Small amounts of achiral beta-amino alcohols reverse the enantioselectivity of chiral catalysts in cooperative asymmetric autocatalysis

An asymmetric autocatalytic reaction has been catalyzed by a mixture of chiral and achiral beta-amino alcohols. The absolute configuration of the highly enantioenriched obtained product (>98% ee) was shown to depend not only on the absolute configuration of the chiral catalyst but also on the structure and the amount of achiral catalyst. Even in default versus the chiral catalyst, achiral catalysts were shown to be able to reverse the enantioselectivity of the reaction.     

Mixtures of chiral and achiral monodentate ligands in asymmetric Rh-catalyzed olefin hydrogenation: reversal of enantioselectivity

The recently described method of combinatorial asymmetric transition metal catalysis based on the use of mixtures of chiral monodentate P-ligands has been extended to include mixtures of chiral and achiral monodentate P-ligands, reversal of enantioselectivity in Rh-catalyzed olefin hydrogenation being possible in appropriate cases.     

Enantioselective synthesis mediated by chiral crystal of achiral hippuric acid in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis

Enantiomorphous crystals composed of achiral hippuric acid, i.e., naturally occurring N-benzoylglycine, have been used successfully as chiral inducers in enantioselective synthesis in combination with asymmetric autocatalysis to afford the product with extremely high enantiomeric excess.     

The asymmetric power of chiral ligands determined by competitive asymmetric autocatalysis

Asymmetric autocatalytic reactions were initiated by using two competing chiral ligands bearing opposite configurations. The absolute configuration of the resulting highly enantioenriched product reflects the different efficiencies of the two catalysts. Thus, our method provides a simple and efficient way to compare the asymmetric power of chiral ligands for enantioselective catalysis both qualitatively and quantitatively.     

Synthesis of chiral 2-alkyl-8-quinolinyl-oxazoline ligands: reversal of enantioselectivity in the asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation

New chiral 2-alkyl-8-quinolinyl-oxazolines were synthesized from 2-alkyl-8-quinolinecarboxylic acids and enantiomerically pure amino alcohols using a convenient procedure. Enantioselective palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenyl acetate with dimethyl malonate in the presence of 2-alkyl-8-quinolinyl-oxazolines provided an alkylation product with an opposite configuration compared to those obtained from unsubstituted quinolinyl-oxazoline ligands.     

Unexpected reversal of the enantioselectivity using chiral quinolylmethyl- and acridininyloxazolines as ligands for asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation

New chiral quinolylmethyloxazolines and acridininyloxazolines were prepared and assessed in the enantioselective palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution of 1,3-diphenylprop-2-enyl acetate with dimethyl malonate. The introduction of a benzo-fused substituent on the pyridine ring not containing the chiral backbone resulted in the switch of the expected chiral sense of enantioselection of the reaction. Enantiomeric excesses up to 78% were obtained.     

Rhodium complexes with chiral counterions: achiral catalysts in chiral matrices

The neutral complexes [Rh(I)(NBD)((1S)-10-camphorsulfonate)] (2) and [Rh(I)((R)-N-acetylphenylalanate)] (4) reacted with bis-(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe) to form the cationic Rh(I)(NBD)(dppe) complexes, 5 and 6, respectively, accompanied by their corresponding chiral counteranions. Analogously, 4 reacted with 4,4^′-dimethylbipyridine to yield complex 7. Complexes 5 and 6 disproportionated in aprotic solvents to form the corresponding bis-diphosphine complexes 8 and 9, respectively. 8 was characterized by an X-ray crystal structure analysis. In order to form achiral Rh(I) complexes bearing chiral countercations new sulfonated monophosphines 13-16 with chiral ammonium cations were synthesized. Tris-triphenylphosphinosulfonic acid (H₃TPPS, 11) was used to protonate chiral amines to yield chiral ammonium phosphines 14-16. Thallium-tris-triphenylphosphinosulfonate (Tl₃TPPS, 12) underwent metathesis with a chiral quartenary ammonium iodide to yield the proton free chiral ammonium phosphine 13. Phosphines 15 and 16 reacted with [Rh(NBD)₂]BF₄ to afford the highly charged chiral zwitterionic complexes [Rh(NBD)(TPPS)₂][(R)-N,N-dimethyl-1-(naphtyl)ethylammonium]₅ (17) and [Rh(NBD)(TPPS)₂][BF₄][(R)-N,N-dimethyl-phenethylammonium]₆ (18), respectively. Complexes 5, 6, and 18 were tested as precatalysts for the hydrogenation of de-hydro-N-acetylphenylalanine (19) and methyl-(Z)-(α)-acetoamidocinnamate (MAC, 20) under homogeneous and heterogeneous (silica-supported and self-supported) conditions. None of the reactions was enantioselective.     

Enantioselective synthesis induced by chiral organic-inorganic hybrid silsesquioxane in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis

5-Pyrimidyl alkanol with up to 96% ee was formed using chiral organic-inorganic hybrid silsesquioxane in the enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde, in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis.     

