Toward the development of a structurally novel class of chiral auxiliaries: diastereoselective aldol reactions of a (1R,2S)-ephedrine-based 3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-1,3,4-oxadiazin-2-one

[reaction: see text] Asymmetric aldol addition reactions have been conducted with (1R,2S)-ephedrine-derived 3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-1,3,4-oxadiazin-2-one (2). Diastereoselectivities range from 75:25 to 99:1 for the formation of the crude non-Evans syn adducts 8a-h. The facial selectivity of the enolate is directed by the stereogenic N(4)-methyl substituent. Aldol adduct 8a is readily cleaved by acid hydrolysis to afford (2S,3S)-3-hydroxy-2-methyl-3-phenylpropionic acid (9) in >95% ee.     

Conformational preferences of the aldol adducts of oxadiazinones. H NMR spectroscopy and computational studies of N4-methyl and N4-isopropyloxadiazinones

The conformational properties of the aldol adducts of some N₄-isopropyl-oxadiazinones have been investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and computational studies. An earlier study of the syn-aldol adducts of N₄-methyl-oxadiazinone 2 led to the conclusion that the solution and solid state conformation of these compounds involve syn-parallel arrangement of the C₂- and N₃-carbonyls of the oxadiazinones. However, the synthesis and asymmetric aldol reactions of an N₃-hydrocinnamoyl-N₄-isopropyl-oxadiazinone 4 has yielded aldol adducts 5a-e in which the orientation of the C₂- and N₃-carbonyls are most likely in the anti-parallel arrangement. These aldol adducts have been studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and the shielding aspect observed clearly suggests the presence of the anti-parallel arrangement. The installment of a N₄-d₆-isopropyl group further confirmed this assertion. Computational studies support the conclusion that solution state conformation of the N₄-methyl and N₄-isopropyl-oxadiazinones involves anti-parallel carbonyls in contrast to the solid state evidence of the X-ray crystallographic data of oxadiazinone 2.     

Synthesis,X-ray crystallography and computational studies concerning an oxadiazinone derived from d-camphor: a structural limitation of oxadiazinones as chiral auxiliaries

A camphor-based oxadiazinone was prepared by reaction of the N-nitroimine of d-camphor with (1R,2S)-norephedrine; the reduction of the resultant imine; N-nitrosation of the amine; reduction to the corresponding hydrazine and cyclization. The conformational behaviour of oxadiazinone 7 was modeled in the gas and solution phases using the semiempirical AM1 method and density functional theory. Application of the oxadiazinone in the titanium mediated asymmetric aldol reaction provided the highly diastereoselective formation of the expected syn-adducts 8a–d as evidenced by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Attempts to remove the oxadiazinone auxiliary using acidic or basic conditions failed to yield the expected β-hydroxyacid in significant yield.     

Orthoacylimines: a new class of chiral auxiliaries for nucleophilic addition of organolithium reagents to imines

A new class of orthoacylimine-derived chiral auxiliaries has been synthesized and tested in the nucleophilic addition of organolithium reagents to imines. The precursors can be prepared by an aza-Wittig reaction between the corresponding orthoacyl azide and a variety of aldehydes in the presence of trialkylphosphines. The nucleophilic addition of organolithium reagents led to the addition products in good yields and with good to excellent diastereoselectivities (from 85:15 to 99:1). The chiral, nonracemic secondary amines could be readily obtained under mild hydrolytic condition. Furthermore, the chiral auxiliary can be recovered in quantitative yield and reconverted to the starting orthoacyl azide precursor. This method was applied to the synthesis of (S)-t-leucine.     

Blue phase mixtures exhibiting low fractions of a chiral compound experimental observation of some unusual properties

We have used chiral compounds with very high helical twisting power as components in induced-cholesteric mixtures in order to obtain new blue phase systems. In one of these mixtures an unusual large blue phase temperature range of more than 10 K was observed. The lattice constant of the BPI in this system increases strongly with increasing temperature, a behaviour observed for the first time. The threshold voltage for the field-induced BP/cholesteric phase transition in this mixture decreases with increasing temperature. Thus the reentrant phase sequence cholesteric phase-blue phase-cholesteric phase-isotropic phase can be observed with increasing temperature if an electric field is applied to the sample.     

