The Kinetic Resolution of Chiral alpha-Olefins with Optically Active Ansa-Zirconocene Polymerization Catalysts

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The objective of this research by Professor John E. Bercaw at the California Institute of Technology, which is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Oganometallic Chemistry Program, is to develop new, highly reactive enantiopure precatalysts that show improved selectivity and substrate generality for chiral alpha-olefins. Due to their extreme activities in polymerizing alpha-olefins, optically active ansa-zirconocene polymerization catalysts are excellent prospects for effecting kinetic resolutions, preferentially polymerizing one enantiomer of a chiral olefin and leaving behind the less reactive enantiomer. This not only resolves the two enantiomers, but also leads to a new class of optically active polymers.New catalysts will be developed to resolve right- and left handed molecules, which is essential for synthesizing chiral molecules such as pharmaceuticals. By using a polymerization catalyst, one type of "handed" molecule is incorporated into a new type of "handed" polymer.