Angewandte
Chemie
Table 1: Asymmetric hydrogenation of 1a.[a]
Table 2: Asymmetric hydrogenation of acyl silanes.[a]
Entry Ru catalyst S/C[b] Activator [mm] t [h] Yield [%][c] ee [%][d]
(R)-2
1
Ru catalyst
S/C[b]
t [h]
Yield [%][c]
ee [%][d]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3b
[i]
2000 tBuOK (10)
2000 tBuOK (50)
1000 tBuOK (1)
1600 KOH (10)
30 K2CO3 (40)
1
1
1
1
6
6
10
6
96
96
92[e]
<1[f]
94
95
1a[e]
1b
1c
1d
1e
1 f
(S)-3a
(S)-3a[f]
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3b
(S)-3a[g]
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3b[h]
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
(S)-3a
10000
900
1000
500
1600
2000
800
1100
600
1200
500
900
600
600
2.5
1
3.5
5
1.5
3
3
1
1
6
6
4
1
1.5
1
1
96
80
90
90
96
88
99
85
88
99
97
77
83
94
84
82[i]
54
95
96
96
96
96
98
98
93
97
91
95
99
98
99
89
87[j]
90
nd[g]
96
92
94
94
91
95
96
97
400 DBU (40)[h]
300 NaBH4 (10)
1200 tBuOK (10)
500 tBuOK (20)
97
1 f
3
1
nd[g]
1g
1h
1i
1i
1j
1k
1l
1m
1n
1o
[a] Unless otherwise stated, reactions were conducted using 1.0–
2.1 mmol of 1a (0.4–0.5m) in ethanol containing a Ru catalyst and an
activator at 20–258C under 10 atm of H2. [b] Substrate/catalyst molar
ratio. [c] Yield of isolated (R)-2a. [d] Data for (R)-2a determined by chiral
HPLC analysis. [e] A benzyl silyl ether was obtained as a by-product.
[f] Conversion determined by 1H NMR analysis. [g] Not determined.
[h] DBU=1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene. [i] [RuCl2{(S)-binap}{(S,S)-
dpen}] was used as a catalyst in 2-propanol.
350
300
350
1
[a] Unless otherwise stated, reactions were conducted using 0.9–
1.4 mmol of ketone 1 (0.4–0.7m) in ethanol containing a Ru catalyst 3
and t-C4H9OK (10 mm) at 20–268C under 10 atm of H2. [b] Substrate/
catalyst molar ratio. [c] Yield of isolated product. [d] Chiral GC or HPLC
analysis. [e] Reaction using 18.4 mmol (4.05 g) of 1a. [f] The concen-
tration of t-C4H9OK was 5 mm. [g] NaBH4 (15 mm) was used as catalyst
activator. [h] CH3OH/t-C4H9OH (3:7) was used as solvent. [i] Deter-
mined by 1H NMR analysis. [j] Determined after conversion to the N-
phenylcarbamate.
amine (DTB-pica) instead of the original pica showed
comparably high enantioselectivity, while the activity was
relatively lower (Table 1, entry 8).
Notably, a catalyst system consisting of trans-[RuCl2{(S)-
binap}{(S,S)-dpen}] and t-C4H9OK in 2-propanol, which
shows high activity and enantioselectivity for the hydro-
genation of simple ketones, was virtually inert for this
transformation (Table 1, entry 9).[17,18] The flat pyridine
moiety of the pica ligand is crucial to achieve high reactivity
for the hydrogenation of sterically hindered acyl silanes. Thus,
we chose the following standard reaction conditions: preca-
talyst, 3; activator, t-C4H9OK (10 mm); solvent, ethanol; H2
pressure, 10 atm; temperature, 20–258C.
The catalyst system hydrogenated aromatic, aliphatic, and
a,b-unsaturated acyl silanes with high reactivity and enantio-
selectivity. Absolute configurations of new hydroxysilanes
were estimated by a modified Mosher method (see the
Supporting Information).[19] Hydrogenation of 1a (0.75m)
with (S,S)-3a at a S/C value of 10000 in ethanol containing t-
C4H9OK (10 mm) at 238C under H2 (10 atm) produced (R)-2a
in 95% ee and 96% yield of isolated product (Table 2).
Although benzoyldimethylphenylsilane (1b) is more base-
labile than 1a, it was also hydrogenated with high enantio-
selectivity under a lower concentration of base (5 mm).
Benzoyl substrates with an electron-donating CH3O
group or an electron-attracting F atom at the meta or para
position of the phenyl ring (1c–e) were converted to the a-
hydroxysilanes 2c–e in the same ee of 96%. The electronic
features of the aromatic moieties did not affect the enantio-
selectivity, while introduction of the electron-withdrawing
function accelerated the reaction rate. Hydrogenation of
acetyl-tert-butyldimethylsilane (1 f), a simple aliphatic sub-
strate, mediated by (S)-3a in base-containing ethanol
afforded the (R)-a-hydroxysilane (R)-2 f in 98% ee. The
sense of enantioselection was the same as that in the reaction
of benzoylsilane 1a. The Tol-binap/DTB-pica Ru complex 3b
showed the same enantioselectivity.
3a using NaBH4 (15 mm) as an activator to give (R)-2g in
93% ee and 85% yield of isolated product. Hydrogenation of
pentanoyldimethylphenylsilane (1h) afforded the hydroxysi-
lane 2h in 97% ee; t-C4H9OK (10 mm) could be used as an
activator in this reaction. Hexanoyl-tert-butyldimethylsilane
(1i) was hydrogenated with 3a in 91% optical yield. When the
reaction was conducted with complex 3b, the optical yield was
increased to 95%. Use of a CH3OH/t-C4H9OH (3:7) mixed
solvent gave slightly better stereoselectivity. The “remote
effect” of tert-butyl groups on the pyridine ring (see the
catalyst structure) may originate from suitable fixation of the
catalyst conformation for enantioface selection of this sub-
strate. Hydrogenation of secondary alkyl acyl silanes 1j–l in
the presence of (S)-3a afforded the (R)-a-hydroxysilanes (R)-
2j–l in > 98% ee. Tri-n-butyl(propanoyl)stannane,[20] a tin
analogue of 1, was not converted under the standard hydro-
genation conditions.
Complex 3a also effects asymmetric hydrogenation of
a,b-unsaturated acyl silanes to the optically active allylic a-
hydroxysilanes, although these conjugated acyl silanes readily
undergo 1,4-reduction in general.[1,3c] Hydrogenation of (E)-
2-hexenoyl-tert-butyldimethylsilane (1m) in the presence of
(S)-3a (S/C = 350) and t-C4H9OK (10 mm) in ethanol under
H2 (10 atm) was completed in 1 h to afford the R allylic a-
hydroxysilane (R)-2m in 89% ee and 84% yield of isolated
product (Table 2). The 1,2-reduction occurred exclusively
over the 1,4-reduction, while conjugate addition of ethoxide
occurred as a side reaction in less than 5% yield. Such
predominant 1,2-reduction selectivity for a,b-unsaturated
acyl silanes is achieved only by this hydrogenation catalyzed
Acetyldimethylphenylsilane (1g), which is extremely
labile in basic alcoholic media, was hydrogenated with (S)-
by
a
Tol-binap/pica Ru complex, hydroboration with
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 1770 –1773
ꢀ 2008 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
1771