Structural control in palladium(II)-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation by new chiral phosphine-phosphite and pyridine-phosphite ligands

Abstract

The ligands 6-[(diphenylphosphanyl)methoxy]-4,8-di-tert-butyl-2,10-dimethoxy-5,7-dioxa-6-phosphadibenzo[a,c]cycloheptene, 1, (S)-4-[(diphenylphosphanyl)methoxy]-3,5-dioxa-4-phosphacyclohepta[2,1-a;3,4a′]dinaphthalene, (S)-2, and (S)-4-[(diphenylphosphanyl)methoxy]-2,6-bis-trimethylsilanyl-3,5-dioxa-4-phosphacyclohepta[2,1-a;3,4-a′]dinaphthalene, (S)-3, (S)-2-(3,5-dioxa-4-phosphacyclohepta[2,1-a;3,4-a′]dinaphthalen-4-yloxymethyl)pyridine, (S)-4, and (S)-2-(3,5-dioxa-4-phosphacyclohepta[2,1-a;3,4-a′]dinaphthalen-4-yloxy)pyridine, (S)-5, have been easily prepared.The cationic complexes [Pd(η3-C3H5)(L-L′)]CF3SO3 (L–L′=1–(S)-5) and [Pd(η3-PhCHCHCHPh)(L–L′)]CF3SO3 (L–L′=(S)-2–(S)-4) were synthesized by conventional methods starting from the complexes [Pd(η3-C3H5)Cl]2 and [Pd(η3-PhCHCHCHPh)Cl]2, respectively. The behavior in solution of all the π-allyl- and π-phenylallyl-(L–L′)palladium derivatives 6–14 was studied by 1H, 31P{1H}, 13C{1H} NMR and 2D-NOESY spectroscopy. As concerns the ligands (S)-4 and (S)-5, a satisfactory analysis of the structures in solution was possible only for palladium–allyl complexes [Pd(η3-C3H5)((S)-4)]CF3SO3, 11, and [Pd(η3-C3H5)((S)-5)]CF3SO3, 12, since the corresponding species [Pd(η3-PhCHCHCHPh)((S)-4)]CF3SO3, 13, and [Pd(η3-PhCHCHCHPh)((S)-5)]CF3SO3, 14, revealed low stability in solution for a long time. The new ligands (S)-2–(S)-5 were tested in the palladium-catalyzed enantioselective substitution of (1,3-diphenyl-1,2-propenyl)acetate by dimethylmalonate. The precatalyst [Pd(η3-C3H5)((S)-2)]CF3SO3 afforded the allyl substituted product in good yield (95%) and acceptable enantioselectivities (71% e.e. in the S form). A similar result was achieved with the precatalyst [Pd(η3-C3H5)((S)-3)]CF3SO3. The nucleophilic attack of the malonate occurred preferentially at allylic carbon far from the binaphthalene moiety, namely trans to the phosphite group. When the complexes containing ligands (S)-4 and (S)-5 were used as precatalysts, the product was obtained as a racemic mixture in high yield. The number of the configurational isomers of the Pd-allyl intermediates present in solution in the allylic alkylation and the relative concentrations are considered a determining factor for the enantioselectivity of the process.