Chiral Cyclopentadienyl Iridium(III) Complexes Promote Enantioselective Cycloisomerizations Giving Fused Cyclopropanes

Abstract

AbstractThe cyclopentadienyl (Cp) group is a very important ligand for many transition‐metal complexes which have been applied in catalysis. The availability of chiral cyclopentadienyl ligands (Cpx) lags behind other ligand classes, thus hampering the investigation of enantioselective processes. We report a library of chiral CpxIrIII complexes equipped with an atropchiral Cp scaffold. A robust complexation procedure reliably provides CpxIrIII complexes with tunable counterions. In a proof‐of‐concept application, the iodide‐bearing members are shown to be highly selective for enyne cycloisomerization reactions. The dehydropiperidine‐fused cyclopropane products are formed in good yields and enantioselectivities.