title: Mechanistic investigations of the palladium-catalyzed aerobic oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols using (-)-sparteine.
abstract: The mechanistic details of the Pd(II)/(-)-sparteine-catalyzed aerobic oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols were elucidated, and the origin of asymmetric induction was determined. Saturation kinetics were observed for rate dependence on [(-)-sparteine]. First-order rate dependencies were observed for both the Pd((-)-sparteine)Cl(2) concentration and the alcohol concentration at high and low [(-)-sparteine]. The oxidation rate was inhibited by addition of (-)-sparteine HCl. At low [(-)-sparteine], Pd-alkoxide formation is proposed to be rate limiting, while at high [(-)-sparteine], beta-hydride elimination is proposed to be rate determining. These conclusions are consistent with the measured kinetic isotope effect of k(H)/k(D) = 1.31 +/- 0.04 and a Hammett rho value of -1.41 +/- 0.15 at high [(-)-sparteine]. Calculated activation parameters agree with the change in the rate-limiting step by increasing [(-)-sparteine] with DeltaH(++) = 11.55 +/- 0.65 kcal/mol, DeltaS(++) = -24.5 +/- 2.0 eu at low [(-)-sparteine], and DeltaH(++) = 20.25 +/- 0.89 kcal/mol, DeltaS() = -5.4 +/- 2.7 eu at high [(-)-sparteine]. At high [(-)-sparteine], the selectivity is influenced by both a thermodynamic difference in the stability of the diastereomeric Pd-alkoxides formed and a kinetic beta-hydride elimination to maximize asymmetric induction. At low [(-)-sparteine], the selectivity is influenced by kinetic deprotonation, resulting in lower k(rel) values. A key, nonintuitive discovery is that (-)-sparteine plays a dual role in this oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols as a chiral ligand on palladium and as an exogenous chiral base.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 315 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Jaime A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sigman
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D007700:Kinetics; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry*; D013034:Sparteine / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D013034:Sparteine; D010165:Palladium