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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs
Published on: January 17, 2020
Highly Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Cyclic Enol Acetates Catalyzed by a Rh-PennPhos Complex
Qiongzhong Jiang1, Dengming Xiao1, Zhaoguo Zhang1
1Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (USA), Fax: (+1) 814-863-8403.
Abstract:
The electron-rich and conformationally rigid (R,S,R,S)-Me-PennPhos ligand (shown schematically) appears to chelate rhodium and form well-defined chiral pockets. This allows, for example, efficient differentiation between the two enantiotopic approaches available to a substrate in a hydrogenation reaction. The Rh-Me-PennPhos complex is the first catalyst for the highly enantioselective asymmetric hydrogenation of cyclic enol acetates. For example, 3,4-dihydronaphth-1-yl acetate can be hydrogenated with up to 99% ee.
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