Highly efficient and recyclable chiral phosphine-functionalized polyether ionic liquids for asymmetric hydrogenation of β-keto esters

Herein, based on the concept of integration of phosphine ligands and ionic liquids (ILs), a class of chiral phosphine-functionalized polyether ionic liquids (CPF-PILs) were synthesized by ion-exchange reaction between polyether imidazolium ILs and a phenyl-sulfonated (S)-(−)-2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl (BINAP) chiral diphosphine ligand, and employed in the Ru-catalyzed homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation of β-keto esters. The resulting CPF-PILs combined the dual functions of the chiral phosphine ligand and ILs, allowing efficient recovery and recycling of the chiral catalysts using only a catalytic amount of CPF-PILs. The effects of various factors, including the chiral catalyst structure, solvent properties, reaction temperature, hydrogen pressure, and hydrobromic acid dosage, on catalytic performance were thoroughly investigated, as well as the cycling stability and universality of the chiral catalysts were examined. The findings of the present study demonstrated that, under optimal reaction conditions, the model substrate methyl acetoacetate underwent quantitative conversion to methyl β-hydroxybutyrate with a 97% enantiomeric excess (ee). The chiral catalyst used in this process can be recycled up to 12 times and showed good applicability to structurally various β-keto esters. The present study presents a novel approach for using ILs in asymmetric hydrogenation reactions in an environmentally friendly manner.