Vincent Ritleng

Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Racemic β-Haloalcohols : Direct Access to Enantioenriched Epoxides

The direct chemo-enzymatic DKR of racemic beta-haloalcohols is reported, yielding the corresponding optically active epoxides in a single step. The mutant haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC Cys153Ser Trp249Phe is used for the asymmetric ring closure, whereas racemization of the remaining enantiomer of the haloalcohol is achieved using the new iridacycle 3, one of the most effective racemization catalysts to date for beta-haloalcohols.

C−H Activation of Acetonitrile at Nickel: Ligand Flip and Conversion of N-Bound Acetonitrile into a C-Bound Cyanomethyl Ligand

Nickel joins the fairly exclusive list of metals that can activate nitrile C-H bonds. We report the first example of the C-H activation of an acetonitrile ligand on a nickel center. The acetonitrile ligand formally loses a proton and undergoes a sharp flip to give a cyanomethyl ligand that is coordinated to the nickel atom. Structures of an initial N-bound acetonitrile-nickel complex and of a final cyanomethyl-nickel complex are both presented.

Fast racemisation of chiral amines and alcohols by using cationic half-sandwich ruthena- and iridacycle catalysts

The lipase-catalysed resolution of alcohols and amines yields only 50 % of the desired enantiopure product. However, addition of a racemisation catalyst leads to 100 % yield in what is called a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR). There is a need for new racemisation catalysts that are fast and compatible with the conditions of the enzymatic reaction. We show that cationic half-sandwich ruthena- and iridacycle complexes are highly active and efficient in the racemisation of chiral alcohols and amines. Upon activation with base, these complexes are able to selectively racemise alcohols, whereas the non-activated complexes are selective catalysts for the racemisation of amines. We have applied the iridacycles in the DKR of racemic beta-chloroalcohols to produce chiral epoxides in a biphasic system in good yields and high ee (ee=enantiomeric excess).

Cyclopentadienyl N-heterocyclic carbene-nickel complexes as efficient pre-catalysts for the hydrosilylation of imines†

The in situ generated nickel hydride complex, [Ni(Mes2NHC)HCp], and its cationic analogue, [Ni(Mes2NHC)(NCMe)Cp](PF6), are efficient and chemoselective pre-catalysts for the hydrosilylation of both aldimines and ketimines under mild conditions.

Facile displacement of η5-cyclopentadienyl ligands from half-sandwich alkyl,NHC–nickel complexes: an original route to robust cis-C,C-nickel square planar complexes

The η(5)-cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands of 18-electron half-sandwich alkyl,NHC-nickel complexes are readily displaced under acidic conditions to afford a novel class of cis-C,C-nickel square planar complexes. Remarkably, the nickel-alkyl and nickel-carbene bonds are not ruptured in these unprecedented Cp acidolysis reactions.

One-step synthesis of a highly homogeneous SBA–NHC hybrid material: en route to single-site NHC–metal heterogeneous catalysts with high loadings

The one-step synthesis of a mesoporous silica of SBA type, functionalized with a 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-propyl-imidazolium (iPr2Ar-NHC-propyl) cation located in the pore channels, is described. This material was obtained by the direct hydrolysis and co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-imidazolium iodide in the presence of Pluronic P123 as a non-ionic structure-directing agent and aqueous HCl (37%) as an acid catalyst. Small-angle X-ray diffraction measurements, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, as well as dinitrogen sorption analyses revealed that the synthesized material is highly mesoporous with a 2D hexagonal arrangement of the porous network. (13)C and (29)Si CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy confirmed that the material contains intact iPr2Ar-NHC-propyl cations, which are covalently anchored via silicon atoms fused into the silica matrix. Moreover, comparison of the latter data with those of an analogous post-synthetic grafted SBA-NHC material allowed us to establish that, as expected, (i) it is most probably more homogeneous and (ii) it shows a more robust anchoring of the organic units. Finally, elemental mapping by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in the scanning electron microscope demonstrated a very homogeneous distribution of the imidazolium units within the one-pot material, moreover with a high content. This study thus demonstrates that a relatively bulky and hydrophilic imidazolium unit can be directly co-condensed with TEOS in the presence of a structure-directing agent to provide in a single step a highly ordered and homogeneous mesoporous hybrid SBA-NHC material, possessing a significant number of cationic NHC sites.

Cycloruthenated tertiary amines and ethylene: further insight to the Ru-mediated olefin–aryl coupling reaction

The reaction between cycloruthenated N,N-dimethylbenzylamine and ethylene under very mild conditions afforded 2-vinyl-N,N-dimethylbenzylamine and an organometallic Ru derivative resulting from the overall insertion of one carbon atom in the Ru–C bond of the starting material.