Catalytic activity of chiral chelating N-heterocyclic carbene palladium complexes towards asymmetric allylic alkylation

The catalytic activity of a series of chiral heteroaryl coordinated chelating N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) palladium complexes towards asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) were presented here. The effects of different N-substituents, NHC backbones and chelate rings on the catalytic activity and the enantioselectivity of the alkylation of (E)-1,3-diarylallyl acetates with dialkyl malonate were investigated. The results showed that, under the optimized conditions, complexes 3a, 3b, and 3i carrying the pyridinyl-coordinated five-membered chelate ring showed high catalytic activity and chiral induction efficiency. The corresponding alkylated products were obtained in high yields with moderate ee. Furthermore, it was found that the substituents of (E)-1,3-diarylallyl acetates and the type of the nucleophile affect the results as well.