Synthesis of benzannulated spiroacetals using chiral gold–phosphine complexes and chiral anions

The development of an asymmetric gold-catalysed dihydroalkoxylation strategy for the synthesis of the 3′H-spiro[chroman-2,1′-isobenzofuran] spiroacetal ring system 5 is described. Spiroacetal was generated in up to 87:13 enantiomeric ratio using chiral gold–phosphine complexes and chiral silver phosphate Ag(S)-TRIP.     

Bimetallic system for the synthesis of diorganyl selenides and sulfides, chiral β-seleno amines, and seleno- and thioesters

The bimetallic reagent Sn(II)/Cu(II) in [bmim]BF₄ was efficiently used for the cleavage of diaryl diselenides and disulfides and reacts with a variety of organic substrates, such as organic halides, acid chlorides, and β-amino mesylates affording the diorganyl selenides and sulfides within very short reaction times, under mild conditions and with excellent yields, using BMIM-BF₄ as a reusable solvent.     

Synthesis,crystal structure,and magnetic characteristics of chiral cyanide-bridged Fe–Cu complex

Based on the building blocks, trans-dicyanide Fe(III) precursor and chiral amine Cu(II) compound, the chiral cyanide-bridged heterometallic Fe(III)–Cu(II) complex with the formula {[Cu(R/R-Chxn)₂Fe(bpmb)·(CN)₂][Fe(bpmb)(CN)₂]}·CH₃OH·H₂O (1) [bpmb^2– = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4-methylbenzenate, R,R-Chxn = R,R-1,2-diaminocyclohexane] has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra and X-ray analysis. The latter revealed that the complex contained the cyanide-bridged cationic binuclear entity and free anionic cyanide building block. The complex demonstrated weak ferromagnetic coupling between neighboring Fe(III) and Cu(II) ions via the bridging cyanide group.     

Enzymatic and chiral HPLC resolution of α-azido acids and amides

For the first time, enzymatic resolution of α-azido acid amides has been successfully demonstrated with high yields and enantiomeric excess. In one case dynamic kinetic resolution was achieved leading to more than 50% yield of the enantiomerically pure azido acid. Chiral HPLC was also used to separate racemic α-azido acids and the separation process was automated. Two routes to enantiopure α-azido acid building blocks for solid-phase peptide synthesis have, therefore, been established.     

Synthesis and characterization of non‐symmetric chiral dimers

A new class of cholesterol‐based non‐symmetric dimers have been synthesized and characterized. They comprise O‐alkylated cinnamic acid and pro‐mesogenic cholesterol segments interlinked covalently through a methylene spacer varying in its length and parity. All the dimers and some of the key precursors have been studied for their phase behaviour. All the intermediates show mesomorphism. Importantly, the thermal properties of dimers are found to be critically dependent on the parity of the flexible spacer. The dimers with odd‐parity spacer display chiral nematic and/or twist grain boundary phases. In contrast, the dimers with even‐parity spacer are either crystalline or exhibit metastable chiral nematic and/or twist grain boundary phases with the exception of one compound for which two unknown mesophases have been observed. The odd–even effect was found to be indistinct for selective reflection wavelengths of the chiral nematic phase. For some dimers, a variation in the pitch of the chiral nematic phase as a function of temperature was observed. Cyclic voltammetry experiments revealed the electrochemical properties of a representative liquid crystal dimer.     

Synthesis,characterization,structures and magnetic property of chiral oxalate-bridged dicopper(Ⅱ) complexes

