalytic strategy exhibited high efficiency (turnover number of up to 4400) and high chemoselectivity. Mechanistic studies supported the hypothesis that a cationic intermediate was formed in situ and hydrogenated afterwards. A catalytic cycle has been proposed with hydride transfer from the iridium complex to the cationic sp 2 carbon atom being the rate-determining step. A steric map of the catalyst has been created to illustrate the chiral environment, and a quantitative structure-selectivity relationship analysis showed how enantiomeric induction was achieved in this chemical transformation., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Ionic hydrogenation has not been extensively explored, but is advantageous for challenging substrates such as unsaturated intermediates. Reported here is an iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation of oxocarbenium ions to afford chiral isochromans with high enantioselectivities. A variety of functionalities are compatible with this catalytic system. In the presence of a catalytic amount of the Brønsted acid HCl, an α-chloroether is generated in situ and subsequentially reduced. Kinetic studies suggest first-order kinetics in the substrate and half-order kinetics in the catalyst. A positive nonlinear effect, together with the half kinetic order, revealed a dimerization of the catalyst. Possible reaction pathways based on the monomeric iridium catalyst were proposed and DFT computational studies revealed an ionic hydrogenation pathway. Chloride abstraction and the cleavage of dihydrogen occur in the same step., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A Ru-catalyzed direct asymmetric reductive amination of ortho-OH-substituted diaryl and sterically hindered ketones with ammonium salts is reported. This method represents a straightforward route toward the synthesis of synthetically useful chiral primary diarylmethylamines and sterically hindered benzylamines (up to 97 % yield, 93->99 % ee). Elaborations of the chiral amine products into bioactive compounds and a chiral ligand were demonstrated through manipulation of the removable and convertible -OH group., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A general and efficient rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric cyanide-free hydrocyanation of alkenes has been developed. Based on the asymmetric hydroformylation/condensation/aza-Cope elimination sequences, a broad scope of substrates including mono-substituted, 1,2-, and 1,1-disubstituted alkenes (involving natural product R- and S-limonene) were employed, and a series of valuable chiral nitriles are prepared with high yields (up to 95 %) and enantioselectivities (up to 98 % ee). Notably, the critical factor to achieve high enantioseletivies is the addition of catalytic amount of benzoic acid. This novel methodology provides an efficient and concise synthetic route to the intermediate of vildagliptin and anagliptin., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A highly efficient ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric reductive amination (ARA) of racemic β-keto lactams with molecular hydrogen and ammonium salts is disclosed for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure primary amino lactams through dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR). By this approach, a range of syn primary β-amino lactams were obtained in high yields with high chemo-, enantio-, and diastereoselectivity (up to 98 % yield, 99 % ee, >20:1 d.r., syn products). The utility of the products has been demonstrated by rapid access to a key synthetic intermediate towards biologically active drug molecules. Meanwhile, mechanistic studies and control experiments indicate that the reaction may proceed through the hydrogenation of an iminium intermediate., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A highly regio- and enantioselective hydrogenation of challenging tetrasubstituted allenyl sulfones has been developed, affording chiral allylic sulfones in good yields with excellent regio- and enantioselectivities (up to 99 % yield and 99 % ee). This method provides an efficient and concise route to chiral allylic sulfones, thus offering an atom-economic process with a wide range of potential applications in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Stereospecific nucleophilic substitution was achieved for the first time with arylboronic acids as nucleophiles. This transition-metal-free coupling between chiral α-aryl-α-mesylated acetamides and arylboronic acids provided access to a series of chiral α,α-diaryl acetamides with excellent enantioselectivity and moderate to good yields. The CONH functionality proved to be crucial for bridging the reactants and promoting the reaction. Efficient syntheses of a cannabinoid CB 1 receptor ligand, the antidepressant (S)-diclofensine, and a key chiral building block of the inhibitor implitapide were successfully accomplished by using this method., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Inspired by the unique character of enzymes, we developed novel chiral SPO (secondary-phosphine-oxide) ligand (SPO-Wudaphos) which can enter into both ion pair and H-bond noncovalent interactions. The novel chiral SPO-Wudaphos exhibited excellent results in the asymmetric hydrogenation of α-methylene-γ-keto carboxylic acids, affording the chiral γ-keto acids with up to over 99 % ee. A series of control experiments and DFT calculations were conducted to illustrate the critical roles of both the ion pair and H-bond noncovalent interactions., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We have successfully developed a series of novel and modular ferrorence-based amino-phosphine-alcohol (f-Amphol) ligands, and applied them to iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of various simple ketones to afford the corresponding chiral alcohols with excellent enantioselectivities and conversions (98-99.9 % ee, >99 % conversion, turnover number up to 200 000). Control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have shown that the hydroxyl group of our f-Amphol ligands played a key role in this asymmetric hydrogenation., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A highly chemoselective and reactive direct catalytic reduction of various amides to amines and alcohols was developed by using a tetradentate ruthenium complex. The catalytic system showed excellent activity (turnover numbers up to 19 600) and great functional group tolerance under mild reaction conditions, compared to several bidentate and tridentate ruthenium-catalyzed systems., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

