The complexes Pd(diphos)(o-An)(I) (o-An = o-MeOC6H4; diphos = dppe (3), (S,S)-Chiraphos (4), (R,R)-Me-Duphos (5), (R,S)-t-Bu-Josiphos (6), (R)-Tol-Binap (7)) were prepared. Complex 6 catalyzed the coupling of PH(Me)(Ph)(BH3) (2) with o-AnI in the presence of base to yield PAMP−BH3 (P(Me)(Ph)(o-An)(BH3) (1)) in low enantiomeric excess. The course of stoichiometric reactions of 3−7 with 2 and NaOSiMe3 depended on the diphosphine ligand. Complexes 6 and 7 gave PAMP−BH3 (1) and Pd(0) species; no intermediates were observed. With 3, the intermediate Pd(dppe)(o-An)(P(Me)(Ph)(BH3)) (10) was observed by 31P NMR, while 4 gave the isolable diastereomeric palladium complexes (S P )-Pd((S,S)-Chiraphos)(o-An)(P(Me)(Ph)(BH3)) (11a) and (R P )-Pd((S,S)-Chiraphos)(o-An)(P(Me)(Ph)(BH3)) (11b), whose absolute configurations were determined by X-ray crystallography after separation. The analogous Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(o-An)(P(Me)(Ph)(BH3)) diastereomers (12a,b) were also separated and isolated. Treatment of 4 with highly enantioenriched 2 (R or S) gave 11a or 11b in high diastereomeric excess with retention of configuration at phosphorus. P−C reductive elimination from either isomer of highly diastereoenriched 11 in the presence of excess diphenylacetylene yielded Pd((S,S)-Chiraphos)(PhC⋮CPh) (14) and highly enantioenriched PAMP−BH3 (1), with retention of configuration.

The chiral Pd(0) trans-stilbene complexes Pd(diphos*)(trans-stilbene) (diphos* = (R,R)-Me-Duphos, (R,R)-Et-Duphos, (R,R)-i-Pr-Duphos, (R,R)-Me-BPE, (S,S)-Me-FerroLANE, (S,S)-Me-DuXantphos, (S,S)-Et-FerroTANE, (R,S)-CyPF-t-Bu, (R,S)-PPF-t-Bu, (R,S)-BoPhoz) and Ni((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(trans-stilbene) were prepared by NaBH(OMe)3 reduction of the corresponding M(diphos*)Cl2 compounds in the presence of trans-stilbene. The rate of oxidative addition of phenyl iodide to the stilbene complexes, which gave Pd(diphos*)(Ph)(I), depended on the ligand (larger for increased ligand bite angles and reduced steric bulk) and was markedly faster than oxidative addition to mixtures of Pd(dba)2 and diphos*. The complexes Pd(diphos*)(Ph)(I) were prepared independently by treatment of PdL2(Ph)(I) (L2 = TMEDA, (PPh3)2) with diphos*. Oxidative addition of PhI to the complexes M((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(trans-stilbene) occurred in the rate order Pd > Ni ≫ Pt. The complexes Pd(diphos*)Cl2, Pd(diphos*)(trans-stilbene), and Pd(diphos*)(Ph)(I), as well as some analogous Ni compounds, were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography.

Asymmetric cross-coupling of aryl iodides (ArI) with secondary arylphosphines (PHMe(Ar'), Ar' = (2,4,6)-R3C6H2; R = i-Pr (Is), Me (Mes), Ph (Phes)) in the presence of the base NaOSiMe3 and a chiral Pd catalyst precursor, such as Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(trans-stilbene), gave the tertiary phosphines PMe(Ar')(Ar) in enantioenriched form. Sterically demanding secondary phosphine substituents (Ar') and aryl iodides with electron-donating para substituents resulted in the highest enantiomeric excess, up to 88%. Phosphination of ortho-substituted aryl iodides required a Pd(Et-FerroTANE) catalyst but gave low enantioselectivity. Observations during catalysis and stoichiometric studies of the individual steps suggested a mechanism for the cross-coupling of PhI and PHMe(Is) (1) initiated by oxidative addition to Pd(0) yielding Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(Ph)(I) (3). Reversible displacement of iodide by PHMe(Is) gave the cation [Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(Ph)(PHMe(Is))][I] (4), which was isolated as the triflate salt and crystallographically characterized. Deprotonation of 4-OTf with NaOSiMe3 gave the phosphido complex Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(Ph)(PMeIs) (5); an equilibrium between its diastereomers was observed by low-temperature NMR spectroscopy. Reductive elimination of 5 yielded different products depending on the conditions. In the absence of a trap, the unstable three-coordinate phosphine complex Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(PMeIs(Ph)) (6) was formed. Decomposition of 5 in the presence of PhI gave PMeIs(Ph) (2) and regenerated 3, while trapping with phosphine 1 during catalysis gave Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(PHMe(Is))2 (7), which reacted with PhI to give 3. Deprotonation of 1:1 or 1.4:1 mixtures of cations 4-OTf gave the same 6:1 ratio of enantiomers of PMeIs(Ph) (2), suggesting that the rate of P inversion in 5 was greater than or equal to the rate of reductive elimination. Kinetic studies of the first-order reductive elimination of 5 were consistent with a Curtin-Hammett-Winstein-Holness (CHWH) scheme, in which pyramidal inversion at the phosphido ligand was much faster than P-C bond formation. The absolute configuration of the phosphine (SP)-PMeIs(p-MeOC6H4) was determined crystallographically; NMR studies and comparison to the stable complex 5-Pt were consistent with an RP-phosphido ligand in the major diastereomer of the intermediate Pd((R,R)-Me-Duphos)(Ph)(PMeIs) (5). Therefore, the favored enantiomer of phosphine 2 appeared to be formed from the major diastereomer of phosphido intermediate 5, although the minor intermediate diastereomer underwent P-C bond formation about three times more rapidly. The effects of the diphosphine ligand, the phosphido substituents, and the aryl group on the ratio of diastereomers of the phosphido intermediates Pd(diphos*)(Ar)(PMeAr'), their rates of reductive elimination, and the formation of three-coordinate complexes were probed by low-temperature 31P NMR spectroscopy; the results were also consistent with the CHWH scheme.