Distinctive Meta-Directing Group Effect for Iridium-Catalyzed 1,1-Diarylalkene Enantioselective Hydrogenation

An iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of 1,1-diarylkenes is described. Employing a novel, modular phosphoramidite ligand, PhosPrOx, in this transformation affords biologically relevant 1,1-diarylmethine products in good enantiomeric ratios (96.5:3.5 to 71:29). We propose that a meta-directing group, 3,5-dimethoxyphenyl, is responsible for the observed enantioselection, the highest reported, to date, for iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation of 1,1-diarylalkenes lacking ortho-directing groups.