Preparation of dicationic palladium catalysts for asymmetric catalytic reactions.

The synthesis of Pd(OTf)(2)·2H(2)O is described. This was used to generate two different types of chiral dicationic palladium complexes for highly enantioselective addition of aromatic amines to α, β-unsaturated conjugate alkenes ([(R-BINAP)Pd(OH(2))(2)]OTf and (R-BINAP)Pd(μ-OH)OTf). The resulting optically active N-arylated β-amino acid derivatives are valuable synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of biologically active molecules and peptidomimetics. The reaction of (2E)-but-2-enoylcarbamate and aniline is shown as an example of the use of these catalysts for enantioselective aza-Michael addition. For the preparation of palladium(II) triflate, the time scale is 20 h 50 min, plus 5 h 15 min for the monomeric complex and plus 6 h 45 min for the dimeric complex.