Single-Layered Chiral Nanosheets with Dual Chiral Void Spaces for Highly Efficient Enantiomer Absorption

Although considerable effort in recent years has been devoted to the development of two-dimensional nanostructures, single-layered chiral sheet structures with a lateral assembly of discrete clusters remain elusive. Here, we report single-layered chiral 2D sheet structures with dual chiral void spaces in which discrete clusters of planar aromatic segments are arranged with in-plane AB order in aqueous methanol solution. The chirality of the sheet is induced by the slipped-cofacial stacks of rectangular plate-like aromatic segments in the discrete clusters which are arranged laterally with up and down packing, resulting in dual chiral void spaces. The chiral nanosheets function as superfast enantiomer separation nanomaterials, which rapidly absorb a single enantiomer from a racemic mixture with greater than 99 % ee.     

Enantioselective Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution with Small‐Molecule Chiral Selectors

Small‐molecule rationally designed chiral selectors have been shown to influence the stereochemical outcome of a variety of organic transformations. For instance, in a recent report, we demonstrated that a chiral selector (in conjunction with an achiral phase‐transfer catalyst) could selectively inhibit one enantiomer of electron‐deficient aromatic amides from forming Meisenheimer adducts (Scheme 2). We now extend this methodology to performing enantioselective nucleophilic aromatic substitutions. Initial studies involved biphasic kinetic resolutions with a chiral selector in conjunction with an achiral phase‐transfer catalyst (Scheme 3). The results are consistent with previous data taken for biphasic reactions (e.g., Scheme 1) where the chiral selector effectively shields the more highly complexed enantiomer from reaction. With neutral nucleophiles such as amines, the enantioselective nucleophilic aromatic substitutions can also be conducted in single‐phase systems. Several examples are given.     

Chiral ligand exchange countercurrent chromatography: Enantioseparation of amino acids

This work deals with the enantioseparation of α‐amino acids by chiral ligand exchange high‐speed countercurrent chromatography using N‐n‐dodecyl‐l ‐hydroxyproline as a chiral ligand and copper(II) as a transition metal ion. A biphasic solvent system composed of n‐hexane/n‐butanol/aqueous phase with different volume ratios was selected for each α‐amino acid. The enantioseparation conditions were optimized by enantioselective liquid–liquid extractions, in which the main influence factors, including type of chiral ligand, concentration of chiral ligand and transition metal ion, separation temperature, and pH of the aqueous phase, were investigated for racemic phenylalanine. Altogether, we tried to enantioseparate 15 racemic α‐amino acids by the analytical countercurrent chromatography, of which only five of them could be successfully enantioseparated. Different elution sequence for phenylalanine enantiomer was observed compared with traditional liquid chromatography and the proposed interactions between chiral ligand, transition metal ion (Cu²⁺), and enantiomer are discussed.     

基于(R)-1,1’-联萘硫脲的手性荧光受体: 合成与手性识别

Two chiral fluorescent receptors 1 and 2 based on (R)-1,1‘-binaphthylene-2,2‘-bisthiourea were synthesized, and their chiral recognition properties for enantiomeric mandelate anions were studied by fluorescence spectra and molecular modeling. Addition of the L- and D-mandelate anions caused considerable fluorescent increases in the fluorescent intensity of the host solution. The L-enantiomer can enhance the fluorescence intensity of 1 much more than the D-enantiomer can do, and 1 shows a better enantioselective recognition ability than 2.     

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.     

Chiral soluble polymers and microspheres for enantioselective crystallization

A series of chiral polymers based on poly(N‐acryl) amino acids was synthesized using a convergent synthetic approach. These chiral polymers have been used as chiral additives to induce enantioselective crystallization of racemic or conglomerate amino acids in solutions. These polymeric additives showed strong capabilities to enhance highly enantioselective resolution during the crystallization of amino acids. In addition, these polymers caused unusual modifications of amino acid crystal morphologies. Furthermore, spherical microparticles of those same chiral polymers were also shown active in similar chiral discriminations during amino acid crystallizations occurring on microparticle surfaces. Our study demonstrates the high potential of chiral polymers and microparticles to resolve amino acids throughout crystallization processes. High enantiomeric excesses in one targeted enantiomer of amino acids can also be maximized via time‐dependent kinetic control of crystallizations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3009–3017, 2006     

Chiral separation of helical chromenes with chloromethyl phenylcarbamate polysaccharide‐based stationary phases

