Here, we report the first Ir-N,P complex catalyzed tandem Peterson olefination and asymmetric hydrogenation of -hydroxy silanes. This reaction resulted in the formation of chiral alkanes in high isolated yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) under mild conditions. Modification of the reaction conditions provides a choice to transform either an olefin or the -hydroxy silane in a chemoselective manner. Additionally, based on this method, an expedient enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(+)--curcumene, from a simple ketone, was accomplished in two steps with 75% overall yield and 95% ee.

The synthesis of chiral fluorine containing motifs, in particular, chiral fluorine molecules with two contiguous stereogenic centers, has attracted much interest in research due to the limited number of methods available for their preparation. Herein, we report an atom-economical and highly stereoselective synthesis of chiral fluorine molecules with two contiguous stereogenic centers via azabicyclo iridium-oxazoline-phosphine-catalyzed hydrogenation of readily available vinyl fluorides. Various aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic systems with a variety of functional groups were found to be compatible with the reaction and provide the highly desirable product as single diastereomers with excellent enantioselectivities.

A number of cyclic dienes containing the allylsilane moiety were prepared via Birch reduction and subjected to iridium-catalyzed regioselective and asymmetric hydrogenation, which provided chiral allylsilanes in high conversion and enantiomeric excess (up to 99 % ee). The compounds were successively used in the Hosomi-Sakurai allylation with various aldehydes employing TiCl4 as Lewis acid, providing adducts with two additional stereogenic centers in excellent diastereoselectivity.

The work presented in this thesis concerns asymmetric catalysis using chiral N,P-ligands and iridium or palladium transition metals. The first part  (Chapters 2 and 3) highlights the N,P-iridium catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of 1,4-cyclohexadienes having functionalized or unfunctionalized substituents, including allylsilane side chains. A series of N,P-iridium catalysts were synthesized and screened on a number of cyclohexadienes. The developed N,P-iridium catalysts have provided excellent chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivity for most of the products obtained. For substrates having an allylsilane sidechain, the chiral cyclic allylsilane products were used to induce stereocontrol in a subsequent Hosomi-Sakurai reaction using TiCl₄ as Lewis acid and aldehydes as electrophiles. The corresponding homoallylic alcohols were obtained in good to excellent diastereoselectivity. 

The second part (Chapter 4) describes the N,P-iridium catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of various vinyl fluorides. A number of tri- and tetrasubstituted vinyl fluorides were synthesized and evaluated for the asymmetric hydrogenation. The corresponding saturated chiral fluoro compounds were obtained in very high enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). The defluorination, usually known to occur under the catalytic hydrogenation conditions, were not observed for the majority of the substrates. 

Finally, Chapter 5 describes the application of N,P-ligands in the asymmetric cycloisomerization of 1,6-enynes using a palladium precatalyst. The enantioselectivities for the products were found to depend both on the substrate as well as the hydrogen source. These developed catalytic reactions provide attractive methods to create multiple stereogenic centers in a molecule in relatively few steps from readily available starting materials.

Organic compounds containing multiple C=C bonds are attractive substrates for catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation. The full saturation of prochiral double bonds, controlling the creation of two or more stereocenters in one step, is obviously a remarkable goal. However, another fascinating and useful option is to selectively introduce a new defined stereogenic center while leaving other double bonds untouched. Thus, the retained functionalities can be further exploited in synthesis. Examples of regio- and enantioselective mono-hydrogenations of polyolefins are highlighted in this Concept article, and are divided according to the nature of the reduced double bond and the transition-metal catalyst used. Alkenes bearing coordinating functional groups are often preferentially hydrogenated by Rh- and Ru-complexes, while the more recently developed Ir-based catalysts promote the selective saturation on alkyl-substituted olefins. Relevant applications of this effective methodology in the synthesis of natural products are included to demonstrate its value in organic synthesis.

Herein is presented a single-site Ru complex bearing a carboxamide-based ligand that efficiently manages to carry out the fourelectron oxidation of H2O. The incorporation of the negatively charged ligand framework significantly lowered the redox potentials of the Ru complex, allowing H2O oxidation to be driven by the mild oxidant [Ru(bpy)(3)](3+). This work highlights that the inclusion of amide moieties into metal complexes thus offers access to highly active H2O oxidation catalysts.

Photocatalytic water oxidation represents a key process in conversion of solar energy into fuels and can be facilitated by the use of molecular transition metal-based catalysts. A novel straightforward approach for covalent linking of the catalytic units to other moieties is demonstrated by preparation of a dinuclear complex containing two [Ru(pdc)(pic)(3)]-derived units (pdc = 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate, pic = 4-picoline). The activity of this complex towards chemical and photochemical oxidation of water was evaluated and a detailed insight is given into the interactions between the catalyst and acetonitrile, a common co-solvent employed to increase solubility of water oxidation catalysts. The solvent-induced transformations were studied by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques and the relevant quantitative parameters were extracted.

A number of cyclic olefins Were prepared and evaluated for the asymmetric hydrogenation reaction using novel N,P-ligated iridium imidazote-based Catalysts (Crabtree type). The diversity of these cyclic olefins spanned those having little functionality to others bearing strongly coordinating substituents and heterocycles. Excellent enantioselectivities were observed both for substrates having little functionality (up to >99% ee) and for substrates possessing functional groups several carbons away from the olefin. Substrates having functionalities such as carboxyl groups, alcohols, or heterocycles in the vicinity of the C=C bond were hydrogenated in high enantiomeric excess (up to >99% ee). The hydrogenation was also found to be regioselective, and by controlling the reaction conditions, selective hydrogenation of one of two trisubstituted olefins can be achieved: Furthermore, trisubstituted olefins can be selectively hydrogenated in the presence of tetrasubstituted olefins.

A series of N,P-ligands were prepared and evaluated in the asymmetric palladium-catalyzed cycloisomerization of allyl propargyl ether substrates. The reactivity and enantioselectivity of the reaction was shown to be highly dependent on the chiral skeleton of the ligand structures with ee's ranging from 22-99 %. The proton source had a significant impact on the enantioselectivity. The generation of palladium hydride from formic acid led to the highest ee. A selectivity model based on a proposed transition state was used to predict and explain the enantiomeric outcome of the reaction.

The increasing energy demand calls for the development of sustainable energy conversion processes. Here, the splitting of H2O to O-2 and H-2, or related fuels, constitutes an excellent example of solar-to-fuel conversion schemes. The critical component in such schemes has proven to be the catalyst responsible for mediating the four-electron oxidation of H2O to O-2. Herein, we report on the unexpected formation of a single-site Ru complex from a ligand envisioned to accommodate two metal centers. Surprising N-N bond cleavage of the designed dinuclear ligand during metal complexation resulted in a single-site Ru complex carrying a carboxylate amide motif. This ligand lowered the redox potential of the Ru complex sufficiently to permit H2O oxidation to be carried out by the mild one-electron oxidant [Ru(bpy)(3)](3+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine). The work thus highlights that strongly electron-donating ligands are important elements in the design of novel, efficient H2O :oxidation catalysts.