Unexpected influence of stereochemistry on the cytotoxicity of highly efficient Ti(IV) salan complexes: new mechanistic insights

The effect of stereochemistry on the cytotoxicity of highly active and hydrolytically stable N-methylated Ti(IV) salan complexes is reported. Four bis(isopropoxo) complexes incorporating N-methylated salan ligands with different aromatic substitution patterns have been prepared in racemic and optically active forms for the first time by ligand-to-metal chiral induction from trans-diaminocyclohexyl-based chiral ligands. The configuration of the metal center that derives from that of the ligand has an enormous influence on cytotoxicity, with the racemic mixture mostly being more active than the single enantiomers that are of either similar or different activity. This implies that the active species is a salan-bound heterochiral polynuclear compound, interacting with a chiral target. Four additional complexes of achiral salan and chiral labile sec-butoxo ligands, analyzed as racemic and as homochiral, revealed no influence of stereochemistry, supporting early dissociation of the labile ligands to give the polynuclear products.     

Titanium–salan‐catalyzed asymmetric sulfoxidations with H2O2: design of more versatile catalysts

Titanium–salan complexes with 3,3’‐diphenyl substituents in the salicylidene rings of the salan ligand are efficient sulfoxidation catalysts, capable of catalyzing the asymmetric oxidation of bulky aryl benzyl sulfides with H₂O₂ with good to high enantioselectivities. In this paper, substituent effects on titanium‐salan‐catalyzed enantioselective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides have been systematically investigated. Titanium–salan catalysts with halogen substituents at the 5,5’‐positions (3,3’‐H₂dihydrogen substituted) have been found to catalyze the oxidation of both bulky aryl benzyl sulfides and small alkyl phenyl sulfides with good to high enantioselectivities. Kinetic data witness a direct attack of the sulfide to the electrophilic active oxygen species; a consistent reaction mechanism is proposed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

WO3/Salan/30 % H2O2： a Heterogeneous Catalytic System for the Asymmetric Oxidation of Sulfides

Enantiopure sulfoxides constitute a class of the most efficient and versatile chiral controllers and useful synthons in asymmetric synthesis, and they are of great interest in the pharmaceutical industry as biologically significant compounds1. The synthesis of chiral nonracemic sulfoxides with high enantiomeric purity has been a subject of constant interest over the past two decades. The asymmetric oxidation of prochiral sulfides mediated by chiral catalysis has become one of the most efficien…     

Asymmetric cyanohydrin synthesis using an aluminium(salan) complex

The asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes catalysed by chiral metal(salan) complexes has been investigated. Salan complexes of titanium and vanadium displayed only low catalytic activity, but a bimetallic aluminium(salan) complex gave high levels of catalytic activity and reasonable asymmetric induction when used with triphenylphosphine oxide as a cocatalyst. Mechanistic studies showed that the reactions were first order in catalyst and aldehyde concentrations, but zero order in trimethylsilyl cyanide and triphenylphosphine oxide concentrations. A Hammett analysis indicated that there was no significant change in the electron density at the aldehyde benzylic position during the rate determining step of the catalytic cycle. On the basis of the kinetic data, a catalytic cycle is proposed which accounts for the differences observed between [Al(salen)]₂O and [Al(salan)]₂O based catalysts.     

Mechanistic Insight into the Stereochemical Control of Lactide Polymerization by Salan–Aluminum Catalysts

Alkyl aluminum complexes of chiral salan ligands assembled around the 2,2′‐bipyrrolidine core form as single diastereomers that have identical configurations of the N donors. Active catalysts for the polymerization of lactide were formed upon the addition of benzyl alcohol. Polymeryl exchange between enantiomorphous aluminum species had a dramatic effect on the tacticity of the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in the polymerization of racemic lactide (rac‐LA): The enantiomerically pure catalyst of the nonsubstituted salan ligand led to isotactic PLA, and the racemic catalyst exhibited lower stereocontrol. The enantiomerically pure catalyst of the chloro‐substituted salan ligand led to PLA with a slight tendency toward heterotacticity, whereas the racemic catalyst led to PLA of almost perfect heterotacticity following an insertion/auto‐inhibition/exchange mechanism.     

