This review highlights the progress achieved in transition-metal (ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, and nickel) catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of unsaturated sulfones including substrate scopes, catalytic mechanisms, and applications.
A highly chemo- and enantioselective hydrogenation of arylidene chromanones/cyclohexanones catalyzed by the Rh-f-spiroPhos complex has been developed, providing chiral chromanones with up to 98% ee and achieving high turnover numbers (TON = 2000).
Enantioselective hydrogenation of α-trifluoromethylidene lactams catalyzed by the Rh/f-spiroPhos complex is first developed, providing an efficient approach for synthesis of various chiral trifluoroethyl lactams, with up to 99.9% ee and high turnover numbers (up to 10500).
This review summarizes the recent advances (2016–2023) in the stereoselective metal-catalyzed hydrogenation of cyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones, lactams and lactones since considerable developments were made. Where possible the application of these methodologies in synthesis is outlined.
A novel and efficient approach for obtaining allylic sulfones was demonstrated via palladium-catalyzed hydrosulfonylation of cyclopropenes.