Asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic ketones by chiral (1S,2S)-DPEN-Ru(II)Cl2(TPP)2 encapsulated in SBA-16

Chiral complex (1S,2S)-DPEN-RuCl2(TPP)2 (DPEN = 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine; TPP = triphenylphosphine) was successfully encapsulated in the mesoporous cage of SBA-16 modified with phenyltrimethoxysilane. This was verified by ICP, powder XRD, N2 adsorption, FTIR, DRS and TEM analysis. The encapsulated chiral Ru complex gave high catalytic activity and excellent enantioselectivity like its homogeneous counterpart in asymmetric hydrogenation of various aromatic ketones. The encapsulated complex also showed high stability and could be recycled without significant loss of activity and enantioselectivity.