Dedicated to Professor Joachim Bargon (Universit‰t Bonn) on the occasion of his 65 th birthday.Abstract: The synthesis of a novel class of sterically demanding diphosphonites 1 ± 8, based on rigid backbones, is described. The starting materials are all commercially available and the methodology allows for a modular approach. All ligands have been fully characterized, including an X-ray crystal structure for compound 1, 4,5-bis{di[(2-tert-butyl)phenyl]phosphonito}-9,9-dimethylxanthene. The coordination of these diphosphonite ligands towards Ni(II) and Ni(0) precursors is investigated, both by NMR spectroscopy as well as X-ray crystallography and compared with the behaviour of diphosphine ligands such as Xantphos. The molecular structure for complex 9, trans-[NiBr 2 (1)] is described in detail. The nickel-catalyzed isomerization of 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile to 3-pentenenitrile is studied, a relevant step in the industrially important hydrocyanation of butadiene (the DuPont adiponitrile process). Good activities and selectivities to the desired 3-pentenenitrile are obtained in this reversible C À C bond activation reaction.

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The catalytic hydrogenation of (S)-alkyl-N-(2-methylbenzoyl)pyroglutamates was studied over supported rhodium and ruthenium catalysts at room temperature and a pressure of 5 MPa. The reaction was diastereoselective with the predominant formation of (1S,2R)-2-methylcyclohexane carboxylic acid with a diastereomeric excess (de) of up to 96%. The most stable conformation was determined by means of a combination of modelling calculations, NMR spectroscopy and X-ray structural determination. In this conformation, the carbonyl group of the pyroglutamate auxiliary shields one face of the aromatic ring. The observed selectivity may thus be explained by a preferential adsorption at the unshielded face which avoids steric repulsion by the C=O group to result in a cis hydrogenation. The addition of an amine, the nature of the support (alumina or active carbon) or of the metal (Rh or Ru) were shown to give additional stabilisation of the adsorption at the unshielded face to increase the diastereoisomeric excess.

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stereochemistry stereochemistry (general, optical resolution) O 0030 -036Diastereoselective Hydrogenation of o-Toluic Acid Derivatives over Supported Rhodium and Ruthenium Heterogeneous Catalysts.-The use of a pyroglutamic acid derivative (II) as chiral auxiliary permits the diastereoselective reduction of aromatic moieties with higher than 90% de. -(BESSON, M.; GALLEZOT, P.; NETO, S.; PINEL, C.; Chem.