Binuclear Cu(II) chiral complexes: synthesis,characterization and application in enantioselective nitroaldol (Henry) reaction

Enantiopure macrocyclic ligands were synthesized from (1R,2R)‐(+)‐ and (1S,2S)‐(?)‐diphenylethylenediamine with 3,3'‐methylenebis(5‐(tert‐butyl)‐2‐hydroxybenzaldehyde) and characterized. The chirality transfer and chiral inversion from ligand to copper(II) metal centre were studied using circular dichroism spectroscopy. The enantiopure binuclear copper(II) complexes (ΔΔ and ΛΛ) were used as catalysts for asymmetric nitroaldol reaction to generate β‐nitroalcohol with 88% yield and 67% enantioselectivity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non‐iterative Asymmetric Synthesis of C15 Polyketide Spiroketals

The 2,2′‐methylenebis[furan] ( 1 ) was converted to 1‐{(4R,6S))‐6‐[(2R)‐2,4‐dihydroxybutyl]‐2,2‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxan‐4‐yl}‐3‐[(2R,4R)‐tetrahydro‐4,6‐dihydroxy‐2H‐pyran‐2‐yl)propan‐2‐one ((+)‐ 18 ) and its (4S)‐epimer (?)‐ 19 with high stereo‐ and enantioselectivity (Schemes 1–3). Under acidic methanolysis, (+)‐ 18 yielded a single spiroketal, (3R)‐4‐{(1R,3S,4′R,5R,6′S,7R)‐3′,4′,5′,6′‐tetrahydro‐4′‐hydroxy‐7‐methoxyspiro[2,6‐dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane‐3,2′‐[2H]pyran]‐6′‐yl}butane‐1,3‐diol ((?)‐ 20 ), in which both O‐atoms at the spiro center reside in equatorial positions, this being due to the tricyclic nature of (?)‐ 20 (methyl pyranoside formation). Compound (?)‐ 19 was converted similarly into the (4′S)‐epimeric tricyclic spiroketal (?)‐ 21 that also adopts a similar (3S)‐configuration and conformation. Spiroketals (?)‐ 20 , (?)‐ 21 and analog (?)‐ 23 , i.e., (1R,3S,4′R,5R,6′R)‐3′,4′,5′,6′‐tetrahydro‐6′‐[(2S)‐2‐hydroxybut‐3‐enyl]‐7‐methoxyspiro[2,6‐dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane‐3,2′‐[2H]pyran]‐4′‐ol, derived from (?)‐ 20 , were assayed for their cytotoxicity toward murine P388 lymphocytic leukemia and six human cancer cell lines. Only racemic (±)‐ 21 showed evidence of cancer‐cell‐growth inhibition (P388, ED₅₀: 6.9 μg/ml).     

Diastereoselective Electrophilic Amination of Chiral 1‐Benzoyl‐2,3,5,6‐tetrahydro‐3‐methyl‐2‐(1‐methylethyl)pyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one for the Asymmetric Syntheses of α‐Substituted α,β‐Diaminopropanoic Acids

The chiral compounds (R)‐ and (S)‐1‐benzoyl‐2,3,5,6‐tetrahydro‐3‐methyl‐2‐(1‐methylethyl)pyrimidin‐4(1H)‐one ((R)‐ and (S)‐ 1 ), derived from (R)‐ and (S)‐asparagine, respectively, were used as convenient starting materials for the preparation of the enantiomerically pure α‐alkylated (alkyl=Me, Et, Bn) α,β‐diamino acids (R)‐ and (S)‐ 11 – 13 . The chiral lithium enolates of (R)‐ and (S)‐ 1 were first alkylated, and the resulting diasteroisomeric products 5 – 7 were aminated with ‘di(tert‐butyl) azodicarboxylate’ (DBAD), giving rise to the diastereoisomerically pure (≥98%) compounds 8 – 10 . The target compounds (R)‐ and (S)‐ 11 – 13 could then be obtained in good yields and high purities by a hydrolysis/hydrogenolysis/hydrolysis sequence.     