New bipyridinemethanamine-containing tetradentate ligands and their corresponding ruthenium complexes have been synthesized. The synthesized complexes performed well in the hydrogenation of a variety of esters with high efficiency (TON up to 9700) giving alcohols in good yields., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee) and diastereoselectivities (up to >99:1 d.r.) have been achieved in the desymmetrization of cyclopentenes by catalytic hydroformylation. This novel methodology provides an efficient and concise synthetic route to chiral cyclopentane carboxaldehydes. The key intermediate, (1S,3S)-(3-hydroxymethyl)cyclopentanol, for the synthesis of carbocyclic-ddA was obtained in three steps., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The highly efficient and direct asymmetric reductive amination of arylacetones catalyzed by an iridium complex for the preparation of enantiomerically pure β-arylamines is described. The monodentate phosphoramidite ligand exhibits superb reactivity (TONs of up to 20 000) and enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee). Additives played important roles in this reductive coupling reaction., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Rhodium/DuanPhos-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of aliphatic α-dehydroamino ketones has been achieved and afforded chiral α-amino ketones in high yields and excellent enantioselectives (up to 99 % ee), which could be reduced further to chiral β-amino alcohols by LiAlH(tBuO)3 with good yields. This protocol provides a readily accessible route for the synthesis of chiral α-amino ketones and chiral β-amino alcohols., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An efficient and highly regio- and enantioselective catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of α,γ-dienamido esters to γ,δ-unsaturated amido esters has been achieved using Rh/TangPhos as the catalyst. A series of γ,δ-unsaturated amido acids were furnished in excellent yields with up to 99% ee. This effective methodology was applied in the asymmetric synthesis of key intermediate of Ramipril, an ACE inhibitor., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of N-alkyl-2-alkylpyridinium salts provided 2-aryl-substituted piperidines with high levels of enantioselectivity. Simple benzyl and other alkyl groups successfully activated the challenging pyridine substrates toward hydrogenation. The use of the unusual chiral-phosphole-based MP(2) -SEGPHOS was the key to the success of this approach which provides a versatile and practical procedure for the synthesis of chiral piperidines., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Asymmetric hydrogenation of unprotected NH imines catalyzed by rhodium/bis(phosphine)-thiourea provided chiral amines with up to 97% yield and 95% ee. (1)H NMR studies, coupled with control experiments, implied that catalytic chloride-bound intermediates were involved in the mechanism through a dual hydrogen-bonding interaction. Deuteration experiments proved that the hydrogenation proceeded through a pathway consistent with an imine., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

An efficient methodology for synthesizing a small library of easily tunable and sterically bulky ligands for asymmetric hydroformylation (AHF) has been reported. Five groups of alkene substrates have been tested with excellent conversions, moderate-to-excellent regio- and enantioselectivities. Among the best result of the reported literature, application of ligand 1 c in the highly selective AHF of the challenging substrate 2,5-dihydrofuran yielded almost one isomer in up to 99 % conversion along with enantiomeric excesses (ee) of up to 92 %. Highly enantioselective AHF of dihydropyrrole substrates is achieved using the same ligand, with up to 95 % ee and up to >1:50 β-isomer/α-isomer ratio., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Building the building blocks: A highly enantioselective hydrogenation of β-aryl-β-alkyl disubstituted nitroalkenes 1 has been developed. This method results in enantiomerically pure nitroalkanes 2, which are versatile precursors for chemical synthesis., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

