Synthesis of chiral salen-MnIII complexes tagged with ionic liquid as recoverable homogeneous catalysts for the oxidative kinetic resolution of (±)-secondary alcohols

Abstract

New chiral salen ligands tagged with imidazolium based ionic liquids (ILs) were synthesized from the 5-bromopentyl benzoate functionality at C-5 position of salicylaldehyde moiety, N-methylimidazole, and (1R,2R)-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine/(1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine in 81–92% yields. The chiral salen ligands were further reacted with Mn(OAc)2.4H2O in dry methanol under N2 atmosphere, followed by air oxidation with LiCl to produce the IL tagged chiral salen-MnIII complexes 1(a–c) and 2(a–c) in 79-86% yields. The catalytic activities of these complexes were evaluated in the oxidative kinetic resolution of (±)-1-phenylethanol (8a) with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as an oxidizer in biphasic solvent system [H2O - organic solvent (2: 1, v/v)] at 0 °C. The enantioselective oxidation of various (±)-secondary alcohols catalyzed by complex 1c (1 mol%) afforded the chiral secondary alcohols with up to 99% enantiomeric excess and 29.6 krel (selectivity factor) value. The IL tagged chiral salen-MnIII complex 1c was easily recovered with hexane and subsequently reused for five recycles with no significant loss in conversion of (±)-1-phenylethanol (8a) and ee of the resolved product.