Stereoselective and Enantioselective Syntheses of the Four Stereoisomers of Muscol from (3RS)‐Muscone

Two trans stereoisomers of 3‐methylcyclopentadecanol (=muscol), (1R,3R)‐ 2 and (1S,3S)‐ 2 , were efficiently synthesized from (3RS)‐3‐methylcyclopentadecanone (=muscone; (3RS)‐ 1 ) by a highly stereoselective reduction (Scheme). L‐Selectride^® (=lithium tri(sec‐butyl)borohydride) was used, followed by the enantiomer resolution by lipase QLG (Alcaligenes sp.). The cis stereoisomers of muscol, (1S,3R)‐ 2 and (1R,3S)‐ 2 , were obtained by the Mitsunobu inversion of (1R,3R)‐ 2 and (1S,3S)‐ 2 , respectively (Scheme). The absolute configuration of (1R,3R)‐ 2 was determined by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis of its 3‐nitrophthalic acid monoester, 2‐[(1R,3R)‐3‐methylcyclopentadecyl hydrogen benzene‐1,2‐dicarboxylate ((1R,3R)‐ 3b ), and by oxidation of (1R,3R)‐ 2 to (3R)‐muscone.     

双功能手性联萘酚配体在炔基锌对醛的不对称加成反应选择性能研究

单体2-溴吡啶, 2-溴-5-甲基吡啶, 2-氯-4-氟吡啶, 2-氯-3-三氟甲基吡啶分别与( R )-3,3′-二硼酸-2,2′-二甲氧基-1,1′-联萘 [( R )-2]在钯催化下, 通过Suzuki交叉耦合反应合成得到四个类似手性化合物( R )-3a-d。将它们应用到炔基锌对醛的不对称催化加成反应中,结果表明( R )-3a和( R )-3b的催化效果不好, 而( R )-3d只对脂肪醛有很好的催化效果,( R )-3c则对这类不对称催化反应均有很好的催化效果, 能给出高达95%的收率和99%的选择性结果。结果还表明所产生相应炔丙醇异构体构型为S,这与手性催化剂构型相反。     

Naphthyl Groups in Chiral Recognition: Structures of Salts and Esters of 2‐Methoxy‐2‐naphthylpropanoic Acids

The crystal structures of salt 8 , which was prepared from (R)‐2‐methoxy‐2‐(2‐naphthyl)propanoic acid ((R)‐MβNP acid, (R)‐ 2 ) and (R)‐1‐phenylethylamine ((R)‐PEA, (R)‐ 6 ), and salt 9 , which was prepared from (R)‐2‐methoxy‐2‐(1‐naphthyl)propanoic acid ((R)‐MαNP acid, (R)‐ 1 ) and (R)‐1‐(p‐tolyl)ethylamine ((R)‐TEA, (R)‐ 7 ), were determined by X‐ray crystallography. The MβNP and MαNP anions formed ion‐pairs with the PEA and TEA cations, respectively, through a methoxy‐group‐assisted salt bridge and aromatic CH???π interactions. The networks of salt bridges formed 2₁ columns in both salts. Finally, (S)‐(2E,6E)‐(1‐²H₁)farnesol ((S)‐ 13 ) was prepared from the reaction of (2E,6E)‐farnesal ( 11 ) with deuterated (R)‐BINAL‐H (i.e., (R)‐BINAL‐D). The enantiomeric excess of compound (S)‐ 13 was determined by NMR analysis of (S)‐MαNP ester 14 . The solution‐state structures of MαNP esters that were prepared from primary alcohols were also elucidated.     

