A Versatile and High-Yield Route to Active and Well-Defined Catalysts [Ru(bisphosphane)(H)(solvent)₃ ](BF₄ )

Area of Science:

• Organometallic Chemistry
• Catalysis
• Asymmetric Synthesis

Background:

• Ruthenium complexes are versatile catalysts in organic synthesis.
• Chiral ligands are crucial for achieving enantioselectivity in catalytic reactions.
• Developing efficient catalytic systems for hydrogenation remains an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel ruthenium complexes with chiral bisphosphane ligands.
• To investigate the catalytic activity of these complexes in hydrogenation reactions.
• To explore the potential for enantioselective transformations using these new catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Protonation of a ruthenium precursor with HBF4·Et2O.
• Reaction with various chiral bisphosphane ligands (Me-DuPHOS, BINAP, Tol-BINAP, JOSIPHOS).
• Exposure of cationic ruthenium complexes to dihydrogen (H2) in different solvents.

Main Results:

• Formation of cationic ruthenium complexes with coordinated hydride and cyclooctatriene or cyclooctadienyl ligands.
• Generation of tris-solvated ruthenium hydride complexes upon reaction with H2.
• Demonstration of these complexes as effective catalysts for enantioselective alkene hydrogenation.

Conclusions:

• A simple and efficient synthetic route to novel chiral ruthenium catalysts has been established.
• The synthesized ruthenium complexes exhibit catalytic activity in hydrogenation reactions.
• These catalysts show promise for enantioselective hydrogenation of alkenes, contributing to asymmetric synthesis.