title: Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of prochiral ketones in aqueous media with new water-soluble chiral vicinal diamine as ligand.
abstract: [reaction: see text] An easily accessible water-soluble chiral o-sulfonated 1,2-diphenylethlenediamine 2 and its mono-N-tosylated derivative 3 were synthesized for the first time. The ruthenium-complex-catalyzed reduction of prochiral ketones in aqueous media has been examined by using 3 as ligand and sodium formate as the source of hydrogen. The asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of omega-bromo acetophenones was achieved, in which only formate displacement occurred when formic acid/triethylamine azeotrope was used as the hydrogen donor.
authors.affiliation: Union Laboratory of Asymmetric Synthesis, Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Yaping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jingen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deng