Cytotoxic Titanium Salan Complexes: Surprising Interaction of Salan and Alkoxy Ligands

The synthesis, biochemical evaluation, and hydrolysis studies of a wide selection of alkyl‐ and halogen‐substituted titanium salan alkoxides are presented herein. A systematic change in the employed alkoxides revealed that both the bulk of the salan ligands and the steric demand of the labile ligands are of great importance for the obtained biological activity. Surprisingly, these two factors are not independent from each other; lowering the steric demand of the alkoxide of a hitherto nontoxic complex renders it cytotoxic. Therefore, our data suggest that the overall size of the complex exerts a strong influence on its biological activity. To decide whether the correlation between the cytotoxicity and the steric demand of the whole complex is merely based on an altered hydrolysis or on the interaction with biomolecules, the behavior of selected complexes under hydrolytic conditions and the influence of transferrin were investigated. Complexes differing only in their labile alkoxy ligands gave the same hydrolysis products with similar hydrolysis rates but displayed cytotoxicities that differed in the range of one order of magnitude. Thus, it seems that the hydrolysis product is not the active species but rather that the unhydrolysed complex is important for the first interaction with a biomolecule. This promoted the idea of hydrolysis being a detoxification pathway. In accordance with the above conclusion, chloro‐substituted complex [Ti(Ph^ClN^Me)₂(O^iPr)₂] displayed a high cytotoxicity (IC₅₀≈5 μM ) and surprisingly high hydrolytic stability (t_1/2=108 h). These findings, together with the observed cytotoxicity in a cisplatin‐resistant cell line, make halo‐substituted salan complexes an interesting target for further studies.     

Titanium Salan/Salalen Complexes: The Twofaced Janus of Asymmetric Oxidation Catalysis

Optically pure chiral epoxides and sulfoxides are ubiquitous building blocks in fine organic synthesis, employed in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and cosmetic industries. On the road to chiral epoxides and sulfoxides, efficient and stereoselective transition metal‐based catalysts are the most promising guides. Among transition metals, we favor titanium for its cheapness and availability, nontoxicity, and well‐known ability to catalyze a variety of stereoselective transformations, including oxidations with environmentally benign H₂O₂. In this personal account, we summarize the state‐of‐the‐art of rational design of chiral titanium(IV) salan and salalen catalysts, and investigations of their catalytic reactivities and stereoselectivities in the epoxidations of olefins and oxidations of thioethers, unraveling the peculiarities and mechanisms of their catalytic action.     

In search of conformationally chiral square‐planar complexes: dichloridobis(2‐methoxypyridine‐κN)copper(II)

The title compound, [CuCl₂(C₆H₇NO)₂], was synthesized during a study of conformationally chiral square‐planar coordination compounds. The coordination geometry deviates from the square‐planar geometry generally adopted by copper(II) chloride complexes with pyridine ligands towards a tetrahedral arrangement of ligands. The complex is conformationally chiral but crystallizes in a centrosymmetric space group with both enantiomers present in the unit cell.     

From C2- to D2-symmetry: atropos phosphoramidites with a D2-symmetric backbone as highly efficient ligands in Cu-catalyzed conjugate additions

Atropos phosphoramidites with the D₂-symmetric biphenyl backbone were diastereoselectively prepared with ease from achiral tetrahydroxy biphenyls. This type of ligands is proved to be highly efficient in the Cu-catalyzed conjugate additions of diethylzinc to α,β-unsaturated ketones and nitroalkenes. The unique D₂-symmetric backbone endows the ligands with an excellent chiral environment.     

Rh(I) complexes with new C2‐symmetric chiral diphosphoramidite ligands: Catalytic activity for asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins

The design and synthesis of three new C ₂‐symmetric chiral diphosphoramidite ligands starting from simple and cheap building blocks have been developed. Rhodium(I) cationic complexes bearing these chelate ligands have been prepared and applied in asymmetric hydrogenation of model olefins. A rhodium complex with a diphosphoramidite containing a chiral diamine configurationally stable and two fluxional chiral biphenyl units gave higher enantioselectivity with increasing hydrogen pressure (87% ee) in the hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate.     

