Synthesis of planar chiral phosphapalladacycles by highly enantioselective transcyclopalladation.

The first highly enantioselective synthesis of planar chiral ferrocene phosphapalladacycles was performed by high-yielding asymmetric transcyclopalladation with cobalt oxazoline palladacycles (COP). Use of di-mu-acetatobis[(eta5-(S)-(pR)-2-(2'-(4'-isopropyl)oxazolinyl)cyclopentadienyl-C1,N3')(eta4-tetraphenylcyclobutadiene)cobalt]dipalladium(II), followed by acetate/chloride ligand exchange, gave (pS)-di-mu-chloro[2-(2-dicyclohexylphosphino)phenylferroene-C1,P)dipalladium(II) (95% ee). Similarly, diastereomeric di-mu-acetatobis[(eta5-(S)-(pS)-2-(2'-(4'-tert-butyl)oxazolinyl)cyclopentadienyl-C1,N3')(eta4-tetraphenylcyclobutadiene)cobalt]dipalladium(II) led to the enantiomeric (pR)-phosphapalladacycle (95% ee), revealing the control of these reactions by the element of planar chirality in COP. The reactions were extended to the synthesis of (pS)- and (pR)-di-mu-chloro[2-(2-diphenylphosphino)phenylferroene-C1,P)dipalladium(II) (78 and 92% ee, respectively). In all cases, the palladium-free precursors to COP were recovered for recycling.