Zinc Complexes of New Chiral Aminophenolate Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity toward Lactide

Abstract

The syntheses of a library of new chiral aminophenolate bidentate O,N-type ligands HOC6H4(2-R- 4-R′)CH2N(Me)CH(Me)C6H5 [R = R′ = But, 1; R = R′ = Pent, 2; R = But, R′ = Me, 3; R = Me, R′ = But, 4; R = R′ = Me, 5] and tridentate O,N,O-type ligands HOC6H4(2,4-But)CH = NCH(R′′)C6H5 [R′′ = Me, 6; R′′ = CH2OMe, 7] are reported. These ligands were characterized by elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H & 13C), and single crystal X-ray diffraction. These ligands serve as chiral auxiliaries for inorganic chemists to design chiral metal-based complexes for asymmetric catalysis and stereoselective polymerization reactions. Three new heteroleptic zinc complexes based on these ligands have been synthesized in moderate yields via a ligand-exchange transamination reaction between homoleptic [Zn(N(SiMe3)2)2] and one equivalent of corresponding ligands to afford [L3ZnN- (SiMe3)2] (3a), [L4ZnN(SiMe3)2] (4a), and [L7ZnN(SiMe3)2] (7a)...