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"Ruth" helps iron! A novel method for the non-enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of secondary aryl alcohols by the use of the planar chiral ferrocene derivative (+)-1 in combination with the ruthenium racemization catalyst 2 yields acetylated alcohols in high enantioselectivity and yield. This development opens opportunities for new developments in the field of non-enzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution.

A detailed computational and kinetic analysis of the acetylation of 1-phenylethanol with acetic anhydride catalyzed by planar chiral 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) catalyst (-)-1 is presented. The study includes a computational investigation of the potential-energy surface including the acylation and stereoselective transition states at the DFT level of theory. Experimentally, the kinetic study shows that the reaction proceeds in a first-order manner in catalyst, whereas both substrates, acetic anhydride and 1-phenylethanol, show fractional order, which is in accordance with steady-state conditions. The fractional order depends on an equilibrium between the free catalyst and the acetylated catalyst.

Abstract:The development of new approaches to obtain optically pure β-hydroxy esters is an important area in synthetic organic chemistry since they are precursors of other high value compounds. Herein, the kinetic resolution of racemic β-hydroxy esters using a planar-chiral DMAP derivative catalyst is presented. Following this procedure, a range of aromatic β-hydroxy esters was obtained in excellent selectivities (up to s = 107) and high enantiomeric excess (up to 99% ee). Furthermore, the utility of the present method was demonstrated in the synthesis of (S)-3-hydroxy-N-methyl-3-phenylpropanamide, a key intermediate for bioactive molecules such as fluoxetine, tomoxetine or nisoxetine, in its enantiomerically pure form.

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