Synthesis and Self‐Aggregation of Enantiopure and Racemic Molecular Tweezers Based on the Bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane Framework

A pair of molecular tweezers (syn‐ 4 ) that consists of quinoline and pyrazine units fused to a bicyclic framework is presented. The tweezers were synthesised both as a racemic mixture (rac‐ 4 ) and an enantiomerically pure form ((R,R,R,R)‐ 4 ) starting from either racemic or enantiomerically pure bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane‐2,6‐dione ( 3 ). Homochiral dimers were observed in the solid state for rac‐ 4 . The self‐association of both rac‐ 4 and (R,R,R,R)‐ 4 was studied in solution. A weak self‐association constant in CDCl₃ was estimated by ¹H NMR spectroscopic dilution titration experiments in both cases, following several proton resonances. For this purpose, a general normalisation model for the accurate determination of association constants from multiple datasets was developed. In contrast to the solid state, no diastereomeric discrimination was observed for rac‐ 4 in solution.     

Enzyme‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Synthesis of Two Novel Carbasugar Derivatives

Enzymatic resolution of racemic 1,4,5,6‐tetrachloro‐2‐(hydroxymethyl)‐7,7‐dimethoxybicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐5‐ene (rac‐ 1 ) using various lipases in vinyl acetate as acetyl source was studied. The obtained enantiomerically enriched (+)‐(1,4,5,6‐tetrachloro‐7,7‐dimethoxybicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐5‐en‐2‐yl)methyl acetate ((+)‐ 2 ; 94% ee), upon treatment with Na in liquid NH₃, followed by Amberlyst‐15 resin in acetone, provided (−)‐5‐(hydroxymethyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept‐2‐en‐7‐one ((−)‐ 7 ), which is a valuable precursor for the synthesis of carbasugar derivatives. Subsequent Baeyer–Villiger oxidation afforded a nonseparable mixture of bicyclic lactones, which was subjected to LiAlH₄ reduction and then acetylation. The resultant compounds (−)‐ 11 and (+)‐ 12 were submitted to a cis‐hydroxylation reaction, followed by acetylation, to afford the novel carbasugar derivatives (1S,2R,3S,4S,5S)‐4,5‐bis(acetoxymethyl)cyclohexane‐1,2,3‐triyl triacetate ((−)‐( 13 )) and (1R,3R,4R,6R)‐4,6‐bis(acetoxymethyl)cyclohexane‐1,2,3‐triyl triacetate ((−)‐( 14 )), respectively, with pseudo‐C₂‐symmetric configuration. The absolute configuration of enantiomerically enriched unreacted alcohol (−)‐ 1 (68% ee) was determined by X‐ray single‐crystal analysis by anchoring optically pure (R)‐1‐phenylethanamine. Based on the configurational correlation between (−)‐ 1 and (+)‐ 2 , the absolute configuration of (+)‐ 2 was determined as (1R,2R,4S).     

A Highly Efficient Synthesis of Optically Active Ferrocenylethylamines via Hydride Reduction of Chiral Ferrocenylketimines

Due to using (R)‐ or (S)‐α‐methylbenzylamine as a chiral auxiliary, and low‐temperature regime for reduction of the intermediate ferrocenyl‐mono‐ or 1,1′‐bis‐ketimines, the corresponding secondary mono‐ or 1,1′‐bis‐amines were prepared with high diastereoselectivity. Removal of the α‐methylbenzyl group afforded the optically active primary mono‐ and bis‐ferrocenylethylamines in high yields. The absolute configuration of (R,R)‐ 3a and (S,S)‐ 3b was determined by X‐ray single crystal diffraction.     

Synthesis and Absolute Configuration at C(8) of ‘p‐Menthane‐3,8,9‐triol’ Derived from (–)‐Isopulegol

Two diastereoisomers of the new, potentially insecticidal ‘p‐menthane‐3,8,9‐triol’ (=(2S)‐ and (2R)‐ 2‐[(1R,2R,4R)‐2‐hydroxy‐4‐methylcyclohexyl]propane‐1,2‐diol; (8S)‐ and (8R)‐ 1 ), have been synthesized from (–)‐isopulegol by both conventional dihydroxylation and catalytic Sharpless dihydroxylation (Scheme). The absolute configuration at C(8) of the corresponding orthoformate adduct (8S)‐ 3a was determined by ¹H‐NMR and X‐ray crystallographic analysis (Figure).     

