Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Disubstituted, Trisubstituted, and Tetrasubstituted Minimally Functionalized Olefins and Cyclic β-Enamides with Easily Accessible Ir-P,Oxazoline Catalysts

We have developed a family of Ir-P,oxazoline catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation. These catalysts, with a simple modular architecture, have shown a high tolerance to the olefin geometry and substitution pattern, and to the presence of several neighboring polar groups. Thus, they were able to successfully hydrogenate disubstituted, trisubstituted, and tetrasubstituted minimally functionalized olefins (with enantiomeric excess values up to 99%). The excellent catalytic performance was also extended to the hydrogenation of cyclic beta-enamides.