Ru-Catalyzed Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Diaryl 1,4-Diketones: Synthesis of Chiral 1,4-Diarylbutane-1,4-Diols

Org Lett. 2022 Oct 21;24(41):7512-7516. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.2c02721. Epub 2022 Oct 10.

Abstract

Asymmetric hydrogenation of diaryl 1,4-diketones was achieved by using trans-RuCl2[(S)-BINAP)][(S)-Daipen] as the catalyst and the reaction gave rise to excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities (up to >99% ee and de). This procedure provides a convenient and efficient synthetic method for chiral 1,4-diarylbutane-1,4-diols, which are important intermediates for a variety of chiral auxiliaries and ligands.