Exploiting π shielding interactions of η arene chromium (0) complexes: New auxiliaries derived from the biogenic chiral pool

A family of highly selective chiral auxiliaries containing arene chromium (0) complexes has been prepared using biogenic precursors from the chiral pool. The systems, derived from isomannide, prolinol, and xylofuranose were applied to the asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of derived acrylate esters. Factors influencing stereoselectivity with the auxiliaries have been investigated and delineated including the impact of mixed ligands on the chromium (0) complex. Under optimal conditions, the auxiliaries give >95% e.e. and 98:2 exo:endo ratio in cycloaddition with cyclopentadiene.     

Towards the development of oxadiazinanones as chiral auxiliaries: synthesis and application of N3-haloacetyloxadiazinanones

Oxadiazinanones derived from (1R,2S)-ephedrine and (1R,2S)-norephedrine were employed in the asymmetric α-halo aldol reaction. The optimized yields and diastereoselectivities for the ephedrine based oxadiazinanone aldol reaction ranged from fair to good. The ephedrine based aldol adducts were hydrolyzed to afford the α-bromo-β-hydroxycarboxylic acids. The absolute stereochemistry and enantiomeric purity of these products were determined by chiral HPLC and specific rotation measurements.     

The effects of a remote stereogenic center in the Lewis base catalyzed aldol additions of chiral trichlorosilyl enolates

Chiral trichlorosilyl enolates bearing a remote stereogenic center were employed in the phosphoramide-catalyzed aldol reaction. The additions of the methyl ketone enolates proceeded with only moderate diastereoselectivities. The addition of the Z-enolate to various aldehydes selectively produced the syn relative diastereomers. In both cases, the effect of the beta-silyloxy stereogenic center was modest, and the internal diastereoselection was mainly controlled by the catalyst. [reaction: see text]     

Nuclear magnetic shielding and chirality IV. The odd and even character of the shielding response to a chiral potential

We investigate the odd and even character of the shielding response in a chiral molecule (modeled by a Ne8 helix) when subjected to a chiral potential. We establish that the diastereomeric splittings are a measure of odd powers of Vodd. Implications for diastereomeric, splittings of Xe in handed cages with handed tethers are discussed.     

Imino sulfinamidines: synthesis and coordination chemistry of a novel class of chiral bidentate ligands

The new imino sulfinamidine ligand PhS(NHt-Bu)=NC(Me)=N(C6H3-2,6-iPr2), LH (11) was synthesized from N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)acetamidine (9) and N-tert-butyl phenylsulfinimidoyl chloride (10). Reaction of LH (11) with ZnEt2 or AlMe3 gave the complexes LZnEt (12) and LAlMe2 (13), respectively. The structures of 12 and 13 were determined by X-ray diffraction and were shown to contain L as a kappa2-N1,N5 bidentate ligand in a six-membered chelate. Formation of the magnesium complex (LMgN(TMS)2 x L2Mg) (14) from 11, MgI2, and KN(SiMe3)2 highlighted a secondary coordination mode of L, binding through the sulfinamidine nitrogens in a four-membered chelate.     

Asymmetric aldol reactions between cyclic ketones and benzaldehyde catalyzed by chiral Zn2+ complexes of aminoacyl 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane: effects of solvent and additives on the stereoselectivities of the aldol products

The direct aldol reaction between cyclic ketones and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde catalyzed by chiral Zn²⁺ complexes of aminoacyl 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane is reported. The anti-aldol products were mainly formed in cyclohexanone/N-methylpyrrolidone(NMP)/MeOH with good diastereo- and enantioselectivity, while syn-aldol adducts were obtained as major products with good enantioselectivity in cyclohexanone/H₂O and cyclohexanone/NMP/H₂O. The fact that the UV/vis spectra of 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenyl-1-pyridinio)phenolate (Reichardt’s dye) were nearly identical in these solvent systems suggests that the switch in the relative configuration of the aldol products is induced by a large excess of H₂O rather than the polarity of the solvent system. Furthermore, the addition of a small amount of TFA improved the enantioselectivity of the syn-aldol adducts produced in cyclohexanone/H₂O with up to 92% ee (anti/syn ratio = 30:70).     

