Ru-Catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of substituted dibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepines in water.

This is the first report on the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of dibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepine compounds in the presence of an (R,R)-Ru-Ts-DPEN complex. The developed catalytic asymmetric protocol provides biologically active 11-substituted-10,11-dihydrodibenzo[b,f][1,4]oxazepines with excellent conversion (up to >99%) and high enantioselectivity (up to 93% ee) in water as an environmentally benign solvent.