Asymmetric Diels-Alder and Ficini Reactions with Alkylidene β-Ketoesters Catalyzed by Chiral Ruthenium PNNP Complexes: Mechanistic Insight

Hydride abstraction from the beta-position of the enolato ligand of the previously reported complex [Ru(3a-H)(PNNP)]PF6 (5a; 3a-H is the enolate of 2-tert-butoxy-carbonylcyclopentanone) with (Ph3C)PF6 gives the dicationic complex [Ru(6a)(PNNP)(2+) (7a) as a single diastereoisomer, which contains the unsaturated beta-ketoester 2-tert-butoxycarbonyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one (6a) as a chelating ligand. The methyl analogue 2-methoxycarbonylcyclopentanone (3b) gives [Ru(3b-H)(PNNP)]PF6 as a mixture of noninterconverting diastereoisomers (ester group of 3b trans to P, 5b; or to N, 5c), which were separated by column chromatography. Hydride abstraction from 5b (or 5c) yields diastereomerically pure [Ru(6b)(PNNP)](2+) (7b or 7c). Complexes 7b and 7c do not interconvert at room temperature in CD2CI2 and form opposite enantiomers of the Diets Alder adduct upon reaction with Dane's diene (1 equiv). X-ray studies of 7a, 5b, and 5c give insight into the origin of enantioselection and the sense of asymmetric induction in the previously reported asymmetric Diels-Alder and Ficini cycloaddition reactions with 2,3-disubstituted butadienes and ynamides, respectively. Stoichiometric reactions (substrate coordination, cycloaddition, and product displacement) between [Ru-(OEt2)(2)(PNNP)](2+) (2), 6b (or 6a), and Dane's diene (15, to give estrone derivatives) or N-benzyl-N-(cyclohexylethynyl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide (17, to give cyclobutenamides) suggest that product displacement from the catalyst is turnover limiting.