Synlett 2005(15): 2301-2304  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-872662
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

A Sterically Modified (Salen)Chromium(III) Complex - An Efficient Catalyst for High-Pressure Asymmetric Allylation of Aldehydes

Piotr Kwiatkowskia, Wojciech Chaładaja, Janusz Jurczak*a,b
a Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland
b Department of Chemistry, Warsaw University, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
Fax: +48(22)6326681; e-Mail: jurczak@icho.edu.pl;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 2 July 2005
Publication Date:
08 August 2005 (online)

Abstract

A novel (salen)chromium(III) catalyst with a modified salen ligand was synthesised in a simple way starting from readily available precursors. High-pressure allylation reaction of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with allyltributyltin upon application of 1 mol% of a modified (salen)chromium(III) complex provides ­homoallylic alcohols in good yield and with high enantioselectivity (up to 92%). The catalyst reveals higher enantioselectivity than the classic Jacobsen’s complex.

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Analytical data for the modified salen ligand (1R,2R)-7: mp 89-93 °C; [α]D 29 -329.5 (c 1.0, CHCl3); IR (KBr): 2963, 2875, 1628, 1597, 1445, 1263, 699 cm-1; 1H NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 13.13 (s, OH, 2 H), 8.00 (s, CHN, 2 H), 7.45 (d, J = 1.8 Hz, 2 H), 7.25-7.09 (m, 10 H), 6.92 (d, J = 1.8 Hz, 2 H), 3.13-2.99 (m, 2 H), 2.50-2.25 (m, 4 H), 2.12-1.94 (m, 4 H), 1.86-1.69 (m, 4 H), 1.66-1.44 (m, 2 H), 1.30 (s, 18 H), 0.60 (t, J = 7.2 Hz, 6 H), 0.53 (t, J = 7.2 Hz, 6 H); 13C NMR (50 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 165.5 (2 × CHN), 157.5 (2 × C), 148.5 (2 × C), 139.2 (2 × C), 133.1 (2 × C), 129.2 (2 × CH), 127.2 (4 × CH), 127.0 (4 × CH), 125.8 (2 × CH), 124.7 (2 × CH), 117.5 (2 × C), 72.3 (2 × CH), 49.0 (2 × C), 34.0 (2 × C), 32.9 (2 × CH2), 31.5 (6 × CH3), 28.0 (2 × CH2), 27.1 (2 × CH2), 24.3 (2 × CH2), 8.7 (4 × CH3); Anal. Calcd for C50H66N2O2: C, 82.60; H, 9.15; N, 3.85. Found: C, 82.55; H, 9.23; N, 3.83; HRMS: [M + Na]+ calcd for C50H66N2O2Na: 749.5022, found: 749.5021.

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Analytical data for the complex (1R,2R)-8: [α]D 29 -1420
(c 0.01, CHCl3); IR (KBr): 3429, 2961, 2873, 1622, 1533, 1437, 1258, 700, 546 cm-1; HRMS: [M - Cl]+ calcd for C50H64N2O2Cr: 776.4373, found: 776.4392.

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General Procedure for High-Pressure Allylation: In a 2-mL Teflon ampoule were placed catalyst 1g (8.7 mg, 1 mol%), CH2Cl2 (ca. 1 mL), followed by aldehyde (1 mmol) and allyltributyltin (1.1-1.2 equiv). Finally, the ampoule was filled with CH2Cl2, closed and placed in a high-pressure vessel, and the pressure was slowly increased to 10 kbar at 20 °C. After the pressure had stabilized, the reaction mixture was kept under these conditions for 24 h. After decompression, the reaction mixture was diluted with wet Et2O and dried over MgSO4. After evaporation of solvents, the residue was chromatographed on a silica gel column (hexane-EtOAc).

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The enantioselectivity of homoallylic alcohols 3a-f was determined by GC employing a capillary chiral β-dex 120 column. Alcohol 3f was analyzed directly, 3a, 3c and 3d as their O-trimethylsilyl derivatives, 3b as an acetate and 3e as a trifluoroacetate.