Platinum functionalized Chiral Polyamides: Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for Solvent Free Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutanoate

The present study highlights platinum nanoparticles incorporated chiral polyamide for asymmetric hydrogenation of carbonyl group. Chiral polyamides are synthesized from chiral monomers, camphoric dichloride and achiral diamine monomers by interfacial condensation reaction. This chiral polyamide supports have helical structure with molecular chirality. The polyamide helices provide chiral environment to platinum nanoparticles that transfer to substrate during catalytic hydrogenation. The chemical and optical selectivity increases with dispersion of platinum nanoparticles on chiral polyamide which act like isolated single atomic catalytic centers. The distribution of nanoparticles depends on spacer used in amine monomer unit. The catalytically active single atom nanoparticles have preferentially Pt (111) planes and exhibit excellent selectivity up to 10 cycles (TOF > 5400 h−1 and > 99.9% ee) in asymmetric hydrogenation reaction of ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutanoate under solvent free condition.