Synthesis, physico-chemical studies and solvent-dependent enantioselective epoxidation of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene catalysed by chiral Ruthenium(II) Schiff base complexes. I

Abstract

Ruthenium(II) chiral Schiff base complexes 1– 10 and their precursor ligands derived from l-amino acids viz. l-leucine, l-histidine with salicylaldehyde, 3- tertiary-butyl-, 3,5-di- tertiary-butyl-, 3,5 dichloro- and 3,5-dinitrosalicylaldehyde are reported. The characterization of the ligands and complexes was accomplished by various appropriate physico-chemical studies, namely, microanalysis, IR-, UV/Vis-, 1 H , 31 P{ 1H } NMR, CD spectroscopy, optical rotation, conductance measurement and cyclic voltammetry. The complexes thus synthesised were used as catalysts for enantioselective epoxidation of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene. The effect on enantioselectivity and chemical conversions to epoxide were studied in different solvents viz. acetonitrile, dichloromethane and fluorobenzene along with change of the substituents on ligands and different terminal oxidants. The less polar nature of solvent as well as the donating group attached on the catalysts favours enantioselectivity, while PhIO was the oxidant of choice. The enantiomeric excess of the resulting epoxide was evaluated by chiral cyclodex BDA capillary column.