Esters of pyromellitic acid. Part II. Esters of chiral alcohols: para pyromellitate diesters as a novel class of resolving agents and use of pyromellitates as duplicands for chiral purification

Methods are presented for the preparation of pyromellitate esters of chiral terpene alcohols, including d- (3) or l-menthol (4), d-isomenthol (7), l-borneol (8), or d- (5) or l-isopinocampheol (6). Alcoholysis of PMDA in CH2Cl2/Et3N led to the formation of monoesters (e.g., 18) or diesters (11, 12), as needed, relying on the differential reactivity of the two anhydride groups. The easily isolated para diester (11) crystallized before the meta diester (12) from HOAc. Nicotine (1, 14) was efficiently resolved as 1:1 salts with the menthyl (11a, 11b) or bornyl (11f) para diesters, prototypes of what promises to be a large class of novel resolving agents. Recrystallization of para-di-d-menthyl pyromellitate (11a) greatly improved the chiral purity of the contained d-menthol (3), an example of purification by "duplication". An alternative synthesis of specific diesters took advantage of the easily separated benzyl diesters and their derived acid chlorides (19, 21), with the benzyl esters serving as temporary blocking groups removable by catalytic hydrogenolysis. Pyromellitate tetraesters (26) were prepared by base-catalyzed transesterification of the tetraethyl ester (25). Tri- l-menthyl pyromellitate (27b) was obtained by catalytic hydrogenolysis of benzyl tri-l-menthyl pyromellitate (31b), itself prepared from the alcoholysis of benzyl pyromellitate triacid chloride (30) with l-menthol (4).     

Toward the development of a general chiral auxiliary. Enantioselective alkylation and a new catalytic asymmetric addition of silyloxyfurans: application to a total synthesis of (-)-rasfonin

An enantioselective total synthesis of the apoptosis-inducing natural product, (-)-rasfonin, is described. Camphor lactam-mediated asymmetric alkylation reactions enabled the installation of three stereogenic centers with >95:5 diastereoselectivity. A modified Corey-Peterson olefination was employed in the construction of the (E,E)-diene system. A highly diastereoselective, asymmetric vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol addition was conducted using a chiral cationic oxazaborolidine catalyst. The pyranone core of the natural product was prepared via a DBU-promoted rearrangement of a furanol to its corresponding pyranol with concomitant [1,4]-silyl transfer.     

Studies on structurally simple butenolides. VI. The polycyclic 3:1 adducts of protoanemonin with C-nucleophiles

X-Ray diffraction analysis yielded the constitution, configuration and conformation of a tetracyclic 3:1 adduct formed by reaction of protoanemonin $\text{1}$ with lithium dimethylcuprate. The same configuration was assigned by analogy to other tetracyclic 3:1 adducts formed by reaction of $\text{1}$ with lithium di-$\text{n}$-butylcuprate or di-methyl sodiomalonate. A pentacyclic 3:1 adduct also formed in the last reaction was fully assigned (constitution, configuration, conformation) by analysis of its 300 MHz 2-D COSY NMR spectrum.     

Conformational and electronic properties of a microperoxidase in aqueous solution: a computational study.

A theoretical study of the conformational properties of a small heme peptide in aqueous solution is carried out by classical, long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations. The electronic properties of this species, that is, the relative energies of its excited electronic states and the redox potential, are reproduced and related to the conformational behavior using the perturbed matrix method and basic statistical mechanics. Our results show an interesting coupling between the conformational transitions and the electronic properties. These investigations, beyond the biophysically relevant results addressing the long-standing question of the actual role of the enzyme structure on the enzyme activity, are also of some methodological interest since they offer a further computational perspective for including the electronic degrees of freedom into the modeling of rather complex molecular systems.     