Syntheses of Enantiomerically Pure 2‐Substituted Pyrrolidin‐3‐ones via Lithiated Alkoxyallenes – An Auxiliary‐Based Synthesis of both Enantiomers of the Antibiotic Anisomycin

The hydrochlorides of both enantiomers of the antibiotic anisomycin were prepared starting with the ‘diacetone‐fructose’‐substituted allene 1 and the N‐Boc‐protected imine precursor 2a . Addition of an excess of lithiated 1 to 2a provided a 2 : 1 mixture 3a of diastereoisomers, which were cyclized to 4a under base promotion (Scheme 2). The two diastereoisomers of 4a were separated and converted into enantiomerically pure pyrrolidin‐3‐ones (2R)‐ 5a and (2S)‐ 5a . A similar sequence yielded the N‐Tos‐protected compounds (2R)‐ 5b and (2S)‐ 5b . Compounds 5a were converted into silyl enol ethers 6 and by subsequent regio‐ and stereoselective hydroboration into pyrrolidine derivatives 7 (Scheme 3). Straightforward functional‐group transformations led to the hydrochlorides 9 of anisomycin (Scheme 3). The (2R) series provided the hydrochloride (2R)‐ 9 of the natural occurring enantiomer, whereas the (2S) series furnished the antipode (2S)‐ 9 . The overall sequence to the natural product involved ten steps with eight purified intermediates and afforded an overall yield of 8%. Our stereochemically divergent approach to this type of hydroxylated pyrrolidines is highly flexible and should easily allow preparation of many analogues.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Mannich‐Type Reaction Enabled by Efficient Dienolization of α,β‐Unsaturated Pyrazoleamides†

(E)‐α,β‐Unsaturated pyrazoleamides undergo facile dienolization to furnish copper(I)‐(1Z,3Z)‐dienolates as the major in the presence of a copper(I)‐(R)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS catalyst and Et₃N, which react with aldimines to afford syn‐vinylogous products as the major diastereoisomers in high regio‐ and enantioselectivities. In some cases, the diastereoselectivity is low, possibly due to the low ratio of copper(I)‐(1Z,3Z)‐dienolates to copper(I)‐(1Z,3E)‐dienolates. (Z)‐Allylcopper(I) species is proposed as effective intermediates, which may form an equilibrium with copper(I)‐(1Z,3Z)‐dienolates. Interestingly, the present methodology is a nice complement to our previous report, in which (E)‐β,γ‐unsaturated pyrazoleamides were employed as the prenucleophiles in the copper(I)‐catalyzed asymmetric vinylogous Mannich‐Type reaction and anti‐vinylogous products were obtained. In the previous reaction, copper(I)‐ (1Z,3E)‐dienolates were generated through α‐deprotonation, which might form an equilibrium with (E)‐allylcopper(I) species. Therefore, it is realized in the presence of a copper(I) catalyst that (E)‐α,β‐unsaturated pyrazoleamides lead to syn‐products and (E)‐β,γ‐unsaturated pyrazoleamides lead to anti‐products. Finally, by use of (E)‐β,γ‐unsaturated pyrazoleamide, (E)‐α,β‐unsaturated pyrazoleamide, (R)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS, and (S)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS, the stereodivergent synthesis of all four stereoisomers is successfully carried out. Then by following a three‐step reaction sequence, all four stereoisomers of N‐Boc‐2‐Ph‐3‐Me‐piperidine are synthesized in good yields, which potentially serve as common structure units in pharmaceutically active compounds.     

