Mechanisms and reactivity differences for the cobalt-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular hydroacylation of ketones and alkenes: insights from density functional calculations

Density functional theory (DFT) was used to study the cobalt(I)-catalyzed enantioselective intramolecular hydroacylation of ketones and alkenes. All intermediates and transition states were fully optimized at the M06/6-31G(d,p) level (LANL2DZ(f) for Co). The results demonstrated that the ketone and alkene present different reactivities in the enantioselective hydroacylation. In ketone hydroacylation catalyzed by the cobalt(I)-(R, R)-Ph-BPE complex, reaction channel "a" to (R)-phthalide was more favorable than channel "b" to (S)-phthalide. Hydrogen migration was both the rate-determining and chirality-limiting step, and this step was endothermic. In alkene hydroacylation catalyzed by the cobalt(I)-(R, R)-BDPP complex, reaction channel "c" leading to the formation of (S)-indanone was the most favorable, both thermodynamically and kinetically. Reductive elimination was the rate-determining step, but the chirality-limiting step was hydrogen migration, which occurred easily. The results also indicated that the alkene hydroacylation leading to (S)indanone formation was more energetically favorable than the ketone hydroacylation that gave (R)-phthalide, both thermodynamically and kinetically.