Two chloromethyl phenylcarbamate‐based chiral stationary phases, one containing an amylose‐type chiral selector (Lux Amylose 2, from Phenomenex) and the other a cellulose‐type one (Lux Cellulose‐4, from Phenomenex), were successfully used for the chiral resolution of three helical chromenes featuring a helicene‐like structure. The compound bearing a phenyl substituent on the helicene‐like structure was enantioresolved at 25°C with Lux Cellulose‐4 and a n‐hexane/1‐propanol 99:1 v/v eluent. With a n‐hexane/2‐propanol 99.8:0.2 v/v mobile phase, the same column (operated at 35°C) provided the separation of the four isomers of the compound having a hexyl residue on the helicene‐like motif and an additional asymmetric carbon. Lux Amylose‐2 was necessary for the enantioseparation of the compound having the sole hexyl residue on the helical scaffold. For the last compound a n‐hexane/2‐propanol 99.8:0.2 v/v eluent was used, and the column temperature was fixed at 5°C. The enantiomer elution order was appraised by using electronic circular dichroism and theoretical calculations. Notably, different thermodynamics of retention and enantioseparation were observed for molecules with pronounced structural similarity, that is, the enantiomer pairs of the compound containing the additional asymmetric carbon atom. Indeed, both entropically and enthalpically controlled adsorption and separation processes were observed.     

Structure–property relationship study of the HPLC enantioselective retention of neuroprotective 7‐[(1‐alkylpiperidin‐3‐yl)methoxy]coumarin derivatives on an amylose‐based chiral stationary phase

The enantiomer separation of a number of racemic 7‐[(1‐alkylpiperidin‐3‐yl)methoxy]coumarin derivatives, some of which show outstanding in vitro multitarget neuroprotective activities, was successfully achieved on a polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phase, bearing amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) as a chiral selector, in normal polar mode (methanol and acetonitrile as the mobile phases). The majority of the screened selectands, especially those bearing 1‐(3‐X‐benzyl)piperidin‐3‐yl moieties, showed baseline enantiomer separations, and compound 8 (X = NO₂) was the best resolved (α = 2.01; R_S = 4.27). Linear free energy relationships, usefully complemented by molecular docking calculations, have the key role in enantioselective retention of aromatic interactions between π‐donor moieties in the chiral selector and π‐acceptor moieties in selectand, strengthened by hydrogen bond interaction between a hydrogen bond donor in the chiral selector and the hydrogen bond acceptor group(s) in the selectand. Statistically, reliable equations highlighted the importance of the substituent's size and substitution pattern (meta better than para) to affect the enantiorecognition of the title compounds. The chromatographic data support the scalability of the optimized experimental conditions for preparative purposes.     

Chiral separation of disease biomarkers with 2‐hydroxycarboxylic acid structure

Chiral 2‐hydroxycarboxylic acids are compounds that have been linked to particular diseases and are putative biomarkers with some diagnostic potential. The importance of identifying whether a particular enantiomer is related to certain diseases has been encouraged recently. However, in many cases it has not yet been elucidated whether there are stereochemical implications with respect to these biomarkers and whether their enantioselective analysis provides new insights and diagnostic potential. In this study 13 disease‐related chiral 2‐hydrocarboxylic acids were studied for their chiral separation by high‐performance liquid chromatography on three cinchona alkaloid‐derived chiral stationary phases. From a subgroup of eight 2‐hydroxymonocarboxylic acids, baseline resolution could be achieved and inversion of elution order by exchanging tert‐butylcarbamoyl quinidine chiral stationary phase (Chiralpak QD‐AX) for the corresponding quinine analogue (Chiralpak QN‐AX) is shown for seven of them. Furthermore, conditions for chiral separation of the 2‐hydroxydicarboxylic acids, citramalic acid, 2‐isopropylmalic acid, and 2‐hydroxyadipic acid are reported and compared to the previous reported conditions for 2‐hydroxyglutaric acid and malic acid.     

Chiral Capillary Electrokinetic Chromatography: Principle and Applications,Detection and Identification,Design of Experiment,and Exploration of Chiral Recognition Using Molecular Modeling

This work reviews the literature of chiral capillary electrokinetic chromatography from January 2016 to March 2021. This is done to explore the state-of-the-art approach and recent developments carried out in this field. The separation principle of the technique is described and supported with simple graphical illustrations, showing migration under normal and reversed polarity modes of the separation voltage. The most relevant applications of the technique for enantioseparation of drugs and other enantiomeric molecules in different fields using chiral selectors in single, dual, or multiple systems are highlighted. Measures to improve the detection sensitivity of chiral capillary electrokinetic chromatography with UV detector are discussed, and the alternative aspects are explored, besides special emphases to hyphenation compatibility to mass spectrometry. Partial filling and counter migration techniques are described. Indirect identification of the separated enantiomers and the determination of enantiomeric migration order are mentioned. The application of Quality by Design principles to facilitate method development, optimization, and validation is presented. The elucidation and explanation of chiral recognition in molecular bases are discussed with special focus on the role of molecular modeling.     

