1086221-41-1

Upstream product

• 3360-41-6 4-phenyl-butan-1-ol 
• 98-86-2 acetophenone 
• 14469-83-1 (5-bromopentyl)benzene 
• 100-52-7 benzaldehyde 
• 98-85-1 1-Phenylethanol 

Downstream Products

• 1393380-79-4 (S)-1,6-diphenyl-1-hexanol 
• 1393380-72-7 C₂₀H₂₄O₂ 
• 109248-93-3 1,6-diphenylhexan-1-one 

Relevant academic research and scientific papers

Synthesis and catalytic applications of ruthenium(ii)-phosphino-oxime complexes

In this work, the preparation of the first ruthenium complexes containing a phosphino-oxime ligand is presented. Thus, the reaction of cis-[RuCl2(DMSO)4] (3) with 2.4 equivalents of 2-Ph2PC6H4CH=NOH (1) in refluxing THF led to the clean formation of the octahedral ruthenium(ii) derivative cis,cis,trans-[RuCl2{κ2-(P,N)-2-Ph2PC6H4CH=NOH}2] (5), whose structure was unambiguously confirmed by means of a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Complex 5 could also be synthesized from the reaction of the dimer [{RuCl(μ-Cl)(η6-p-cymene)}2] (4) with an excess of 1 in refluxing toluene. Treatment of 4 with 2 equivalents of 1, in CH2Cl2 at r.t., allowed also the preparation of the half-sandwich Ru(ii) derivative [RuCl{κ2-(P,N)-2-Ph2PC6H4CH=NOH}(η6-p-cymene)][PF6] (6). In addition, complexes 5 and 6 proved to be active catalysts for the rearrangement of aldoximes to primary amides, as well as for the α-alkylation/reduction of acetophenones with primary alcohols, with the former showing the best performances in both processes.

Oxidation and β-Alkylation of Alcohols Catalysed by Iridium(I) Complexes with Functionalised N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands

The borrowing hydrogen methodology allows for the use of alcohols as alkylating agents for C-C bond forming processes offering significant environmental benefits over traditional approaches. Iridium(I)-cyclooctadiene complexes having a NHC ligand with a O- or N-functionalised wingtip efficiently catalysed the oxidation and β-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols in the presence of a base. The cationic complex [Ir(NCCH3)(cod)(MeIm(2- methoxybenzyl))][BF4] (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene, MeIm=1-methylimidazolyl) having a rigid O-functionalised wingtip, shows the best catalyst performance in the dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol in acetone, with an initial turnover frequency (TOF0) of 1283 h-1, and also in the β-alkylation of 2-propanol with butan-1-ol, which gives a conversion of 94 % in 10 h with a selectivity of 99 % for heptan-2-ol. We have investigated the full reaction mechanism including the dehydrogenation, the cross-aldol condensation and the hydrogenation step by DFT calculations. Interestingly, these studies revealed the participation of the iridium catalyst in the key step leading to the formation of the new C-C bond that involves the reaction of an O-bound enolate generated in the basic medium with the electrophilic aldehyde.

Redesign of enzyme for improving catalytic activity and enantioselectivity toward poor substrates: Manipulation of the transition state

Secondary alcohols having bulky substituents on both sides of the hydroxy group are inherently poor substrates for most lipases. In view of this weakness, we redesigned a Burkholderia cepacia lipase to create a variant with improved enzymatic characteristics. The I287F/I290A double mutant showed a high conversion and a high E value (>200) for a poor substrate for which the wild-type enzyme showed a low conversion and a low E value (5). This enhancement of catalytic activity and enantioselectivity of the variant resulted from the cooperative action of two mutations: Phe287 contributed to both enhancement of the (R)-enantiomer reactivity and suppression of the (S)-enantiomer reactivity, while Ala290 created a space to facilitate the acylation of the (R)-enantiomer. The kinetic constants indicated that the mutations effectively altered the transition state. Substrate mapping analysis strongly suggested that the CH/π interaction partly enhanced the (R)-enantiomer reactivity, the estimated energy of the CH/π interaction being -0.4 kcal mol-1. The substrate scope of the I287F/I290A double mutant was broad. This biocatalyst was useful for the dynamic kinetic resolution of a variety of bulky secondary alcohols for which the wild-type enzyme shows little or no activity. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012.