W. Leitner, John M. Brown, H. Brunner
Jan 13, 1993
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Journal
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Abstract
The mechanism of the rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of methylenebutanedioic acid (itaconic acid) (1) and related [alpha],[beta]-unsaturated carboxylic acids using formic acid/triethylamine (5:2) as the hydrogen source is investigated. Kinetic studies using [sup 1]H NMR spectroscopy are presented. Formic acid decomposition is shown to be the rate-limiting step with 1 as the substrate, while hydrogen transfer turns out to be rate determining in the case of (E)-(phenylmethylene)butanedioic acid ((E)-phenylitaconic acid) (3). Furthermore, extensive use is made of deuterium labeling and the analysis of part-deuterated products by [sup 1]H and [sup 13]C[l brace][sup 1]H,[sup 2]H[r brace] NMR spectroscopy. Taken together, these results indicate that the mechanism of rhodium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation with formic acid/triethylamine as the hydrogen source most likely involves decarboxylation of a transient formate species to form hydridic complexes of rhodium, in which the Rh-H entity has a long lifetime relative to hydrogen transfer to the substrate. 40 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.