New tetraphosphorus ligands have been developed and applied in the rhodium-catalyzed regioselective hydroformylation of a variety of functionalized allyl and vinyl derivatives. Remarkably high linear selectivity was obtained by these tetraphosphorus ligands. The ligand that bears strong electron-withdrawing 2,4-difluorophenyl groups is the most effective one in affording linear aldehydes. The Rh/tetraphosphorus ligand catalyst is highly effective to produce linear aldehydes from functionalized allyl derivatives with heteroatoms or aromatic groups directly adjacent to the allyl group. For vinyl derivatives, the ligand is highly linear selective for acrylic derivatives, styrene, vinyl pyridine, and vinyl phthalimide. Linear to branch ratios of 26:1 and 10:1 were obtained for the hydroformylation of styrene and allyl cyanide, respectively., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A highly regioselective hydroaminomethylation of terminal olefins catalyzed by Rh complexes with 2, 2', 6, 6'-tetrakis ((diphenylphosphino)methyl)-1, 1'-biphenyl (Tetrabi) ligand has been developed. Up to 99 % amine selectivity, 168 linear/branched amine product ratio (n/i), and 97.4 % linear amine yield has been obtained at a substrate/rhodium precursor ratio (S/Rh) of 1000 with this methodology. The turnover number was achieved 6930 at 10,000 S/Rh ratio, and the n/i can reach up to >525. Several different olefins and secondary amines have been applied successfully with high chemoselectivity (99 %), yield (>98 %), and regioselectivity (>120)., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A new class of substituted tetraphosphane ligands has been developed and applied in the rhodium-catalyzed regioselective hydroformylation of terminal olefins. The high regioselectivity (linear selectivity is above 97 % for 1-octene and 1-hexene) at high temperature (140 degrees C) shown by these tetraphosphane ligands is remarkable considering the low regioselectivity commonly observed under similar reaction conditions when other bisphosphane analogues are used. The steric and electronic effects of substituents on the diarylphosphane moiety have also been examined.

The mechanism of the chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger (B-V) reaction of cyclobutanones with hydrogen peroxide was investigated by using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. Of the two pathways that have been proposed for the present reaction, the pathway involving a peroxyphosphate intermediate is not viable. The reaction progress kinetic analysis indicates that the reaction is partially inhibited by the gamma-lactone product. Initial rate measurements suggest that the reaction follows Michaelis-Menten-type kinetics consistent with a bifunctional mechanism in which the catalyst is actively involved in both carbonyl addition and the subsequent rearrangement steps through hydrogen-bonding interactions with the reactants or the intermediate. High-level quantum chemical calculations strongly support a two-step concerted mechanism in which the phosphoric acid activates the reactants or the intermediate in a synergistic manner through partial proton transfer. The catalyst simultaneously acts as a general acid, by increasing the electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon, increases the nucleophilicity of hydrogen peroxide as a Lewis base in the addition step, and facilitates the dissociation of the OH group from the Criegee intermediate in the rearrangement step. The overall reaction is highly exothermic, and the rearrangement of the Criegee intermediate is the rate-determining step. The observed reactivity of this catalytic B-V reaction also results, in part, from the ring strain in cyclobutanones. The sense of chiral induction is rationalized by the analysis of the relative energies of the competing diastereomeric transition states, in which the steric repulsion between the 3-substituent of the cyclobutanone and the 3- and 3'-substituents of the catalyst, as well as the entropy and solvent effects, are found to be critically important.

A series of hybrid phosphine-phosphoramidite ligands has been designed and synthesized in moderate yields from chiral BINOL (1,1'-bi-2-naphthol) or NOBIN (2-amino-2'-hydroxy-1,1'-binaphthyl). They have achieved highly regio- and enantioselectivities in Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydroformylations of styrene derivatives (branched/linear ratio up to 56.6, ee up to 99 %), vinyl acetate derivatives (up to 98 % ee), and allyl cyanide (up to 96 % ee). Systematic variation of ligand structure showed that the steric factor on the phsophoramidite moiety determined the performance of the ligand. With the increased hindrance, the branched/linear ratio rose, while the ee value dropped in the hydroformylation of styrene. However, the N-substituents did not influence the selectivities much.

From imines to amines through catalysis by Ir(I) complexes of a new type of P,N ligand (see scheme): This reaction affords the corresponding optically active amines with up to 98 % ee and has also been used with perfect stereoselectivity in the asymmetric synthesis of sertraline (1), an important antidepressant chiral drug.

Two beta-receptor agonists (-)-denopamine and (-)-arbutamine were prepared in good yields and enantioselectivities by asymmetric hydrogenation of unprotected amino ketones for the first time by using Rh catalysts bearing electron-donating phosphine ligands. A series of alpha-primary and secondary amino ketones were synthesized and hydrogenated to produce various 1,2-amino alcohols in good yields and with good enantioselectivies. This Rh electron-donating phosphine-catalyzed asymmetric hyderogenation represents one of the most promising and convenient approaches towards the asymmetric synthesis of chiral amino alcohols.