Vincent César

Chiral N-Heterocyclic Carbenes as Stereodirecting Ligands in Asymmetric Catalysis

In recent years, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) have proved to be a versatile class of spectator ligands in homogeneous catalysis. Being robust anchoring functions for late transition metals, their ligand donor capacity and their molecular shape is readily modified by variation of the substituents at the N-atoms and the structure of the cyclic backbone. After the first attempts to use chiral NHC ligands in asymmetric catalysis in the late 1990s, which initially met with limited success, several novel structural concepts have emerged during the past two years which have led literally to an explosion of the field. With a significant number of highly selective chiral catalysts based on chiral NHCs having been reported very recently, several general trends in the design of new NHC-containing molecular catalysts for stereoselective transformations in organic synthesis emerge.

A Stable Anionic N-Heterocyclic Carbene and Its Zwitterionic Complexes

Pyrimidinium betaïnes (1), readily accessible via a straightforward modular synthesis from a formamidine and a monosubstituted malonic acid, are readily deprotonated by nBuLi (or KHMDS) to give the stable carbene species [2]Li+ (abbreviated as maloNHC). The latter represents the archetype of a subgroup of N-heterocyclic carbenes incorporating a malonate as remote anionic functional group within their heterocyclic backbone. While playing the dual role of monodentate 2 e- L type donor and noncoordinating charge carrier X, such ligands are seen to provide a rational route to zwitterionic complexes, as illustrated here by three examples (Rh, Fe, Ag). In particular, the reaction of [2]Li+ with [RhCl(1,5-COD)]2 produces the neutral 14 e- complex Rh(maloNHC)(COD) (3) in which coordinative unsaturation at the metal is relieved in the solid state by an uncommon labile bonding interaction between the Cipso of one of the mesityl arms and the Rh center.

Skeleton Decoration of NHCs by Amino Groups and its Sequential Booster Effect on the Palladium‐Catalyzed Buchwald–Hartwig Amination

A challenging synthetic modification of PEPPSI-type palladium pre-catalysts consisting of a stepwise incorporation of one and two amino groups onto the NHC skeleton was seen to exert a sequential enhancement of the electronic donor properties. This appears to be positively correlated with the catalytic performances of the corresponding complexes in the Buchwald-Hartwig amination. This is illustrated, for example, by the quantitative amination of 4-chloroanisole by morpholine within 2 h at 25 °C with a 2 mol% catalyst/substrate ratio or by a significant reduction of catalytic loading (down to 0.005 mol%) for the coupling of aryl chlorides with anilines (max TON: 19,600).

Buchwald-Hartwig Amination of (Hetero)Aryl Tosylates Using a Well-Defined N-Heterocyclic Carbene/Palladium(II) Precatalyst.

The cross-coupling of aryl tosylates with amines and anilines was achieved by using for the first time a Pd-NHC system based on the popular Pd-PEPPSI precatalyst platform in which the anchoring imidazol-2-ylidene ligand IPr((NMe2)2) incorporates two dimethylamino groups as backbone substituents enhancing both the electronic and steric properties of the carbene. The system optimization and its application scope are disclosed.

Ruthenium Catalysts Supported by Amino‐Substituted N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands for Olefin Metathesis of Challenging Substrates

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands IMesNMe2 and IMes(NMe2)2 derived from the well-known IMes ligand by substituting the carbenic heterocycle with one and two dimethylamino groups, respectively, were employed for the synthesis of second-generation Grubbs- and Grubbs-Hoveyda-type ruthenium metathesis precatalysts. Whereas the stability of the complexes was found to depend on the degree of dimethylamino-substitution and on the type of complex, the backbone-substitution was shown to have a positive impact on their catalytic activity in ring-closing metathesis, with a more pronounced effect in the second-generation Grubbs-type series. The new complexes were successfully implemented in a number of challenging olefin metathesis reactions leading to the formation of tetra-substituted C=C double bonds and/or functionalized compounds.

Buttressing Effect as a Key Design Principle towards Highly Efficient Palladium/N-Heterocyclic Carbene Buchwald–Hartwig Amination Catalysts

The backbone substitution of the standard 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene (IPr) ligand by dimethylamino groups was previously shown to induce a dramatic improvement in the catalytic efficiency of the corresponding Pd-PEPPSI (pyridine-enhanced pre-catalyst preparation, stabilization, and initiation) pre-catalysts in N-arylation reactions. Herein, a thorough structure/activity study towards rationalizing this beneficial effect has been described. In addition to the previously reported IPrNMe2 and IPr(NMe2)2 ligands, the new IPrNiPr2 and IPr(NMe2,Cl) ligands, which bear one bulkier diisopropylamino group and a combination of dimethylamino and chloro substituents, respectively, have been designed and analyzed in the study. The influence of the backbone substitution was found to be steric in origin and is related to the well-known buttressing effect encountered in arene chemistry. The usefulness and versatility of this approach was demonstrated through the development of a highly efficient catalytic system for the challenging arylation of bulky α,α,α-trisubstituted primary amines. The optimized system based on the [PdCl(η3 -cinnamyl)(IPr(NMe2)2 )] or [PdCl(η3 -cinnamyl)(IPrNiPr2 )] pre-catalysts operates under unprecedented mild conditions (catalyst loadings: 0.5-2 mol %, reaction temperatures: 40-60 °C) with a wide substrate scope.

CHAPTER 8:NHC–Cobalt, –Rhodium, and –Iridium Complexes in Catalysis

Since the mid 1990s, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have proved to be a versatile class of ancillary ligands in catalysis. The NHC chemistry of Group 9 metals (Co, Rh, Ir) is one of the most developed areas in this field and is the subject of the present Chapter. This section covers the most relevant catalytic applications, along with stoichiometric model reactions, except for catalytic oxidation and reduction reactions which are covered in Chapters 12 and 13 respectively.