Biomimetical catalysis of α-Amino acid hydrolysis over chiral palladacycles

A 4.5-fold difference in catalytic hydrolysis rate constants between stereomer pairs was achieved as a result of the incorporation of bulky substituents into chiral cyclopalladated arylamines used as catalysts for hydrolysis of esters of optically active amino acids. An unexpected inversion of catalyst stereoselectivity depending on the bulkiness of substituents at the palladacycle a-carbon atom was discovered.