Ruthenium chiral catalysts

BINAP-type chiral catalysts are the workhorse of asymmetric hydrogenation. Given the accessibility and broad scope of these BINAP ruthenium complexes, they should be the first option for any catalyst selection screen. A vast number of applications have been demonstrated in both academia and industry, achieved with very attractive, low catalyst loadings. Examples of transformations include asymmetric reduction of beta- ketoesters, unsaturated acids, and allylic alcohols. Subtle variations on the ligand, counterions and ancillary ligands allow optimisation of the catalyst-substrate interaction. For example [BINAP RuCl2 DPEN] is the optimal catalyst for the hydrogenation of non-chelating ketones.