Synthesis of the Spermidine Alkaloids (−)‐(2R,3R)‐ and (−)‐(2R,3S)‐3‐Hydroxycelacinnine: Macrocyclization with Oxirane‐Ring Opening and Inversion via Cyclic Sulfamidates

The two epimers (?)‐ 1a and (?)‐ 1b of the macrocyclic lactam alkaloid 3‐hydroxycelacinnine with the (2R,3R) and (2R,3S) absolute configurations, respectively, were synthesized by an alternative route involving macrocyclization with the regio‐ and stereoselective oxirane‐ring opening by the terminal amino group (Schemes 2 and 6). Properly N‐protected chiral trans‐oxirane precursors provided (2R,3R)‐macrocycles after a one‐pot deprotection‐macrocyclization step under moderate dilution (0.005–0.01M ). The best yields (65–85%) were achieved with trifluoroacetyl protection. Macrocyclization of the corresponding cis‐oxiranes was unsuccessful for steric reasons. Inversion at OH? C(3) via nucleophilic displacement of the cyclic sulfamidate derivative with NaNO₂ led to (2R,3S)‐macrocycles. The synthesized (?)‐(2R,3S)‐3‐hydroxycelacinnine ((?)‐ 1b ) was identical to the natural alkaloid.     

Metabolism of Deuterated Isomeric 6,7‐Dihydroxydodecanoic Acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae – Diastereo‐ and Enantioselective Formation and Characterization of 5‐Hydroxydecano‐4‐lactone (=4,5‐Dihydro‐5‐(1‐hydroxyhexyl)furan‐2(3H)‐one) Isomers

The chemical synthesis of deuterated isomeric 6,7‐dihydroxydodecanoic acid methyl esters 1 and the subsequent metabolism of esters 1 and the corresponding acids 1a in liquid cultures of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. Incubation experiments with (6R,7R)‐ or (6S,7S)‐6,7‐dihydroxy(6,7‐²H₂)dodecanoic acid methyl ester ((6R,7R)‐ or (6S,7S)‐(6,7‐²H₂)‐ 1 , resp.) and (±)‐threo‐ or (±)‐erythro‐6,7‐dihydroxy(6,7‐²H₂)dodecanoic acid ((±)‐threo‐ or (±)‐erythro‐(6,7‐²H₂)‐ 1a , resp.) elucidated their metabolic pathway in yeast (Tables 1–3). The main products were isomeric ²H‐labeled 5‐hydroxydecano‐4‐lactones 2 . The absolute configuration of the four isomeric lactones 2 was assigned by chemical synthesis via Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and chiral gas chromatography (Lipodex ^® E). The enantiomers of threo‐ 2 were separated without derivatization on Lipodex ^® E; in contrast, the enantiomers of erythro‐ 2 could be separated only after transformation to their 5‐O‐(trifluoroacetyl) derivatives. Biotransformation of the methyl ester (6R,7R)‐(6,7‐²H₂)‐ 1 led to (4R,5R)‐ and (4S,5R)‐(2,5‐²H₂)‐ 2 (ratio ca. 4 : 1; Table 2). Estimation of the label content and position of (4S,5R)‐(2,5‐²H₂)‐ 2 showed 95% label at C(5), 68% label at C(2), and no ²H at C(4) (Table 2). Therefore, oxidation and subsequent reduction with inversion at C(4) of 4,5‐dihydroxydecanoic acid and transfer of ²H from C(4) to C(2) is postulated. The 5‐hydroxydecano‐4‐lactones 2 are of biochemical importance: during the fermentation of Streptomyces griseus, (4S,5R)‐ 2 , known as L‐factor, occurs temporarily before the antibiotic production, and (?)‐muricatacin (=(4R,5R)‐5‐hydroxy‐heptadecano‐4‐lactone), a homologue of (4R,5R)‐ 2 , is an anticancer agent.     

Modulation of Multifunctional N,O,P Ligands for Enantioselective Copper‐Catalyzed Conjugate Addition of Diethylzinc and Trapping of the Zinc Enolate

