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Updated: Jul 14, 2025
Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs
Published on: January 17, 2020
Development of Highly Enantio- and Z-Selective Grubbs Catalysts via Controllable C-H Bond Activation.
Shaofeng Li1, Shijie Feng1, Yali Zhou1
1Shenzhen Grubbs Institute and Department of Chemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
New chiral ruthenium catalysts enable efficient asymmetric synthesis. These catalysts perform asymmetric ring opening/cross-metathesis and asymmetric ring-closing metathesis reactions with high stereoselectivity and enantioselectivity.
Area of Science:
- Organic Chemistry
- Catalysis
- Stereoselective Synthesis
Background:
- Asymmetric olefin metathesis is crucial for creating chiral molecules.
- Developing stereodefined catalysts is essential for controlling stereochemistry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel cyclometalated stereogenic-at-ruthenium catalysts.
- To enable efficient asymmetric ring opening/cross-metathesis (AROCM) and asymmetric ring-closing metathesis (ARCM) reactions.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of single enantiomers of ruthenium catalysts via C-H activation-based cyclometalation.
- Application of right-handed and left-handed catalysts in AROCM and ARCM reactions.
Main Results:
- Right-handed catalysts achieved Z- and enantioselective AROCM of norbornenes and alkenes, yielding functionalized cyclopentanes (up to 99% ee).
- Left-handed catalysts enabled ARCM of prochiral trienes, forming cyclic ethers/amides with stereocenters (up to 99% ee).
Conclusions:
- The developed ruthenium catalysts offer a powerful new strategy for asymmetric synthesis.
- These catalysts provide access to complex chiral molecules with high stereo- and enantiocontrol.
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