Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
63171 | Journal of Catalysis | 2006 | 6 Pages |
Enantioselective hydrogenation of seven different esters of phenylglyoxylic acid was investigated by variation of the bulkiness at ester side of the substrates [PhC(O)C(O)OR, R = Me (l), cyclohexyl (2), adamantyl (3), cis-decahydro-1-naphthyl (4), phenyl (5), 1-naphthyl (6), 2-naphthyl (7)] on Pt-alumina-cinchonidine (CD) and Pt-alumina-β-isocinchonine (β-ICN) chiral catalysts using mild experimental conditions (273 K and room temperature, hydrogen pressure of 1–25 bar) in solvents of AcOH and toluene. Hydrogenation on Pt-alumina-CD chiral catalyst produced high values of ee for all but the 5 and 7 compounds. The formation of (R)-mandelic acid esters was 86–91% in AcOH and 79–94% in toluene. The experiments verified the general applicability of the Orito reaction in the preparation of enantiomers of α-hydroxyesters. Under the experimental conditions applied, the magnitude of ee is affected by the steric size of α-ketoesters and by solvents. In the enantioselective hydrogenation of substrates over a Pt-alumina-β-ICN catalyst in toluene, inversion of enantioselectivity occurred; (R)-mandelic acid esters formed with a medium ee of 30–54%. The conformation of the adsorbed modifier plays a more determining role than the bulkiness of the substrate in the formation of the intermediate complex responsible for enantioselection.