“In situ immobilization” of a multicomponent chiral catalyst (MCC) via non-covalent interactions for heterogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation reactions

Abstract

We have developed a practical “in situ immobilization” strategy where pyrene-tagged, multicomponent chiral catalysts (MCCs) are anchored onto graphene materials via π–π stacking interactions. The resulting novel hybrid catalysts showed excellent catalytic activity and enantioselectivity towards the hydrogenation of dehydroamino acid esters. Moreover, the catalysts demonstrated enhanced stability as they can be readily recycled and reused for up to thirteen runs without obvious deterioration of reactivity or enantioselectivity.