The first asymmetric addition of organogallium to aldehydes catalyzed by chiral titanium catalysts

The addition of organogallium to aldehydes was realized with titanium tetrachloride as a Lewis acid catalyst. For the first time, the catalytic asymmetric addition of organogallium to aldehydes was investigated with chiral titanium complexes, which were formed from titanium tetrachloride and salan ligands, with mediocre to good chemical yields and enantioselectivities.     

A Chiral Ligand Assembly That Confers One‐Electron O2 Reduction Activity for a Cu2+‐Selective Metallohydrogel

The design of functional metallohydrogels is attractive but challenging. A rational approach is introduced for designing functional metallohydrogels using chiral ligands, a phenylalanine derivative with a pyridyl group (l /d ‐PF). Intriguingly, the as‐prepared metallohydrogel exhibits excellent O₂ binding and activating properties. Insights into the O₂ binding pathway reveals the presence of a novel [(l +d )‐PF‐Cu³⁺‐O₂^?] species, which can efficiently reduce ferric cytochrome c with the reactive O₂^? by receiving an electron from reductant ascorbic acid. This study provides helpful instructions for developing new artificial systems with specific functions through the effective combination of chiral ligands with metal ions.     

Chiral Versus Non-Chiral [MnIII6MnIINaI], [MnIII6MnII2NaI2] and [MnIII3MnIINaI] Clusters Derived from Schiff Bases or the Fight for Symmetry

The reaction in basic media of manganese chloride with Schiff bases derived from the condensation of o-vanillin with different chiral/racemic aminoalcohols yielded in a family of complexes in which the nuclearity, symmetry and magnetic behavior is controlled by changing the position of the chiral carbon. Chiral and racemic clusters with [Mn^III₆Mn^IINa^I], [Mn^III₆Mn^II₂Na^I₂] and [Mn^III₃Mn^IINa^I] metallic core have been structurally and magnetically characterized. The racemic clusters with an odd number of chiral ligands exhibit the anomalous mixing of ligands with different conformation. Related racemic compounds have been reviewed.     

Syntheses and applications of C2-symmetric chiral diols

Synthetic procedures for a large variety of C₂-symmetric chiral diols are reviewed. Prominent among these procedures are enantioselective reductions, epoxide-cleavages, dihydroxylation of olefins, and synthetic transformations. Applications of these diols as chiral auxiliaries/ligands for several important reactions are also highlighted.     

Utilization of organogallium and organoindium compounds as alkylation reagents in organic synthesis: the addition of trialkylgallium and trialkylindium to aldehydes catalyzed by Lewis acids

The utilization of organogallium and organoindium compounds as alkylation reagents to aldehydes was realized with titanium tetrachloride as the strong Lewis acid catalyst. Furthermore, the catalytic asymmetric addition of organogallium to aldehydes was investigated with chiral titanium complexes, which were formed from titanium tetrachloride and salan ligands, with mediocre to good chemical yields and enantioselectivities. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ligand-Induced Chirality in ClMBA2SnI4 2D Perovskite**

Chiral perovskites possess a huge applicative potential in several areas of optoelectronics and spintronics. The development of novel lead-free perovskites with tunable properties is a key topic of current research. Herein, we report a novel lead-free chiral perovskite, namely (R/S−)ClMBA₂SnI₄ (ClMBA=1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanamine) and the corresponding racemic system. ClMBA₂SnI₄ samples exhibit a low band gap (2.12 eV) together with broad emission extending in the red region of the spectrum (∼1.7 eV). Chirality transfer from the organic ligand induces chiroptical activity in the 465–530 nm range. Density functional theory calculations show a Rashba type band splitting for the chiral samples and no band splitting for the racemic isomer. Self-trapped exciton formation is at the origin of the large Stokes shift in the emission. Careful correlation with analogous lead and lead-free 2D chiral perovskites confirms the role of the symmetry-breaking distortions in the inorganic layers associated with the ligands as the source of the observed chiroptical properties providing also preliminary structure-property correlation in 2D chiral perovskites.     