Atroposelective Synthesis of Axially Chiral N‐Arylpyrroles by Chiral‐at‐Rhodium Catalysis

A transformation of fluxional into configurationally stable axially chiral N‐arylpyrroles was achieved with a highly atroposelective electrophilic aromatic substitution catalyzed by a chiral‐at‐metal rhodium Lewis acid. Specifically, N‐arylpyrroles were alkylated with N‐acryloyl‐1H‐pyrazole electrophiles in up to 93 % yield and with up to >99.5 % ee, and follow‐up conversions reveal the synthetic utility of this new method. DFT calculations elucidate the origins of the observed excellent atroposelectivity.     

Size Dependence of Nanoscale Confinement on Chiral Transformation

Molecular dynamic simulations of the chiral transition of a difluorobenzo[c]phenanthrene molecule (C₁₈H₁₂F₂, D molecule) in single‐walled boron‐nitride nanotubes (SWBNNTs) revealed remarkable effects of the nanoscale confinement. The critical temperature, above which the chiral transition occurs, increases considerably with the nanotube diameter, and the chiral transition frequency decreases almost exponentially with respect to the reciprocal of temperature. The chiral transitions correlate closely with the orientational transformations of the D molecule. Furthermore, the interaction energy barriers between the D molecule and the nanotube for different orientational states can characterize the chiral transition. This implies that the temperature threshold of a chiral transition can be controlled by a suitable nanotube. These findings provide new insights to the effect of nanoscale confinement on molecular chirality.     

Enantiomeric Discrimination by Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering–Chiral Anisotropy of Chiral Nanostructured Gold Films

A surface‐enhanced Raman scattering‐chiral anisotropy (SERS‐ChA) effect is reported that combines chiral discrimination and surface Raman scattering enhancement on chiral nanostructured Au films (CNAFs) equipped in the normal Raman scattering Spectrometer. The CNAFs provided remarkably higher enhancement factors of Raman scattering (EFs) for particular enantiomers, and the SERS intensity was proportional to the enantiomeric excesses (ee) values. Except for molecules with mesomeric species, all of the tested enantiomers exhibited high SERS‐ChA asymmetry factors (g), ranging between 1.34 and 1.99 regardless of polarities, sizes, chromophores, concentrations and ee. The effect might be attributed to selective resonance coupling between the induced electric and magnetic dipoles associated with enantiomers and chiral plasmonic modes of CNAFs.     

Chiral separation and thermodynamic investigation of WCK 3023: A novel oxazolidinone antibacterial agent,application to pre‐clinical pharmacokinetic study

A chiral liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the quantification of R‐enantiomer impurity (RE) in WCK 3023 (S‐enantiomer), a new drug substance. The separation was achieved on Chiralpak IA (amylose‐based immobilized chiral stationary phase), using a mobile phase consisting of n‐hexane–ethanol–trifluoroacetic acid (70:30:0.2, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The method was extensively validated for the quantification of RE in WCK 3023 and proved to be robust. For RE the detector response was linear over the concentration range of 0.11–5 μg/mL. The limit of quantitation and limit of detection for RE were 0.11 and 0.04 μg/mL respectively. Average recovery of the RE was in the range of 98.11–99.55%. The developed method was specific, sensitive, precise and accurate for quantitative determination of RE in WCK 3023. The impact of thermodynamic parameters on the chiral separation was evaluated. The method was employed for controlling the enantiomeric impurity in the lots of WCK 3023 used for pre‐clinical studies. The method was successfully applied to evaluate the possible conversion of WCK 3023 to RE in rat serum samples during pre‐clinical pharmacokinetic studies.     

Enantioselective Electrophilic Aromatic Nitration: A Chiral Auxiliary Approach

Enantioselective electrophilic aromatic nitration methodology is needed to advance chirality‐assisted synthesis (CAS). Reported here is an enantioselective aromatic nitration strategy operating with chiral diester auxiliaries, and it provides an enantioselective synthesis of a C_3v‐symmetric tribenzotriquinacene (TBTQ). These axially‐chiral structures are much sought‐after building blocks for CAS, but they were not accessible prior to this work in enantioenriched form without resolution of enantiomers. This nitration strategy controls the stereochemistry of threefold nitration reactions from above the aromatic rings with chiral diester arms. Dicarbonyl‐to‐arenium chelation rigidifies the reaction systems, so that remote stereocenters position the ester‐directing groups selectively over specific atoms of the TBTQ framework. Closely guided by computational design, a more selective through‐space directing arm was first predicted with density functional theory (DFT), and then confirmed in the laboratory, to outperform the initial structural design. This enantio‐ and regioselective TBTQ synthesis opens a new pathway to access building blocks for CAS.     

