Sulfoxides are capable of forming stable complexes with transition metals and there have been many comprehensive studies into their binding properties. However, the use of sulfoxides, particularly chiral sulfoxides, as ligands in transition metal catalysis is rather less well developed. This review aims to describe these catalytic studies and covers new developments that are showing very promising results and that have led to a renewed interest in this field.

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with naphthyl side chains were employed for the synthesis of unsaturated, yet isolable [(NHC)Ir(cod)](+) (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene) complexes. These compounds are stabilised by an interaction of the aromatic wingtip that leads to a sideways tilt of the NHC-Ir bond. Detailed studies show how the tilting of such N-heterocyclic carbenes affects the electronic shielding properties of the carbene carbon atom and how this is reflected by significant upfield shifts in the (13) C NMR signals. When employed in the intramolecular hydroamination, these [(NHC)Ir(cod)](+) species show very high catalytic activity under mild reaction conditions. An enantiopure version of the catalyst system produces pyrrolidines with excellent enantioselectivities.

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the stoichiometry, both [(IMes)Ir(COE)(N 2)Cl] and [(IMes) 2 Ir(COE)Cl] (198 in Scheme 75) were successfully isolated. 44 Finally, as Scheme 20 in Section 4.4 shows, a series of stable (NHC) 2 Ir(COE)Cl complexes were isolated either by the free carbene or the silver transmetallation method. Scheme 7. The synthesis of half-sandwich NHC-Ir(III) 24. The most commonly used precursor for the synthesis of NHC-Ir(III) complexes is [Cp*IrCl 2 ] 2. In 2000, Herrmann showed that treatment of [Cp*IrCl 2 ] 2 with 1 equivalent of ICy per iridium yielded 24 in an excellent 90% yield (Scheme 7). 45 Termaten et al. employed the same procedure for the synthesis of (IiPr Me)Ir(Cp*)Cl 2 (26a in Scheme 8). 15 An alternative synthetic route to access free NHCs was described in 1993 by Kuhn and Kratz, who prepared free carbenes via the reduction of thiones 25 by metallic potassium in THF (Scheme 8). 46 Using this method, Yamaguchi and coworkers prepared 26a-c by cannulating the solution of the in situ generated NHCs to a solution of [Cp*IrCl 2 ] 2 in THF (Scheme 8). 47 Scheme 8. Synthesis of NHC-Ir(III) from free carbenes. 4.2. Alkoxy metal precursors and base-assisted one-pot methods It was Köcher and Herrmann who first developed a one pot procedure in which [Ir(COD)(µ-OEt)] 2 was prepared in situ by reacting [Ir(COD)Cl] 2 with four equivalents of NaOEt. Subsequently, four equivalents of 1,3-bis(diphenylmethyl)imidazolium bromide were added and the air and moisture stable 27 was isolated two days later (Scheme 9). 48 Interestingly, despite the fact that a large excess of the NHC salt was employed, formation of a cationic biscarbene complex was not observed. Scheme 9. NHC-Ir complex synthesis from an in situ generated metal-alkoxide. The procedure starting with the alkoxy metal precursor gave bis-NHC substituted complexes (28) when sterically less demanding NHC salts were applied (Scheme 10). Notably, even a 2.2:1 ratio of NHC:Ir was sufficient to isolate 28a-c in good yields (67-86%). Iridium and rhodium bis-NHC complexes with chelating N-N bridged NHCs were prepared in the same way. 39 Scheme 10. Cationic biscarbene complexes. Recently, Savka and Plenio described a one-step synthesis to access (NHC)M(COD)Cl (M = Rh, Ir) as well as (NHC)M(CO) 2 Cl complexes by employing a relatively weak base (K 2 CO 3) in acetone under air (Scheme 11). 49 Scheme 11. One pot synthesis of (NHC)Ir(COD)Cl and (NHC)Ir(CO) 2 Cl complexes. 4.3. The silver transmetallation method Scheme 12. The silver transmetallation method. The silver transmetallation method for the synthesis of NHC-iridium complexes was first published by Crabtree and coworkers. 50 The NHC-silver adducts (29) were generated in excellent yields by modifying the original procedure of Wang and Lin. 51 Subsequent treatment of [Ir(COD)Cl] 2 at room temperature gave 30a and 30b in 81 and 68% yield, respectively (Scheme 12). X-ray analysis of the yellow crystals of 30a revealed square planar geometry around the iridium center. Complexes 30 smoothly reacted with CO to form bis-carbonyl compound...

Chiral, cationic NHC-iridium complexes are introduced as catalysts for the intramolecular hydroamination reaction of unactivated aminoalkenes. The catalysts show high activity in the construction of pyrrolidines, which are accessed with excellent optical purity. Enantiomerically enriched piperidines and indolines are also produced and various functional groups are tolerated with this LTM system. A reaction mechanism is proposed and a major deactivation pathway of these catalysts is presented and discussed.

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While attempting to prepare a series of cationic NHC-Ir complexes of general formula [(NHC)Ir(COD)] + via the silver salt metathesis reaction of its precursor (NHC)Ir(COD)Cl in dichloromethane, we unexpectedly synthesized [(µ-Cl)-{(2,7-SICyNap)Ir(COD)}•{Ag(OTf)}], a chloride-bridged Ir-Ag adduct. This result led us to investigate the chloride abstraction from the (NHC)Ir(COD)Cl system in detail. We show how the outcome of this ubiquitous reaction is dependent on a fine balance between nucleophilicity of the weakly coordinating anion (WCA) and the polarity / coordinating ability of the reaction medium. A frequently encountered alternative to using silver salts is also presented and compared. The experimental difference in the reactivities of cationic catalysts in a representative intramolecular hydroamination reaction shows how cationic Ir-Ag adduct can fail to deliver the reaction product through what appears to be a stabilization of the catalytically inactive iridium-silver intermediate by the educt.

A series of chiral N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-iridium complexes of general formula [(NHC*)­Ir­(diene)­Cl] bearing TFB (tetrafluorobenzobarrelene), TCB (tetrachlorobenzobarrelene), BB (benzobarrelene), and COD (cyclooctadiene) as diene ligands were synthesized and fully characterized. Chiral NHC ligands used were of the type previously reported from our group, with backbone stereocenters as well as axial chirality present. The cationic NHC-iridium complexes [(NHC*)­Ir­(diene)]­[PF6] were obtained via chloride abstraction from [(NHC*)­Ir­(diene)­Cl] with AgPF6. X-ray crystallographic data for some of the neutral and cationic complexes were obtained and analyzed. The topographic steric bulk of the chiral NHC ligands was calculated using the SambVca 2.0 program. While attempting to get a single crystal of the unstable (R a ,R a ,S,S)-[(DiPh-2-SICyoctNap)­Ir­(BB)]­[PF6] complex, a decomposition product with an unexpected pincer-type NHC*-diene ligand was obtained. The series of chiral cationic NHC-iridium complexes were either isolated or freshly made and used in the representative enantioselective intramolecular hydroamination of N-benzyl-2,2-diphenylpent-4-en-1 amine to produce methylated pyrrolidine product with varying yields and enantioselectivities. More importantly, the catalyst performance of these chiral cationic NHC-iridium complexes was expanded to the enantioselective ring-opening aminations of oxabicycles, where a highly enantioselective catalyst system was identified. Furthermore, we discovered that using the opposite axial stereochemistry on the NHC ligand completely switched the absolute configuration of the product, again showing high optical purity for the enantiomer of the product.