Extending the Substrate Scope in the Hydrogenation of Unfunctionalized Tetrasubstituted Olefins with Ir-P Stereogenic Aminophosphine-Oxazoline Catalysts

Air-stable and readily available Ir-catalyst precursors modified with MaxPHOX-type ligands have been successfully applied in the challenging asymmetric hydrogenation of tetrasubstituted olefins under mild reaction conditions. Gratifyingly, these catalyst precursors are able to efficiently hydrogenate not only a range of indene derivatives (ee's up to 96%) but also 1,2-dihydronapthalene derivatives and acyclic olefins (ee's up to 99%), which both constitute the most challenging substrates for this transformation.