Iron(II) complexes with tetradentate bis(aminophenolate) ligands: synthesis and characterization, solution behavior, and reactivity with O(2)

Tetradentate bis(aminophenolate) ligands H(2)salan(X) and H(2)bapen(X) (where X refers to the para-phenolate substituent = H, Me, F, Cl) react with [Fe{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2)] to form iron(II) complexes, which in the presence of suitable donor ligands L (L = pyridine or THF) can be isolated as the complexes [Fe(salan(X))(L)(2)] and [Fe(bapen(X))(L)(2)]. In the absence of donor ligands, either mononuclear complexes, for example, [Fe(salan(tBu,tBu))], or dinuclear complexes of the type [Fe(salan(X))](2) are obtained. The dynamic coordination behavior in solution of the complexes [Fe(salan(F))(L)(2)] and [Fe(bapen(F))(L)(2)] has been investigated by VT (1)H and (19)F NMR spectroscopy, which has revealed equilibria between isomers with different ligand coordination topologies cis-α, cis-β and trans. Exposure of the iron(II) salan(X) complexes to O(2) results in the formation of oxo-bridged iron(III) complexes of the type [{Fe(salan(X))}(2)(μ-O)] or [{Fe(salan(X))(L)}(2)(μ-O)]. The lack of catalytic activity of the iron(II) salan and bapen complexes in the oxidation of cyclohexane with H(2)O(2) as the oxidant is attributed to the rapid formation of stable and catalytically inactive oxo-bridged iron(III) complexes.     

Effect of the rigidity and flexibility features of 2-pyridinyl or 8-quinolinyl based N-N chiral ligands on the stereochemical properties of [Pd(N-N)Cl2] complexes

The [Pd(N-N^∗)Cl₂] complexes have been obtained, as yellow solids, in almost quantitative yields; N-N^∗ indicate bidentate chiral ligands (S_a)-1, (S_a)-2, (S,S)-3, (R,R)-4, containing the rigid 2-pyridinyl or 8-quinolinyl building block skeleton and the C₂-symmetric chiral framework trans-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidinyl or (S)-(+)-2,2′-(2-azapropane-1,3-diyl)-1,1′-binaphthalene. The ligands pairs have the same C₂-symmetric chiral framework but different building block skeleton, beyond that for the basicity in the N-donor atoms, for rigidity and flexibility features. The N-N^∗ ligands act as chelating ligands leading a square planar geometry. The compounds [Pd(S,S-3)Cl₂] and [Pd(R,R-4)Cl₂] have been also characterised by X-ray diffraction. The rigidity and flexibility features of (S,S)-3 and (R,R)-4 ligands induce a different orientation of the trans-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidinyl moiety with respect to the pyridinyl and quinolinyl plane. This work shows that intrinsic rigidity and flexibility are not enough to define the ligand properties and to preview the effects that they induce on the reactivity of the metal complex.     

Copper(II)-containing C2-symmetric bistetracarboline amides in enantioselective Henry reactions

A series of new C₂-symmetric chiral diamides were synthesized from l-tryptophan and used as chiral ligands chelated with Cu(II) in enantioselective Henry reactions. Ligand 4a with CuCl₂·2H₂O (5%) showed effective catalytic efficiency in Henry reaction. High yields (up to 99%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98%) were achieved for both aromatic and aliphatic aldehyde substrates.     

Development of β-hydroxyamide/titanium complexes for catalytic enantioselective silylcyanation of aldehydes

A highly enantioselective addition of trimethylsilylcyanide to aldehydes catalyzed by chiral titanium complexes is described. The chiral titanium complexes were prepared in situ from Ti(OⁱPr)₄ and β-hydroxyamide ligands, that could easily be synthesized from ketopinic acid and C₂ symmetrical chiral diamines in a small number of steps.