Asymmetric Aerobic Oxidation of α-Hydroxy Acid Derivatives Catalyzed by Reusable, Polystyrene-Supported Chiral N-Salicylidene Oxidovanadium tert-Leucinates

The direct immobilization of two different C-5-propargyl ether-modified, chiral N-salicylidene vanadyl(V) tert-leucinates onto 4-azidomethyl-substituted polystyrene by click chemistry was examined. Among the eight different solvents investigated, the resulting polystyrene-supported catalysts promote the asymmetric, aerobic oxidation of a-hydroxy (thio) esters and amides with enantioselectivities of up to 99% ee (selectivity factor up to 41) in chloroform. These polystyrene-supported catalysts can be readily recovered by filtration and reused for at least four consecutive runs without discernible loss of reactivity and enantioselectivity.