Palladium-Catalyzed Enantioselective C−H Olefination to Access Planar-Chiral Cyclophanes by Dynamic Kinetic Resolution

Abstract

Planar-chiral cyclophanes have received increasing attention for drug discovery and catalyst design. However, the catalytically asymmetric synthesis of planar-chiral cyclophanes has been a longstanding challenge. We describe the first Pd(II)-catalyzed enantioselective C-H olefination of prochiral cyclophanes. The low rotational barrier of less hindered benzene ring in the substrates allows the reaction to proceed through a dynamic kinetic resolution. This approach exhibits broad substrate scope, providing the planar-chiral cyclophanes in high yields (up to 99%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to >99% ee). The ansa chain length scope studies reveal that the chirality of the cyclophanes arises from the bond rotation constraint of the benzene ring around the macrocycle plane, rather than the C-N axis. The C-H activation approach is also applicable to the late-stage modification of bioactive molecules and pharmaceuticals.