The oxalato-bridged dicopper(II) complexes [Cu2(μ-ox)(LRR)2(H2O)2(ClO4)2] (1),[Cu2(μ-ox)(LRR)2(CH3COCH3)2(ClO4)2](1a),[Cu2(μ-ox)(LSS)2(H2O)2(ClO4)2] (2) and [Cu2(μ-ox)(LRR)(LSS)2(CH3COCH3)2(ClO4)2] (3) [LRR = (8R,10R)-(-)-[4,5]-pineno2,2′-bipyridine,LSS = (8S,10S)-(+)-[4,5]-pineno-2,2′-bipyridine;ox2= oxalate] were first prepared.A possible mechanism for the formation of the chial dicopper(II) complexes was proposed.Based on elemental analysis,conductance measurement,UV-Vis spectra,CD spectra and X-ray single-crystal diffraction,the oxalato-bridged structures of 1 and 2 were deduced to adopt two Cu(II) ions and the bridged oxalate lying in the nearly same plane.The crystal structures of 1a and 3 reveal that the coordination geometry around each Cu(II) ion is an elongated and distorted octahedron and two axial solvent molecules and two perchlorate ions are anti to each other respectively in both binuclear molecules.The solution CD spectra of 1 and 2 in the visible d-d range show very weak Cotton effects with peaks at 588 and 779 nm,which are approximately of mirror image,suggesting the optical activities may be derived from the vicinal effects of the chiragenic centers at the pinene group of LRR and LSS,respectively.Complex 1 has been characterized by variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility and the data was least-square fitted to the Blenaey-Bowers equation.The exchange integral J was found to be -338.41(4) cm-1,indicating a strong antiferromagnetic interaction between two copper(II) ions.     

Conformation and chiral effects in α,β,α-tripeptides

Short α,β,α-tripeptides comprising a central chiral trisubstituted β(2,2,3)*-amino acid residue form unusual γ-turns and δ-turns in CDCl(3) and DMSO-d(6) solutions but do not form β-turns. Thermal coefficients of backbone amide protons, 2D-NMR spectra, and molecular modeling revealed that these motifs were strongly dependent on the configuration (chiral effect) of the central β-amino acid residue within the triad. Accordingly, SSS tripeptides adopted an intraresidual γ-turn like (C6) arrangement in the central β-amino acid, whereas SRS diastereomers preferred an extended δ-turn (C9) conformation. A different SRS-stabilizing bias was observed in the crystal structures of the same compounds, which shared the extended δ-turn (C9) found in solution, but incorporated an additional extended β-turn (C11) to form an overlapped double turn motif.     

Synthesis of chiral pyrrolidine and pyrrole derivatives through the chemoselective Dieckmann reaction of α,β-aminodiesters

α,β-Aminodiesters were allowed to react with t-BuOK in THF at −78°C. The chemoselectivity of the Dieckmann cyclization was controlled by the nature of the substituents R₃ and R₄, allowing the preparation of pyrrolidine or pyrrole derivatives.     

Synthesis and properties of (−)-menthol-derived chiral liquid crystals by introducing adipoyloxy spacer between mesogenic core and chiral menthyl

A homologous series of new chiral liquid crystal compounds, M6BnB (n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18), with varying length of n-alkoxy chains at one end, was formed by covalently linking a chiral (?)-menthyl with biphenyl-benzoate via adipoyloxy spacer group. A combination of analysis methods such as Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR spectra, differential scanning calorimetry, polarised optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction was carried out to systematically investigate their phase structures and phase transition behaviours. The length of the flexible terminal alkoxy group has a profound influence on the clearing points (T_iso) and T_iso decrease with the increase of alkoxy chain (n). In addition, increasing the length of the terminal alkoxy group tends to narrow the temperature range of the N* phase and favour the development of chiral smectic C phase.     

Diastereoselective photodeconjugation of chiral α,β-unsaturated esters

Chiral alcohols available in both enantiomeric forms have been tested for the diastereoselective photochemical deconjugation of 2,4-dimethylpentenoic acid esters. (R)-Pantolactone afforded selectively the (2R)-β,γ-unsaturated ester in good yield and high d.e. (89%), while analogous use of (S)-pantolactone gave the (2S)-stereoisomer with similar selectivity.     