In this work, we have successfully synthesized a new family of chiral Schiff base–phosphine ligands derived from chiral binaphthol (BINOL) and chiral primary amine. The controllable synthesis of a novel hexadentate and tetradentate N,O,P ligand that contains both axial and sp³‐central chirality from axial BINOL and sp³‐central primary amine led to the establishment of an efficient multifunctional N,O,P ligand for copper‐catalyzed conjugate addition of an organozinc reagent. In the asymmetric conjugate reaction of organozinc reagents to enones, the polymer‐like bimetallic multinuclear Cu? Zn complex constructed in situ was found to be substrate‐selective and a highly excellent catalyst for diethylzinc reagents in terms of enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee). More importantly, the chirality matching between different chiral sources, C₂‐axial binaphthol and sp³‐central chiral phosphine, was crucial to the enantioselective induction in this reaction. The experimental results indicated that our chiral ligand (R,S,S)‐ L1 ‐ and (R,S)‐ L4 ‐based bimetallic complex catalyst system exhibited the highest catalytic performance to date in terms of enantioselectivity and conversion even in the presence of 0.005 mol % of catalyst (S/C=20 000, turnover number (TON)=17 600). We also studied the tandem silylation or acylation of enantiomerically enriched zinc enolates that formed in situ from copper‐ L4 ‐complex‐catalyzed conjugate addition, which resulted in the high‐yield synthesis of chiral silyl enol ethers and enoacetates, respectively. Furthermore, the specialized structure of the present multifunctional N,O,P ligand L1 or L4 , and the corresponding mechanistic study of the copper catalyst system were investigated by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and UV/Vis absorption.     

The absolute configuration of (2S,4S)‐ and (2R,4R)‐2‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methyl‐3‐(4‐tolyl­sulfon­yl)‐1,3‐oxazolidine‐4‐carbaldehyde

The title enanti­omorphic compounds, C₁₆H₂₃NO₄S, have been obtained in an enanti­omerically pure form by crystallization from a diastereomeric mixture either of (2S,4S)‐ and (2R,4S)‐ or of (2R,4R)‐ and (2S,4R)‐2‐tert‐butyl‐4‐methyl‐3‐(4‐tolyl­sulfon­yl)‐1,3‐oxazolidine‐4‐carbaldehyde. These mixtures were prepared by an aziridination rearrangement process starting with (S)‐ or (R)‐2‐tert‐butyl‐5‐methyl‐4H‐1,3‐dioxine. The crystal structures indicate an envelope conformation of the oxazolidine moiety for both compounds.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of β‐Amino Acids,Part 13

Inexpensive acryloyl chloride was converted in 91% overall yield to two derivatives of β‐alanine, (R,R,R)‐ 6 and (R,R,S)‐ 6 , containing two chiral auxiliaries. C‐Alkylation of (R,R,R)‐ and (R,R,S)‐ 6 via a dianion derivative, was performed by direct metallation with 2.2 equiv. of lithium hexamethyldisilazane (LHMDS) in THF at ?78°. C‐Alkylation of (R,R,S)‐ 6 ‐Li₂ (‘matched' pair of chiral auxiliaries) afforded the mono‐alkylated products 8 – 11 in 29–96% yield and 54–95% stereoselectivity. Employment of LiCl as an additive generally increased stereoselectivities, whereas the effect of HMPA as a cosolvent was erratic. Chemical correlation of the major diastereoisomer from the alkylation reactions with (S)‐α‐alkyl‐β‐alanine ( 12 – 15 ) showed that addition of the electrophile preferentially takes place on the enolate's Si‐face. This conclusion is also supported by molecular‐modeling studies (ab initio HF/3‐21G), which indicate that the lowest‐energy conformation for (R,R,S)‐ 6 ‐Li₂ presents the more sterically hindered Re‐face of the enolate. The theoretical studies also predict a determining role for N? Li? O chelation in (R,R,S)‐ 6 ‐Li₂, giving rise to an interesting ‘ion‐triplet' configuration for the dilithium dianion.     

