Asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of various simple aromatic ketones by the Ru-TsDPEN catalyst was shown to be feasible in aqueous HCOONa without calling for any catalyst modification, furnishing ee's of up to 95% and significantly faster rates than in the HCOOH-NEt(3) azeotrope.

Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation ligands were synthesized using a triazine spacer group in two, high yielding steps from cheap, readily available starting materials. The ligands, gave good enantioselectivities in the asymmetric dihydroxylation of alkenes and may provide a very economic alternative to current systems. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[reaction: see text] The poly(ethylene glycol)-supported ruthenium precatalyst shown above is highly effective for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of unfunctionalized aromatic ketones by HCOONa in neat water, affording fast rates, good to excellent enantioselectivities, and outstanding reusability.

Optimization of the Heck reaction of 4-bromoacetophenone with styrene by a polymer supported, sulfur-containing palladacycle, varying 6 factors at a total of 28 different levels, corresponding to 5760 different possibilities was undertaken. Conversion improved from 34%, with large observable leaching to 88% with no leaching. This was accomplished using a Design of Experiments approach facilitated by the Statistical Design Package, MODDE 7.0(TM). (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new supported chiral diamine has been developed and shown to be highly effective in ruthenium-catalysed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of simple aromatic ketones. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[reaction: see text] A poly(ethylene glycol)-supported chiral diamine (PEG-2), in which the polymer is attached to the phenyl rings, has been synthesized and shown to be highly effective in asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized aromatic ketones with the possibility of reuse. PEG-2 can also serve as a chiral scaffold on which various immobilized chiral catalysts could be easily built.