Abstract

Rhodium nanoparticles were successfully stabilized by the (S, S)-1,2-ethanediylbis[(2-ethoxyphenyl) phenylphosphine] ((S,S)-DIPAMP) deposited on SiO2 prepared by a facile reduction and impregnation method. The chiral catalysts obtained were efficient for the enantioselective hydrogenation reactions of prochiral compounds. The catalysts synthesized from [Rh(mu-OMe)(COD)](2) in the presence of different amounts of a ligand used as chiral stabilizer, showed good metal dispersion. As shown by TEM, the metal particle size ranged between 1 and 2 nm using stabilizer and 9.1 nm was achieved without chiral ligand. Other techniques were used to characterize the chiral catalysts such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. (S,S)-DIPAMP was used as the stabilizer of metal particles to prevent growing and agglomeration, and it also acts as chiral modifier inducing enantioselectivity in the asymmetric hydrogenation of 3,4-hexanodione (HD), ethyl pyruvate (EP), ketopantolactone (KP), and acetophenone (AP). Under specific conditions such as 25 degrees C, 40 bar of H-2 and substrate/Rh= 100, 1% Rh-(S,S)-DIPAMP/SiO2 chiral catalysts showed excellent catalytic performance with conversion and enantiomeric excess (ee) levels up to 99% and 54% respectively.