An Amphiphilic (salen)Co Complex – Utilizing Hydrophobic Interactions to Enhance the Efficiency of a Cooperative Catalyst

An amphiphilic (salen)Co(III) complex is presented that accelerates the hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of epoxides almost 10 times faster than catalysts from commercially available sources. This was achieved by introducing hydrophobic chains that increase the rate of reaction in one of two ways - by enhancing cooperativity under homogeneous conditions, and increasing the interfacial area under biphasic reaction conditions. While numerous strategies have been employed to increase the efficiency of cooperative catalysts, the utilization of hydrophobic interactions is scarce. With the recent upsurge in green chemistry methods that conduct reactions 'on water' and at the oil-water interface, the introduction of hydrophobic interactions has potential to become a general strategy for enhancing the catalytic efficiency of cooperative catalytic systems.