Ruthenium Complexes with Exclusive Octahedral Centrochirality for Asymmetric Catalysis

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Eric Leif Meggers
• Subject Area: Organic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 370920062

Chirality is a pivotal feature of asymmetric catalysts. Our group has made important contributions to the use of chiral-at-metal Lewis acid catalysts in which the octahedral metal center constitutes the exclusive source of chirality. Such catalysts are of interest due to their intrinsic structural simplicity (only achiral ligands) and the prospect of an especially effective asymmetric induction due to the intimate contact between the chiral metal center and the metal-coordinated substrate or reagent. Since our previous work was entirely focused on bis-cyclometalated iridium and rhodium complexes, it is our objective to expand this class of chiral-at-metal Lewis acid catalysts to other metals. Specifically, we propose to investigate and develop ruthenium-based chiral Lewis acid catalysts with exclusive octahedral centrochirality. We anticipate the development of novel asymmetric catalysts for potentially novel reaction types in the course of this project.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants