Thermal transformation of a chiral,non-racemic epoxide into a conglomerate

Formation of conglomerates is of general interest because they offer the possibility of enantiomeric separation by preferential crystallization. A surprising result was obtained for the chiral epoxide 1a, 2, 7, 7a-tetrahydro-3-methoxynaphth-(2,3b)-oxirene, for which we have shown that the racemate crystals of a non racemic mixture can be easily transformed into a conglomerate by gentle heating and cooling within a defined temperature range. This transformation is not possible with the pure racemic mixture. Thus the enantiomeric excess seems to be the driving force for the conglomerate formation. Experiments have been carried out on analytical and preparative scale. Non racemic mixtures have been characterized by high pressure liquid chromatography on chiral stationary phase and crystal transformation has been monitored with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (IR).     

Mechanism of preferential enrichment,an unusual enantiomeric resolution phenomenon caused by polymorphic transition during crystallization of mixed crystals composed of two enantiomers

The mechanism of Preferential Enrichment, an unusual enantiomeric resolution phenomenon observed upon recrystallization of a series of racemic crystals which are classified as a racemic mixed crystal with fairly ordered arrangement of the two enantiomers, has been studied. On the basis of the existence of polymorphs and the occurrence of the resulting polymorphic transition during crystallization from solution, the mechanism has been accounted for in terms of (1) a preferential homochiral molecular association to form one-dimensional chain structures in the supersaturated solution of the racemate or nonracemic sample with a low ee value, (2) a kinetic formation of a metastable crystalline phase retaining the homochiral chain structures in a process of nucleation, (3) a polymorphic transition from the metastable phase to a stable one followed by enantioselective liberation of the excess R (or S) enantiomers from the transformed crystal into solution at the beginning of crystal growth to result in a slight enrichment (up to 10% ee) of the opposite S (or R) enantiomer in the deposited crystals, together with an enantiomeric enrichment of the R (or S) enantiomer in the mother liquor, and (4) a chiral discrimination by the once formed S (or R)-rich stable crystalline phase in a process of the subsequent crystal growth, leading to a considerable enantiomeric enrichment of the R (or S) enantiomer up to 100% ee in the mother liquor. The processes (3) and (4) are considered to be directly responsible for an enrichment of one enantiomer in the mother liquor. The association mode of the two enantiomers in solution has been investigated by means of (i) the solubility measurement and (ii) the number-averaged molecular weight measurement in solution by vapor pressure osmometry, together with (iii) the molecular dynamics simulation of oligomer models. The polymorphic transition during crystallization has been observed visually and by means of the in situ FTIR technique and DSC measurement. Both metastable and stable crystals have been obtained, and their crystal structures have been elucidated by X-ray crystallographic analysis of their single crystals.     

A nanoscale view of supramolecular stereochemistry in self-assembled monolayers of enantiomers and racemates

The effect that molecular chirality has on the formation of monolayer structures by pure enantiomers and their racemates at the liquid/solid interface has been investigated for two chiral compounds (1 and 2) which differ from each other by the presence or absence of an ester function in their respective molecular structures. 1 shows pseudoracemate formation when the achiral graphite support is exposed to a solution containing a racemate while 2 shows racemic conglomerate formation. This difference is rationalized in terms of the orientation of the pure enantiomers with respect to the graphite substrate and highlights the importance of molecular structure and its influence on balancing the interplay between molecular conformation and molecular packing on the surface. For 1, nonstoichiometric mixtures of both enantiomers have been investigated, and the results are discussed in the framework of the sergeant and soldiers principle. These results are important for the understanding and prediction of spontaneous resolution in monolayer systems.     

Disappearing Enantiomorphs: Single Handedness in Racemate Crystals

Although crystallization is the most important method for the separation of enantiomers of chiral molecules in the chemical industry, the chiral recognition involved in this process is poorly understood at the molecular level. We report on the initial steps in the formation of layered racemate crystals from a racemic mixture, as observed by STM at submolecular resolution. Grown on a copper single‐crystal surface, the chiral hydrocarbon heptahelicene formed chiral racemic lattice structures within the first layer. In the second layer, enantiomerically pure domains were observed, underneath which the first layer contained exclusively the other enantiomer. Hence, the system changed from a 2D racemate into a 3D racemate with enantiomerically pure layers after exceeding monolayer‐saturation coverage. A chiral bias in form of a small enantiomeric excess suppressed the crystallization of one double‐layer enantiomorph so that the pure minor enantiomer crystallized only in the second layer.     

Racemizable systems crystallizing as conglomerate and spontaneous symmetry breaking

Heterogeneous equilibria are reviewed in binary and ternary systems of enantiomers without and with in situ racemization. The twofold symmetry between the two chiral components is also found in the phase diagrams except for stable conglomerate forming systems associated with a fast in situ racemization in the liquid phase. In this particular case, a gentle attrition speeds up the irreversible evolution of the system towards a spontaneous symmetry breaking, i.e., a single crystallized enantiomer in equilibrium with its racemic solution. This final evolution is predicted to reach the limit of miscibility in the solid state for conglomerate forming system with partial solid solution and in situ racemization.     

Preparation and characterization of new chiral nitronyl nitroxides bearing a stereogenic center in the imidazolyl framework

A synthetic procedure for optically active and racemic alpha-nitronyl nitroxides (alpha-NNs) having a stereogenic center at the 4-position of the imidazolyl ring is described. This procedure consists of (1) the synthesis of a dissymmetric vic-dinitro compound by Kornblum reaction, (2) the enantiomeric resolution of the racemate by a diastereomer method for obtaining the optically active sample, (3) the quick reduction of the optically active or racemic vic-dinitro compound to the bis(hydroxyamino) derivative with Al/Hg, (4) the solvent-free condensation of the bis(hydroxyamino) compound with an aldehyde to give the 1,3-dihydroxyimidazolidine, and (5) the final oxidation of the alpha-NN precursor with aqueous NaIO(4). The absolute configuration of the optically active alpha-NNs was assigned by correlating with the X-ray crystal structure of the (-)-(1S,4R)-camphanic acid ester derivative of the optically active vic-dinitro compound. The molecular conformation of the optically active alpha-NNs was found to be folded both in solution and in the solid state by CD spectroscopy and energy minimization with the Monte Carlo method. The magnetic properties of both optically active and racemic alpha-NNs in solution and in the solid state were characterized by EPR spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurement, respectively.     

Enantiomeric resolution of albuterol sulfate by preferential crystallization

Albuterol is a β₂-adrenoceptor agonist prescribed for the treatment of bronchial asthma; it exists as a racemate and its bronchodilator activity resides in the (R)-isomer or levalbuterol. The aim of this study was to determine a methodology that would separate the enantiomers of albuterol by preferential crystallization after a conglomerate is identified within its derivatives. We found that albuterol sulfate behaves as a conglomerate showing the characteristic α_x-value = 2 (mole fraction solubility ratio of racemate vs enantiomer), the V-shaped ternary phase diagram and the preferential crystallization by seeding with the pure enantiomer. On the basis of these characteristics, we separated the enantiomers by entrainment, and crystallizing out a saturated methanolic solution of albuterol sulfate at 15 °C.     

Crystallization of chiral compounds 3. 3-phenoxypropane-1,2-diol and 3-(2-halophenoxy)propane-1,2-diols

Specific features of melting of crystalline samples of 3-(2-R-phenoxy)propane-1,2-diols with different enantiomeric compositions were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The melting points and enthalpies of melting for the racemate and individual stereoisomers were determined. Binary phase diagrams were constructed. The entropy of mixing of individual enantiomers in the liquid phase and the free energy of formation of the racemic compound were calculated. The thermochemical data indicate that the racemates are formed upon the crystallization of phenoxy-and 2-fluorophenoxy-containing compounds, while crystallization of the chloro-, bromo-, and iodo-substituted analogs would form racemic conglomerates. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 225—232, February, 2006.     

Enantiomer systems of carnitinamide inorganic salts: introductory studies to a successful entrainment resolution

The ready availability of (R)-carnitinamide, an immediate synthetic precursor of (R)-carnitine, is an ambitious goal and resolutions, due to the very low cost of racemic carnitinamide, can be the most convenient technology to achieve it. Before developing a new advantageous resolution of carnitinamide chloride by entrainment, we characterized the enantiomer systems formed by the chloride, nitrate and sulfate of carnitinamide, mainly by DSC and IR analyses, proving that a different type of racemate is produced by each of these salts: a conglomerate by the chloride, a racemic compound by the nitrate and a solid solution, a very rare type of enantiomer system, by the sulfate.     

La formation de sels augmente-t-elle la fréquence des dédoublements spontanés?

The resolution by entrainment which allows the pure enantiomers to be obtained by direct crystallization of the racemate is possible only when the racemate is a conglomerate (eutectic mixture). Spontaneous resolutions exist to an extent less than 10% of the crystalline racemates. Considering a family of racemic salts formed by a racemic acid or racemic base and a racemic or an achiral counterion, we show by a statistical analysis, which has required the preparation of more than 500 salts, that the probability of finding spontaneous resolution is 2 or 3 times greater than in the family of covalent racemates. The preparation of some phosphonic acids, which could be useful as new resolving agents is described.     

Homochiral conglomerates and racemic crystals in two dimensions: tartaric acid on Cu(110)

Two-dimensional lattice structures formed by racemic tartaric acid on a single crystalline Cu(110) surface have been studied and compared with the enantiopure lattices. At low coverage, the doubly deprotonated bitartrate species is separated into two-dimensional conglomerates showing opposite enantiomorphism. At higher coverage, however, a singly deprotonated monotartrate species forms a heterochiral, racemic crystal lattice. While the enantioseparated bitartrate system undergoes decomposition at the same temperature as the enantiopure system, the racemic monotartrate lattice has a lower thermal stability than the enantiopure lattice of identical periodicity and surface density. At monolayer saturation coverage, the pure enantiomers form a denser lattice than the racemate. This is in contrast to the three-dimensional tartaric acid crystals, where the racemate crystallizes in a lattice of higher density, which is also more thermally stable than the enantiopure tartaric acid crystals.     

Effect of molecular chirality on racemate stability: alpha-amino acids with nonpolar R groups

A racemate of two opposite and resolvable enantiomers is generally assumed to be more stable than the corresponding conglomerate. Demonstrating this structure-stability relation, however, has proved difficult owing to a sampling bias (data available only for systems whose racemates are stable enough to exist) and a possible kinetic bias (racemates may be easier to crystallize than conglomerates from racemic media). As a new approach to studying the relation, we determined how the relative stability of the conglomerate and the racemate changes with the molecule's degree of chirality in a series of alpha-amino acids with nonpolar R groups. We found that the excess energy of the conglomerate over the racemate, (E(C) - E(R)), increases with the size of the R group, a measure of the molecule's chirality. If valid in general, this relation demonstrates a tendency for chiral molecules to form racemates rather than conglomerates. Because of the entropy effect on crystal stability, however, the excess free energy of the conglomerate over the racemate, (G(C) - G(R)), shows no simple relation with the degree of chirality at the temperatures of study (-3 to 180 degrees C).     

Effect of enantiomeric excess on thermotropic and electro-optical properties of ferroelectric sulphinate liquid crystals

The liquid crystalline behaviour and the electro-optical properties of mixtures of two pure ferroelectric enantiomers are studied as a function of the enantiomeric excess and compared with those of the corresponding racemate. It appears clearly that, depending upon the value of the enantiomeric excess, distinct thermotropic sequences are observed. The transition temperatures change significantly, and an additional SmB phase is observed for the racemate and for the mixtures of neighbouring concentrations. Moreover, the variation of the spontaneous polarization as a function of the enantiomeric excess is found to be strongly nonlinear. All these experimental observations show unambiguously that the thermotropic behaviour, the polar order, and consequently all the related electro-optical properties of the ferroelectric liquid crystal materials studied in the present work depend significantly upon the optical purity of the materials.     

Measuring free-energy difference between crystal polymorphs through eutectic melting

We describe a method to measure the free-energy difference, DeltaG, between crystal polymorphs from their calorimetric data of eutectic melting with a common additive. The use of different additives yields DeltaG as a function of temperature. The method is suitable for crystals that chemically decompose or physically transform before melting. It applies to not only true polymorphs but also pairs of racemate and conglomerate of resolvable enantiomers. We illustrate the method with the polymorphs of glycine, d-mannitol, and tazofelone and report a new value (123 degrees C) for the enantiotropic transition temperature of alpha and gamma glycine. We show how different additives (including a liquid additive, water) can be used for different compounds. The DeltaG data thus obtained are important for structure-stability studies and controlling crystallization in polymorphic systems.     

Unusual Disordered Crystal Structure of a Racemate Exhibiting a Novel Enantiomeric Resolution: Preferential Enrichment

Simple recrystallization of racemic (±)-NC leads to preferential enrichment of one enantiomer in the mother liquor, which allows the efficient resolution of the two enantiomers. In the unique disordered crystal structure of the racemate, the two enantiomers form centrosymmetric dimers as the major component.     

