• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.490-494
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• 2016

This paper describes the very efficient and highly enantioselective ring opening of terminal epoxides with alkyl and arene sulfonic acid. The dinuclear chiral (salen) Co complexes bearing Lewis acids of Al, Ga and In catalyze the reaction enantioselectively in the presence of tetrabutylammonium chloride using tert-butyl methyl ether as a solvent. The variation of the anion of the tetra butyl ammonium salt has significant impact on the reactivity and selectivity of the asymmetric ring opening of phenyl glycidyl ether with p-toluenesulfonic acid. The order of reactivity and selectivity was found to be $Cl^-$ > $l^-$ > $Br^-$ > $OH^-$. Strong synergistic effects of the different Lewis acid centers of Co-Al, Co-Ga and Co-In complexes were observed in the catalytic process. The dinuclear chiral salen catalyst containing $AlCl_3$ was found to be most active and highly enantioselective (91% ee).

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.541-542
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• 2010