The aim of this work was to prepare new chiral heterogeneous catalysts for asymmetric catalysis by oxidative polymerization of chiral organometallic complexes or by formation of chiral metal organic frameworks. New chiral salen Co(III) complexes modified by oxidizable aromatic groups at position 5,5’ have been prepared and tested as homogeneous catalysts in the Hydrolytic Kinetic Resolution (HKR) of terminal epoxides. These complexes have also been engaged into the oxidative electrochemical and chemical polymerization, and a copolymerization strategy has afforded very efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the HKR. The idea of copolymerization has then been extended to the copolymerization of two salen complexes with different metals, which is expected to promote successively two different asymmetric transformations. During preliminary investigations, the salen Mn complexes have been found to be able to enhance the catalytic performance of salen Co(III) complexes in the HKR by increasing significantly the enantiomeric excess of the products. Mechanistic studies have thus been realized to understand the role of salen Mn complexes in this reaction. Besides, some chiral salen complexes functionalized by pyridine or isophtalic acid groups have been synthesized for the preparation of new chiral metal organic frameworks (collaboration with LCI of ICMMO and Institut Lavoisier of Versailles), which have also been tested in the asymmetric Henry reaction and the HKR as heterogeneous catalysts.
