Abstract
The Noyori-Ikariya (arene)Ru(II)/TsDPEN precatalyst has been anchored to amorphous silica and DAVISIL through the eta(6)-coordinated arene ligand via a straightforward synthesis and the derived systems, (arene)Ru(II)/TsDPEN@silica and (arene)Ru(II)/TsDPEN@DAVISIL, form highly efficient catalysts for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of a range of electron-rich and electron-poor aromatic ketones, giving good conversion and excellent ee's under mild reaction conditions. Moreover, catalyst generated in situ immediately prior to addition of substrate and hydrogen donor, by reaction of silica-supported [(arene)RuCl2](2) with (S,S)-TsDPEN, was as efficient as that generated from its preformed counterpart [(arene)Ru{(S,S)-TsDPEN}Cl]@silica. Gratifyingly, the initial TOFs (up to 1085 h(-1)) and ee's (96-97 %) obtained with these catalysts either rivalled or outperformed those previously reported for catalysts supported by either silica or polymer immobilized through one of the nitrogen atoms of TsDPEN. While the high ee's were also maintained during recycle studies, the conversion dropped steadily over the first three runs due to gradual leaching of the ruthenium.