Henry reaction catalyzed by recoverable enantioselective catalysts based on copper(II) complexes of α-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-glutamic acid) and imidazolidine-4-one ligands

Herein we describe the preparation and characterization of a recoverable catalyst for a Henry reaction based on a Cu(II) complex of block copolymer α-methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-glutamic acid) with (2R,5S)- or (2S,5R)-5-isopropyl-5-methyl-2-(pyridine-2-yl)imidazolidine-4-one. The reactions of substituted aldehydes with nitromethane catalyzed by these catalysts proceed with high chemical yield (70–98%) and with high enantioselectivity (61–92% ee). The reaction mixture is in the form of a colloid system and is formed by self-organized aggregates of the catalysts with average hydrodynamic particle size of 189 ± 3 nm (DLS). After sevenfold recycling, the catalyst exhibited no decrease in the enantioselectivity and only a slight decrease (ca. 18%) in the yield for the Henry reaction of nitromethane with 2-methoxybenzaldehyde.

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