Unusual temperature dependence of enantioselectivity in asymmetric reductions by chiral NADH models

[reaction: see text] Unusual stereoselectivity changes, i.e., enhancement and inversion of enantioselectivity with increasing temperature, were observed in the asymmetric reduction of methyl benzoylformate with chiral 1,4-dihydropyridines possessing amino acid residues as ligating chiral auxiliaries. The differential activation parameters, DeltaDeltaH(S-R) and DeltaDeltaS(S-R), obtained from the Eyring plots demonstrate that the entropy term controls the enantiodifferentiating step, accounting for the observed unique temperature dependencies.     

Principles for designing an achiral receptor promoting asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of chirality

The idea that an achiral receptor can promote asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of chirality is presented and discussed in the light of two models, dubbed ACM1 and ACM2, corresponding to the autocatalytic versions of the classical Kagan and Noyori models for non-linear effects in asymmetric catalysis. The chiral amplifications produced by the two models have been investigated. The results suggest that an achiral receptor working according to the ACM1 model presents distinct advantages over the ACM2 counterpart, both in terms of elegance of design and performance.     

Enantioselective synthesis induced by chiral crystal composed of DL-serine in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis

Asymmetric autocatalysis initiated by chiral crystals containing racemic DL-serine was achieved. P- and M-crystals of DL-serine acted as the source of chirality of asymmetric autocatalysis to afford highly enantioenriched (>99.5% ee) (S)- and (R)-pyrimidylalkanols after the amplification of ee. This is the first example of the usage of the crystal, which contains the same number of D- and L-enantiomers as an origin of chirality in enantioselective synthesis.     

Origins of enantioselectivity in the chiral diphosphine-ligated CuH-catalyzed asymmetric hydrosilylation of ketones

Computational investigations on the asymmetric hydrosilylation of acetophenone over ligated CuH catalysts were performed with the DFT method. The calculations predict that the catalytic reaction involves two steps: (1) CuH addition to the carbonyl group via a four-membered transition state (TS) with the formation of copper-alkoxide intermediates; (2) regeneration of the ligated CuH catalyst by an external SiH(4) through a metathesis process to yield the corresponding silyl ether. The calculations in the chiral diphosphine-ligated CuH systems suggest that the metathesis process is the rate-determining step (RDS). The CuH addition step is vital for the distribution of the racemic products and therefore represents the stereo-controlling step (SCT). In this step, the greater steric hindrance between the aromatic rings of the ligands and the substrate is identified as the major factor for enantioselectivity. The corresponding TS in the face-to-face mode, suffering less steric hindrance, is more stable than its analogue in the edge-to-face mode. The enantioselectivities are calculated to be related not only to the P-Cu-P bite angles in the stereo-controlling TSs, but also to the substituents at the P-aryl rings of the chiral ligands. In short, a larger P-Cu-P bite angle and suitably modified P-aryl rings together are necessary to achieve excellent ee values.     

Absolute asymmetric synthesis by nucleophilic carbonyl addition using chiral crystals of achiral amides

Reaction of the chiral crystals of the achiral amides with n-butyllithium in toluene at -80 degrees C gave optically active alcohols in 17-84% ee.     

Determining the enantioselectivity of chiral catalysts by mass spectrometric screening of their racemic forms

The enantioselectivity of a chiral catalyst can be determined from its racemic form by mass spectrometric screening of a nonequal mixture of two mass-labeled quasienantiomeric substrates. The presented method opens up new possibilities for evaluating catalyst structures that are not readily available in enantiomerically pure form.     

Mechanistic insights into iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of dienes

Hydrogenation of 2,3-diphenylbutadiene (1) with the chiral carbene-oxazoline-iridium complex C has been studied by means of a combined experimental and computational approach. A detailed kinetic profile of the reaction was obtained with respect to consumption of the substrate and formation of the intermediate half-reduction products, 2,3-diphenylbut-1-ene (2) and the final product, 2,3-diphenylbutane (3). The data generated from these analyses, and from NMR experiments, revealed several facets of the reaction. After a brief induction period (presumably involving reduction of the cyclooctadiene ligand on C), the diene concentration declines in a zero-order process primarily to give monoene intermediates. When all the diene is consumed, the reaction accelerates and compound 3 begins to accumulate. Interestingly, the prevalent enantiomer of the monoene intermediate 2 is converted mostly to meso-3 so the enantioselectivity of the reaction appears to reverse. The reaction seems to be first-order with respect to the catalyst when the catalyst concentration is less than 0.0075 M; diffusion of hydrogen across the gas-liquid interface complicates the analysis at higher catalyst concentrations. Similarly, these diffusion effects complicated measurements of reaction rate versus applied pressure of dihydrogen; other factors like stir speed and flask geometry come into play under some, but not all, the conditions examined. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, using the PBE method, were used to probe the reaction. These studies indicate a transoid-eta(4)-diene-dihydride complex forms in the first stages of the catalytic cycle. Further reaction requires dissociation of one alkene ligand to give a eta(2)-diene-dihydride-dihydrogen intermediate. A catalytic cycle that features Ir(3+)/Ir(5+) seems to be involved thereafter.     

Enantioselective synthesis utilizing enantiomorphous organic crystal of achiral benzils as a source of chirality in asymmetric autocatalysis

Chiral crystals of achiral benzils act as efficient chiral initiators of asymmetric autocatalysis to afford highly enantioenriched pyrimidyl alkanols whose absolute configurations depend upon the enantiomorph of the crystal used in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of enantiomeric excess.