Planar-chiral arene ruthenium complexes: synthesis, separation of enantiomers, and application for catalytic C-H activation.

Heating tert -butyl-tetraline with [( p -cymene)RuCl2 ]2 produces the racemic complex [(arene)RuCl2 ]2 , which can be separated into enantiomers by chromatography of its diastereomeric adducts with chiral phosphine ligand. The resolved chiral complex catalyzes C-H activation of N -methoxy-benzamides and their annulation with N -vinyl-pivaloyl amide giving dihydroisoquinolones in 50-80% yields and with 40-80% enantiomeric excess.