Comparative Study of the Enantioseparation of Uniconazole and Imazalil by HPLC on Various Cellulose Chiral Columns

Abstract

This paper reported the enantioseparation of uniconazole and imazalil using four different self‐prepared cellulose derivative columns, namely, CTB, CTMB, CTPC, and CDMPC. The mobile phase composition including the type of the alcohol modifier and the ethanol concentration in hexane changed, and the influence on the retention factor (k′); for each enantiomer, the separation factor (α) and the resolution (R_S) was studied. The influence of the structures of the analytes on the chiral separation was investigated. The results showed that uniconazole obtained the best resolution of 2.16 on CTPC, while imazalil obtained the best separation on CTMB, with the maximal resolution of 4.83. It was concluded that the structure of solutes and CSP play a key role in the chiral recognition. And the chiral attraction between them is the predominant factor.     

Turning Regioselectivity into Stereoselectivity: Efficient Dual Resolution of P‐Stereogenic Phosphine Oxides through Bifurcation of the Reaction Pathway of a Common Intermediate

Synthetic routes that provide facile access to either enantiomeric form of a target compound are particularly valuable. The crystallization‐free dual resolution of phosphine oxides that gives highly enantioenriched materials (up to 94 % ee) in excellent yields is reported. Both enantiomeric oxides have been prepared from a single intermediate, (R_P)‐alkoxyphosphonium chloride, which is formed in the course of a selective dynamic kinetic resolution using a single enantiomer of menthol as the chiral auxiliary. The origin of the dual stereoselectivity lies in bifurcation of the reaction pathway of this intermediate, which works as a stereochemical railroad switch. Under controlled conditions, Arbuzov‐type collapse of this intermediate proceeds through C O bond fission with retention of the configuration at the phosphorus center. Conversely, alkaline hydrolysis of the P O bond leads to the opposite S_P enantiomer.     

Potential‐Induced Fine‐Tuning of the Enantioaffinity of Chiral Metal Phases

Concepts leading to single enantiomers of chiral molecules are of crucial importance for many applications, including pharmacology and biotechnology. Recently, mesoporous metal phases encoded with chiral information have been developed. Fine‐tuning of the enantioaffinity of such structures by imposing an electric potential is proposed, which can influence the electrostatic interactions between the chiral metal and the target enantiomer. This allows the binding affinity between the chiral metal and the target enantiomer to be increased, and thus, the discrimination between two enantiomers to be improved. The concept is illustrated by generating chiral encoded metals in a microfluidic channel by reduction of a platinum salt in the presence of a liquid crystal and l ‐tryptophan as a chiral model template. After removal of the template molecules, the modified microchannel retains a pronounced chiral character. The chiral recognition efficiency of the microchannel can be fine‐tuned by applying a suitable potential to the metal phase. This enables the separation of both components of a racemate flowing through the channel. The approach constitutes a promising and complementary strategy in the frame of chiral discrimination technologies.     

Extraction of Phenylalanine Enantiomers by Aqueous Two Phase Systems Containing Combinatorial Chiral Selector

In order to obtain a better enantioselectivity of phenylalanine enantiomers and establish the optimal chiral extraction conditions, the distribution behavior was investigated in aqueous two‐phase systems which were composed of polyethylene glycol and ammonium sulfate containing combinatorial chiral selector: β‐cyclodextrin and HP‐β‐cyclodextrin. The influence of the molar concentration ratio of combinatorial chiral selectors, the total molar concentration of combinatorial chiral selectors, pH value, buffer type and its concentration were thoroughly studied, respectively. The results show that the enantioselectivity reaches 1.53 under the optimal chiral extraction conditions. This extraction is a potential economical and effective way for chiral resolution.     

Effect of different immobilization strategies on chiral recognition properties of Cinchona‐based anion exchangers

In the enantiomeric separation of highly polar compounds, a traditionally challenging task for high‐performance liquid chromatography, ion‐exchange chiral stationary phases have found the main field of application. In this contribution, we present a series of novel anion‐exchange‐type chiral stationary phases for enantiomer separation of protected amino phosphonates and N‐protected amino acids. Two of the prepared selectors possessed a double and triple bond within a single molecule. Thus, they were immobilized onto silica support employing either a thiol‐ene (radical) or an azide‐yne (copper(I)‐catalyzed) click reaction. We evaluated the selectivity and the effect of immobilization proceeding either by the double bond of the Cinchona alkaloid or a triple bond of the carbamoyl moiety on the chromatographic performance of the chiral stationary phases using analytes with protecting groups of different size, flexibility, and π‐acidity. The previously observed preference toward protecting groups possessing π‐acidic units, which is a typical feature of Cinchona‐based chiral stationary phases, was preserved. In addition, increasing the bulkiness of the selectors’ carbamoyl units leads to significantly reduced retention times, while very high selectivity toward the tested analytes is retained.