Impact of molecular flexibility on binding strength and self-sorting of chiral π-surfaces

In this work, we have explored for the first time the influence of conformational flexibility of π-core on chiral self-sorting properties of perylene bisimides (PBIs) that are currently one of the most prominent classes of functional dyes. For this purpose, two series of chiral macrocyclic PBIs 3a-c and 4a-c comprising oligoethylene glycol bridges of different lengths at the 1,7 bay positions were synthesized and their atropo-enantiomers (P and M enantiomers) were resolved. Single crystal analysis of atropo-enantiomerically pure (P)-3a not only confirmed the structural integrity of the ethylene glycol bridged macrocycle but also illustrated the formation of π-stacked dimers with left-handed supramolecular helicity. Our detailed studies with the series of highly soluble chiral PBIs 4a-c by 1- and 2-D (1)H NMR techniques, and temperature- and concentration-dependent UV/vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed that in π-π-stacking dimerization of these PBIs chiral self-recognition (i.e., PP and MM homodimer formation) prevails over self-discrimination (i.e., PM heterodimer formation). Our studies clearly showed that with increasing conformational flexibility of PBI cores imparted by longer bridging units, the binding strength for the dimerization process increases, however, the efficiency for chiral self-recognition decreases. These results are rationalized in terms of an induced-fit mechanism facilitating more planarized π-scaffolds of PBIs containing longer bridging units upon π-π-stacking.     

Sequence and linker dependent chiral dimerization of DNA–porphyrin conjugates

Circular dichroism (CD), UV–vis absorption, fluorescence, and resonance light scattering (RLS) spectroscopies were used to elucidate the role of the DNA sequence, linkers between DNA and porphyrin, and metal in the porphyrin coordination center on the self-assembly of DNA–porphyrin conjugates. A series of eight non-self-complementary DNA–porphyrin conjugates have been synthesized with zinc and free-base porphyrins covalently attached to the short ODNs (A₈ or T₈) via amide or phosphate linker. A small structural modification (e.g., amide linker replaced by the phosphate linker) showed a dramatic effect on the aggregation properties of DNA–porphyrin conjugates and greatly altered their spectroscopic properties. At low ionic strength, porphyrin aggregation was not observed for any conjugate. An increase in the ionic strength caused two out of eight conjugates to form chiral porphyrin dimers.     

Kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols by the combination of a chiral Brønsted acid, DABCO, and acetyl chloride

An efficient and simple protocol for the kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols is presented. The new system is based on a combination of chiral Br?nsted acid, DABCO, and acetyl chloride and gives various enantioenriched alcohols with selectivity factors up to 105.     

Synthesis and conformational studies of chiral meso-(α,β-unsaturated)-porphyrins

We describe a method to improve the yield and the kinetics of the difficult syntheses of α,β-unsaturated porphyrins, which enabled us to obtain a new chiral porphyrin derived from (S)-(−)-perillaldehyde in a 6% yield. Variable temperature NMR experiments on the free base, the zinc(II) and the nickel(II) complexes showed that two distinct and consecutive dynamic processes linked with the meso substituents rotation occurred. These processes can be analyzed as an evolution of the conformer composition upon temperature change. Higher values are found for the free energies of rotation of the substituent (measured by variable temperature ¹H NMR) compared to those of other equivalent porphyrins like meso-tetraphenyl porphyrin or meso-tetracyclohexyl porphyrin.     

Synthesis of planar chiral iridacycles by cationic metal π-coordination: facial selectivity, and conformational and stereochemical consequences

Facial selectivity during the π-coordination of pseudo-tetrahedral iridacycles by neutral (Cr(CO)(3)), monocationic (Cp*Ru(+)), and biscationic (Cp*Ir(2+)) metal centers was directly influenced by the coulombic imbalance in the coordination sphere of the chelated Ir center. We also showed by using theoretical calculations that the feasibility of the related metallacycles that displayed metallocenic planar chirality was dependent to the presence of an electron-donating group, such as NMe(2), which contributed to the overall stability of the complexes. When the π-bonded moiety was the strongly electron-withdrawing Cp*Ir(2+) group, the electron donation from NMe(2) resulted in major conformational changes, with a barrier to rotation of about 17?kcal mol(-1) for this group that became spectroscopically diastereotopic (high-field (1)H?NMR spectroscopy). This peculiar property is proposed as a means to introduce a new type of constitutional chirality at the nitrogen center: planar chirality at tertiary aromatic amines.     