α‐Propargyl amino acid‐derived optically active novel substituted polyacetylenes: Synthesis,secondary structures,and responsiveness to ions

Novel optically active substituted acetylenes HC? CCH₂CR¹(CO₂CH₃)NHR² [(S)‐/(R)‐ 1 : R¹ = H, R² = Boc, (S)‐ 2 : R¹ = CH₃, R² = Boc, (S)‐ 3 : R¹ = H, R² = Fmoc, (S)‐ 4 : R¹ = CH₃, R² = Fmoc (Boc = tert‐butoxycarbonyl, Fmoc = 9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)] were synthesized from α‐propargylglycine and α‐propargylalanine, and polymerized with a rhodium catalyst to provide the polymers with number‐average molecular weights of 2400–38,900 in good yields. Polarimetric, circular dichroism (CD), and UV–vis spectroscopic analyses indicated that poly[(S)‐ 1 ], poly[(R)‐ 1 ], and poly[(S)‐ 4 ] formed predominantly one‐handed helical structures both in polar and nonpolar solvents. Poly[(S)‐ 1a ] carrying unprotected carboxy groups was obtained by alkaline hydrolysis of poly[(S)‐ 1 ], and poly[(S)‐ 4b ] carrying unprotected amino groups was obtained by removal of Fmoc groups of poly[(S)‐ 4 ] using piperidine. Poly[(S)‐ 1a ] and poly[(S)‐ 4b ] also exhibited clear CD signals, which were different from those of the precursors, poly[(S)‐ 1 ] and poly[(S)‐ 4 ]. The solution‐state IR measurement revealed the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the carbamate groups of poly[(S)‐ 1 ] and poly[(S)‐ 1a ]. The plus CD signal of poly[(S)‐ 1a ] turned into minus one on addition of alkali hydroxides and tetrabutylammonium fluoride, accompanying the red‐shift of λ_max. The degree of λ_max shift became large as the size of cation of the additive. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Atropselective Dibrominations of a 1,1′‐Disubstituted 2,2′‐Biindolyl with Diverging Point‐to‐Axial Asymmetric Inductions. Deriving 2,2′‐Biindolyl‐3,3′‐diphosphane Ligands for Asymmetric Catalysis

On the ¹H NMR timescale, 2,2′‐biindolyls with (R)‐configured (1‐alkoxyprop)‐2‐yl, (1‐hydroxyprop)‐2‐yl, or (1‐siloxyprop)‐2‐yl substituents at C‐1 and C‐1′ are atropisomerically stable at <0 °C and interconvert at >30 °C. A 2,2′‐biindolyl (R,R)‐ 17 a of that kind and achiral (!) brominating reagents gave the atropisomerically stable 3,3′‐dibromobiindolyls (M)‐ and/or (P)‐ 18 a at best atropselectively—because of point‐to‐axial asymmetric inductions—and atropdivergently, exhibiting up to 95 % (M)‐ and as much (P)‐atropselectivity. This route to atropisomerically pure biaryls is novel and should extend to other substrates and/or different functionalizations. The dibromobiindolyls (M)‐ and (P)‐ 18 a furnished the biindolyldiphosphanes (M)‐ and (P)‐ 14 without atropisomerization. These syntheses did not require the resolution of a racemic mixture, which distinguishes them from virtually all biaryldiphosphane syntheses known to date. (M)‐ and (P)‐ 14 acted as ligands in catalytic asymmetric allylations and hydrogenations. Remarkably, the β‐ketoester rac‐ 25 c was hydrogenated trans‐selectively with 98 % ee; this included a dynamic kinetic resolution.     

Enantioselective Syntheses of Lignin Models: An Efficient Synthesis of β‐O‐4 Dimers and Trimers by Using the Evans Chiral Auxiliary

We describe an efficient five‐step, enantioselective synthesis of (R,R)‐ and (S,S)‐lignin dimer models possessing a β‐O‐4 linkage, by using the Evans chiral aldol reaction as a key step. Mitsunobu inversion of the (R,R)‐ or (S,S)‐isomers generates the corresponding (R,S)‐ and (S,R)‐diastereomers. We further extend this approach to the enantioselective synthesis of a lignin trimer model. These lignin models are synthesized with excellent ee (>99 %) and high overall yields. The lignin dimer models can be scaled up to provide multigram quantities that are not attainable by using previous methodologies. These lignin models will be useful in degradation studies probing the selectivity of enzymatic, microbial, and chemical processes that deconstruct lignin.