Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenations of prochiral unsaturated compounds, 1 olefin, 2 ketone, 3 and imine, 4 have been intensively studied and are considered as a versatile method of creating a chiral carbon center. 5 However, no highly enantioselective hydrogenation of heteroaromatic groups has so far been reported except that of 2-methylquinoxaline to our knowledge. 6 Resonance stability of heteroaromatic compounds might impede the enantioselective hydrogenation, 7 which may find potentially wide applicability in stereoselective organic synthesis. 8,9 Herein, we describe the highly enantioselective hydrogenation of heteroaromatic compounds, indoles.We recently disclosed that the rhodium complex generated from Rh(acac)(cod) and PPh 3 is a good catalyst for the hydrogenation of five-membered heteroaromatic compounds. 10 Thus chiral rhodium complexes prepared in situ from Rh(acac)(cod) and various commercially available chiral bisphosphines (1 mol %) were examined for asymmetric hydrogenation of N-acetyl-2-butylindole (1a) at 60°C for 2 h with 5.0 MPa of H 2 in 2-propanol (eq 1), resulting in non-enantioselective hydrogenation (0-1% ee). 11 Fortunately, the successful asymmetric hydrogenation has been achieved by use of a trans-chelating chiral bisphosphine ligand, (S,S)-(R,R)-PhTRAP, 12,13 giving (R)-N-acetyl-2-butylindoline (2a) with 85% ee (77% conversion). No reduction of the fused aromatic ring of 1a was observed.On further investigation into the asymmetric hydrogenation, [Rh(nbd) 2 ]SbF 6 was found to be superior to Rh(acac)(cod) as catalyst precursor (Table 1). It is noted that addition of base is necessary for achievement of high enantioselectivity as well as high catalytic activity. The [Rh(nbd) 2 ]SbF 6 -(S,S)-(R,R)-PhTRAP catalyst scarcely promoted the hydrogenation in the absence of base, giving a trace of 2a with only 7% ee (S) (entry 1). Addition of 10 mol % of Et 3 N or Cs 2 CO 3 brought remarkable improvement of the enantioselectivity and catalytic activity (100% conversion, 94% ee (R)) (entries 2 and 3). 14 Both the enantioselectivity and catalytic activity were significantly dependent upon base: K 2 -CO 3 gave (R)-2a with 76% ee, and pyridine did not activate the cationic PhTRAP-rhodium complex at all (entries 4 and 5). The amount of Cs 2 CO 3 did not affect the selectivity: 20 mol %, 94% ee; 1 mol %, 93% ee. It is possible to carry out the asymmetric hydrogenation at lower pressure (1.0 MPa) without significant decrease of the selectivity and reaction rate (entry 6). The amount of PhTRAP-rhodium complex can be reduced to 0.1 mol %, and the reaction was completed within 20 h to give (R)-2a of 93% ee in 92% isolated yield (entry 7).Although 2-propanol has frequently been used as a hydrogen source in the transfer hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds (1) For reviews, see: (a) Takaya, H.; Ohta, T.; Noyori, R. In Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis; Ojima, I., Ed.; VCH Publishers: New York