Use of enantioselective liquid chromatography for preparation of pure atenolol enantiomers

The study reported here shows a practicable preparation of pure atenolol enantiomers using enantioselective liquid chromatography. The successful separation of enantiomers of the final atenolol and the intermediate ester and the good peak shapes could not have been obtained without diethylamine as a component of the mobile phase. That makes difficult the recycling of the three-component mobile phase, an unavoidable step in simulated moving bed chromatography separation technology. The only suitable methodology for preparation of atenolol enantiomers proved to be synthesis from its N-benzyl-N-isopropyl precursor and the chiral stationary phase Chiralpak AD was found to be very convenient for preparative separation of these enantiomers. The enantiomeric purities and recovery of separated enantiomers of this N-benzyl-N-isopropyl precursor were very high, allowing high enantiomeric purities of the final products, ee's 99.3% for S- and 99.0% for R-atenolol. The chromatographic separation parameters, as well as solubility of racemate in the mobile phase, are good bases for the further examination of possible scale-up resolution of compound 6.     

Chiral discrimination in host-guest supramolecular complexes. Understanding enantioselectivity and solid solution behaviors by using spectroscopic methods and chemical sensors

Diastereomeric host-guest associations formed between permethylated-beta-cyclodextrin (TMbeta-Cd) and the two enantiomers of p-bromophenylethanol (pBrPE) were characterized in aqueous solution by NMR spectroscopy, revealing similar inclusion geometries and weak binding constants, whatever the guest configuration. These features were confirmed by hydrogenation experiments, and do not allow to account for the ability of TMbeta-Cd to resolve racemic pBrPE by successive crystallizations [Grandeury, A.; Petit, S.; Gouhier, G.; Agasse, V.; Coquerel, G. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2003, 14, 2143-2152]. The analysis, by means of solid-state NMR, oxidation experiments, and solubility measurements, of the two crystalline phases containing known proportions of guest enantiomers revealed identical inclusion geometries in a given phase, irrespective of the enantiomeric composition. The corresponding solid solutions were further characterized by the determination of an isothermal section (40 degrees C) in the relevant ternary phase diagram. It appears from all these data that chiral resolution mechanisms in this system can only be envisaged in terms of nucleation conditions of each crystal form (with its specific inclusion geometry) and enantiomeric recognition at crystal solution interfaces during the growth of each crystal packing.     

Discrimination between Conglomerates and Pseudoracemates Using Surface Coverage Plots in 2D Self‐Assemblies at the Liquid–Graphite Interface

The two‐dimensional (2D) molecular ordering of two photochromic diarylethenes was investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy at the liquid–graphite interface. The racemic mixture of the closed‐ring isomer of one of the diarylethenes showed spontaneous separation of its enantiomers upon 2D crystallization, whereas that of the other diarylethene formed a pseudoracemic crystal in which two enantiomers coexist in a 2D ordering domain. The mixing of enantiomers in 2D assemblies can be analyzed by the dependence of the surface coverage on the concentration of enantiomers at different enantiomeric ratios.     

Identification and characterization of an anomalous racemate

Direct crystallization is a convenient and generally efficient method to increase the optical purity of partially resolved enantiomers. The design of chiral purification processes based on crystallization requires measurement of solubility of all stable phases, i.e. enantiomers and racemic mixtures, in the process solvent. Enantiomeric systems have been classified by the nature of the solid phases formed as racemic compounds, conglomerates or solid solutions. In rare cases, however, enantiomers form crystalline addition compounds with a stoichiometry other than 1(S):1(R). These structures are generally known as “anomalous racemates”. The solubility and melting point diagrams of each type of enantiomeric system exhibit characteristic features which have significant implications on the efficiency of the crystallization to enhance optical purity. In this study, we report the formation of a non-equimolar 3:1 addition compound in the R/S 3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl) butanoic acid.     

Influence of chirality on phase transitions in ferroelectric liquid crystals

The transition temperatures between various smectic liquid crystal phases are determined as a function of the enantiomeric excess for three different chiralracemic systems (i.e. binary mixtures consisting of a chiral enantiomer and its racemate). It is shown that transitions involving a ferroelectric phase occur in the chiral compounds at higher temperatures compared to their racemates, the temperature shift being proportional to the square of the enantiometric excess. In contrast, for transitions between two non-ferroelectric phases no difference between the chiral and the racemic compounds is found. Various reasons for the experimental behaviour are discussed. A chirality dependence of the transition temperature is also observed for the smectic A-isotropic transition.