Asymmetric Hydroformylation of Heterocyclic Olefins Catalyzed by Chiral Phosphine-Phosphite-Rh(I) Complexes.

Asymmetric hydroformylation of heterocyclic olefins catalyzed by phosphine-phosphite-Rh(I) complexes has been investigated. Hydroformylation of symmetrical heterocyclic olefins such as 2,5-dihydrofuran, 3-pyrroline derivatives, and 4,7-dihydro-1,3-dioxepin derivatives afforded the optically active aldehydes as single products in 64-76% ee. Unsymmetrical substrates such as 2,3-dihydrofuran and N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2-pyrroline gave a mixture of regioisomers. From N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2-pyrroline was obtained N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)pyrrolidine-2-carbaldehyde in 97% ee. The hydroformylation products from 2,5-dihydrofuran and N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-3-pyrroline have the opposite configurations to those from 2,3-dihydrofuran and N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2-pyrroline, respectively, with the same catalyst. The new phosphine-phosphite ligand (R,S)-3,3'-Me(2)-BINAPHOS [= (R)-2-(diphenylphosphino)-1,1'-binaphthalen-2'-yl (S)-3,3'-dimethyl-1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-diyl phosphite] was prepared and its hydridorhodium complex was characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Using (R,S)-3,3'-Me(2)-BINAPHOS as a ligand, the enantioselectivity was improved for some substrates. In addition, higher catalytic activity was observed with this ligand for most of the substrates employed.