Synthesis of novel chiral lipophilic pyridyl-containing β-amino alcohol ligands and enantioselective hydrolysis of α-amino acid esters by chiral metallomicelles

Seven novel chiral lipophilic pyridyl-containing β-amino alcohol ligands have been synthesized by coupling of 6-alkoxymethyl-2-chloromethylpyridine 3 with the corresponding chiral β-amino alcohols or l-cysteine. Their metal ion complexes have been investigated as catalysts for the enantioselective hydrolysis of N-protected α-amino acid esters in aqueous comicellar solution. The results indicate that the hydrophobic interactions between substrate and metallocatalyst, the rigidity of the ligand, the hydroxyl group of the ligand acting as a nucleophile for the transacylation process, and the micellar microenvironment are important factors for the activity and enantioselectivity. Large rate accelerations (up to three orders of magnitude) and moderate enantioselectivities (up to 7.81 (k_R/k_S)) employing 4a–Cu²⁺ have been observed.     

Energies of π*- and π-states of the conduction band and valence band of chiral carbon nanotubes

Nanotubes (NTs) are mainly represented by (n,p) chiral NTs with chirality indices 0 < p < n delimited by (n,0) and (n,n) for achiral NTs. In (n,p) chiral NTs, the unit cell hexagons have a helical arrangement on the cylindrical surface of an NT and common angular and axial translations. An analytical formula was derived for calculation of the band structure of both chiral and achiral NTs with chirality indices 0 ≤ p ≤ n and band diagrams of some chiral NTs. Chiral NTs significantly extend the range of semiconducting NTs. An equation for the band gap width ΔЕ of semiconducting chiral and achiral NTs was derived: \(\frac{{\vartriangle E}}{{{\gamma _0}}} = \frac{{2\pi }}{{\sqrt {3{n^2} + 3np + 3{p^2}} }}\). Tables of the band structure parameters of metallic and semiconducting chiral NTs are presented.     

Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic separation of diastereomers of β-amino alcohols and microwave assisted synthesis of Marfey's reagent,its chiral variants and diastereomers

Ten chiral derivatizing reagents (CDRs) were synthesized by replacing the l-Ala–NH₂ moiety in Marfey's reagent (MR) by seven l-amino acid amides and three l-amino acids employing microwave irradiation (MW) and were characterized. Ten racemic amino alcohols were derivatized with these CDRs under MW. The diastereomers were separated on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column using binary mixtures of acetonitrile with aqueous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and triethylammonium phosphate buffer (TEAP). In general, amino acid variants of MR provided better separation of diastereomers in comparison to amino acid amide variants. The method was also found successful for the separation of 20 diastereomers from a mixture.     

Synthesis of novel chiral phosphines from α,α-trehalose

New disaccharide chiral phosphines, such as 4,6-O-benzylidene-2-(diphenylphosphino)-2-deoxy-α-d-altropyranosyl-(1,1)-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-(diphenylphosphino)-2-deoxy-α-d-altropyranoside 1 and 2-(diphenylphosphino)-2-deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-α-d-altropyranosyl-(1,1)-2-(diphenylphosphino)-2-deoxy-4,6-O-isopropylidene-α-d-altropyranoside 9, were prepared from α,α-trehalose. We also succeeded in the synthesis of polyhydroxy chiral diphosphine 2-(diphenylphosphino)-2-deoxy-α-d-altropyranosyl-(1,1)-2-(diphenylphosphino)-2-deoxy-α-d-altropyranoside 5 by deprotection of isopropylidene groups.     

Self-assembly of enantiopure and racemic 2,2′,6,6′-tetrasubstituted biaryl tectons into hydrogen bonded chiral squares and infinite chiral square layers

Both chiral and achiral hydrogen bonding o-,o-,o′-,o′-tetrasubstituted biaryls often exhibit unique self-assembling properties giving rise to chiral square cyclotetramers. The individual chiral squares self-assemble further with the formation of infinite layers which are either achiral or are chiral (homochiral). A priori analysis reveals various hydrogen bonding modes which may take part in the self-assembly, differing each from the other by structure and symmetry of the resulting squares and layers. Results of the theoretical analysis are compared with the experimental findings obtained from X-ray crystallographic analysis of three novel and two already known isosteric biaryl tectons, (S)-2a, (RS)-2a, 3a, (S)-5 and (RS)-5, respectively.