Relationship between substrate Structure and enantioselectivity is studied for the asymmetric hydrogenation of 42 different (E)-alpha, beta-disubstituted acrylic acids (propenoic acids) over cinchonidine-modified Pd/C. The beta-phenyl group is indispensable for high enantioselectivity of alpha-phenylcinnamic acid (2,3-diphenylpropenoic acid, 81% ee), and substitution on this group affects markedly the selectivity. The high ee up to 92% was achieved by the beta-p-alkoxyphenyl substitution, and the selectivity is ascribed mainly to stronger interaction of the substrate with the chiral modifier on the catalyst surface. In contrast, substitution on the alpha-phenyl group does not affect notably the enantioselectivity (80-82% ee) or even the alpha-phenyl group itself is not indispensable but replaceable with a properly bulky group for the high enantioselectivity, (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Enantioselective iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation of α-arylcinnamic acids and synthesis of (S)-equol
By using iridium catalyst based on chiral spiro phosphine-oxazoline ligands, the hydrogenation of alpha-arylcinnamic acids was accomplished under ambient pressure and low catalyst loading (as low as 0.01 mol %), providing useful 2,3-diarylpropionic acids in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). A catalytic enantioselective synthesis of (S)-equol with the present hydrogenation reaction as a key step was accomplished starting from commercially available starting materials in six steps with 48.4% overall yield. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.