Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral 3-Substituted-3-silylpropionic Esters via Rhodium/Bisphosphine-Thiourea-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation

We successfully developed asymmetric hydrogenation of β-silyl-α,β-unsaturated esters to prepare chiral 3-substituted-3-silylpropionic ester products catalyzed by rhodium/bisphosphine-thiourea (ZhaoPhos) with excellent results (up to 97% yield, >99% ee, 1 500 TON). Moreover, our hydrogenation product can be efficiently converted to other important organic molecules, such as chiral ethyl (R)-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoate, (R)-3-(dimethyl(phenyl)silyl)-3-phenylpropanoic acid.