Structural isotopic effects in the smallest chiral amino acid: observation of a structural phase transition in fully deuterated alanine

A first study of possible changes instigated by deuteration in amino acids was carried out using neutron diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering, and Raman scattering in l-alanine, C2H4(NH2)COOH. Careful analysis of the structural parameters shows that deuteration of l-alanine engenders significant geometric changes as a function of temperature, which can be directly related to the observation of new lattice vibration modes in the Raman spectra. The combination of the experimental data suggests that C2D4(ND2)COOD undergoes a structural phase transition (or a structural rearrangement) at about 170 K. Considering that this particular amino acid is a hydrogen-bonded system with short hydrogen bonds (O...H approximately 1.8 A), we evoke the Ubbelohde effect to conclude that substitution of hydrogen for deuterium gives rise to changes in the hydrogen-bonding interactions. The structural differences suggest distinct relative stabilities for the hydrogenous and deuterated l-alanine.     

Toward the development of a general chiral auxiliary. Part 6: Structural effects on diastereoselection using camphor derived lactams: evaluation of (1R,4S)-1,7,7-trimethyl-3-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-3-one as a chiral controller

A new camphor-derived chiral lactam was designed, prepared and evaluated as a chiral controller in asymmetric Diels–Alder and aldol reactions. The new lactam, bearing a C(5)C(6) double bond, was anticipated to afford higher diastereofacial selection resulting from the removal of additional steric hindrance to reagent approach distal to the geminal dimethyl bridge by comparison with the previously studied saturated analogue (the favored mode approach in the saturated analogue). Surprisingly, a deterioration in the extent of diastereofacial selectivity was observed for both reaction types. These results are interpreted in terms of the geometric changes imposed upon the ring system as a whole by introduction of the unsaturation.     

Lanthanide class of a trinuclear enantiopure helical architecture containing chiral ligands: synthesis, structure, and properties

The pinene-bipyridine carboxylic derivatives (+)- and (-)-HL, designed to form configurationally stable lanthanide complexes, proved their effectiveness as chiral building blocks for the synthesis of lanthanide-containing superstructures. Indeed a self-assembly process takes place with complete diastereoselectivity between the enantiomerically pure ligand L(-) and Ln(III) ions (La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er), thus leading to the quantitative formation of a trinuclear supramolecular architecture with the general formula [Ln(3)(L)(6)(mu(3)-OH)(H(2)O)(3)](ClO(4))(2) (abbreviated as tris(Ln[L](2))). This class of C(3)-symmetrical compounds was structurally characterized in the solid state and solution. Electrospray (ES) mass spectrometric and (1)H NMR spectroscopic analyses indicated that the trinuclear species are maintained in solution (CH(2)Cl(2)) and are stable in the investigated concentration range (10(-2)-10(-6) m). The photophysical properties of the ligand HL and its tris(Ln[L](2)) complexes were studied at room temperature and 77 K, thus demonstrating that the metal-centered luminescence is well sensitized both for the visible and near-IR emitters. The chiroptical properties of tris(Ln[L](2)) complexes were investigated by means of circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). A high CD activity is displayed in the region of pi-pi* transitions of bipyridine. CPL spectra of tris(Eu[(+)-L](2)) and tris(Tb[(+)-L](2)) present large dissymmetry factors g(em) for the sensitive transitions of Eu(III) ((5)D(0)-->(7)F(1), g(em)=-0.088) and Tb(III) ((5)D(4)-->(7)F(5), g(em)=-0.0806). The self-recognition capabilities of the system were tested in the presence of artificial enantiomeric mixtures of the ligand. (1)H NMR spectra identical to those of the enantiomerically pure complexes and investigations by CD spectroscopic analysis reveal an almost complete chiral self-recognition in the self-assembly process, thus leading to mixtures of homochiral trinuclear structures.