An exciton-coupled circular dichroism protocol for the determination of identity, chirality, and enantiomeric excess of chiral secondary alcohols

Chiral mono-ols are among the most sought after targets in asymmetric synthesis, and therefore, their chemical characterization and associated enantiomeric excess (ee) values are commonly reported. A simple optical method for determining alcohol identity and ee could be widely used. Toward this end, an in situ-generated multicomponent assembly that creates diastereomeric tris(pyridine) metal complexes incorporating chiral secondary alcohols was explored using exciton-coupled circular dichroism (ECCD). Qualitative models were proposed to predict the preferential diastereomer and its twist, and computational studies provided a rationalization of the CD spectra. Different ECCD spectra found for diastereomers formed in the self-assembled tris(pyridine) complexes were used to determine the absolute configurations of chiral mono-ols. Linear discriminant analysis was successfully employed to classify the alcohol analytes, thereby allowing identification of the alcohols. Conformational effects imparted by heteroatoms were also explored, further expanding the substrate scope. Finally, ee calibration curves allowed the determination of the ee of unknown samples of three chiral secondary alcohols with an average error of 3%. The assay described here is unique because no preparation of structurally elaborated chiral hosts is needed.     

Determination of Enantiomeric Excess in Amine Derivatives with Molecular Self‐Assemblies

We report the first fluorescence‐based assay for the rapid determination of the ee value of amines, amino alcohols, and amino acid esters. The method uses the self‐assembly of 2‐formylphenylboronic acid with a chiral diol and a chiral amine or derivatives (of unknown chirality) to produce two diastereomeric iminoboronates that differ in their fluorescence intensity and polarization. The approach allows for the accurate determination of the ee value of chiral amines with errors of just 1–2 %. We believe that this application of orthogonal dynamic covalent self‐assembly in the determination of the enantioselectivity will lead to the development of high‐throughput procedures for the determination of chirality.     

Asymmetric autocatalysis and the origin of chiral homogeneity in organic compounds

The discovery and development of asymmetric autocatalysis, in which the structures of the chiral catalyst and the chiral product are the same, are described. Chiral 5-pyrimidyl, 3-quinolyl, and 5-carbamoyl-3-pyridyl alkanols act as highly enantioselective asymmetric autocatalysts in the enantioselective addition of diisopropylzinc to the corresponding aldehydes, such as pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde. 2-Alkynyl-5-pyrimidyl alkanol with an enantiomeric excess (ee) of >99.5% automultiplies practically perfectly as an asymmetric autocatalyst in a yield of >99% and >99.5% ee. Asymmetric autocatalysis with an amplification of ee has thus been realized. Consecutive asymmetric autocatalysis starting with chiral 2-alkynylpyrimidyl alkanol of only 0.6% ee amplifies its ee significantly, and yields itself as the product with >99.5% ee. The reaction of pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde and diisopropylzinc in the presence of chiral initiators with low ee's, such as secondary alcohol, amine, carboxylic acid, mono-substituted [2.2]paracyclophane, and chiral primary alcohols due to deuterium substitution, regulates the absolute configuration of the resulting pyrimidyl alkanols, and the ee of the resulting pyrimidyl alkanol is much higher than that of the chiral initiator. Leucine and [6]helicene with very low ee's, which are known to be induced by circularly polarized light (CPL), also serve as chiral initiators to produce pyrimidyl alkanol with higher ee's. Overall, the process represents the first correlation between the chirality of CPL and an organic compound with very high ee. Chiral inorganic crystals, such as quartz and sodium chlorate, act as chiral inducers in the asymmetric autocatalysis of pyrimidyl alkanol. The process correlates for the first time ever the chirality of inorganic crystals with an organic compound with very high ee.     

Transitioning enantioselective indicator displacement assays for alpha-amino acids to protocols amenable to high-throughput screening

Enantioselective indicator displacement assays (eIDAs) for alpha-amino acids were conducted in a 96-well plate format to demonstrate the viability of the technique for the high-throughput screening (HTS) of enantiomeric excess (ee) values. Chiral receptors [Cu(II)(1)](2+) and [Cu(II)(2)](2+) with the indicator chrome azurol S were implemented for the eIDAs. Enantiomeric excess calibration curves were made using both receptors and then used to analyze true test samples. These results were compared to those previously obtained with a conventional UV-vis spectrophotometer, and they showed little to no loss of accuracy, while the speed of analysis was increased. A sample of valine of unknown ee was synthesized through an asymmetric reaction to produce a realistic reaction sample, which was analyzed using receptor [Cu(II)(1)](2+). The experimentally determined ee using our eIDA was compared to that obtained by chiral HPLC and (1)H NMR chiral shift reagent analysis. This gave errors of 4.7% and 12.0%, respectively. In addition to the use of ee calibration curves, an artificial neural network (ANN) was used to determine the % L-amino acid of the test samples and of the sample of valine of unknown ee from the asymmetric reaction. This method obtained errors of 5.9% and 2.2% compared to chiral HPLC and (1)H NMR chiral shift reagent analysis, respectively. The technique using calibration curves for the determination of ee on a 96-well plate allows one to determine 96 ee values in under a minute, enabling its use for HTS of asymmetric reactions with acceptable accuracy.     

An on-column derivatization method for the determination of the enantiomeric excess of chiral primary amines via indirect enantioseparation by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

A method used for determining the enantiomeric excess (ee) value of chiral amino compounds by MEKC is described. In this method, the plug-plug type electrophoretic medicated microanalysis technique was employed to convert the enantiomers of chiral amino compounds into their diastereomers through an on-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde and the chiral reagent N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Afterwards, the resulting diastereomers were easily separated with a nonchiral MEKC approach. The on-column derivatization conditions and the separation conditions were optimized and the method was validated with five chiral amino compounds. The present method can be used for assaying the ee value of chiral amino compound with various structural features, especially for those that have no UV chromophore. Therefore, the method can be potentially used for screening or evaluation of the asymmetric catalysts developed by the combinatorial chemistry. In this case, the ee values of chiral products with various structures need to be measured; however, this is difficult for direct chiral separation approach due to the fact that the chiral selectivity is strongly dependent on the structure of the analytes. The method is simple, reliable, and automatic.     

Novel C2-symmetric bisoxazolines with a chiral trans-(2R,3R)-diphenylcyclopropane backbone: preparation and application in several enantioselective catalytic reactions

Various chiral bisoxazoline ligands with a chiral trans-(2R,3R)-diphenylcyclopropane backbone have been efficiently synthesized (five examples). These chiral ligands were tested and compared in palladium(0)-catalysed enantioselective allylic alkylations (up to 97% ee), copper(I)-catalysed enantioselective cyclopropanations (up to 89% ee) and aziridinations (up to 90% ee). We observed that the presence of a stereogenic centre on the oxazoline moiety is mandatory in order to obtain acceptable enantioselectivities.     

高效液相色谱-圆二色检测法分析甲霜灵的对映体纯度

以手性农药甲霜灵为研究对象,使用非手性高效液相色谱在不拆分对映体的条件下,利用圆二色检测器所测的各向异性系数(g)测定手性对映体纯度。实验结果表明,g与对映体过剩率(ee)具有良好的线性关系;通过比较g所测ee与手性色谱所测的ee,二者所测ee相对平均偏差小于3.0%,说明该方法具有较高的准确性,可应用于手性化合物对映体纯度的测定。     

手性苄基甲基亚砜的氯过氧化物酶催化定向合成

基于氯过氧化物酶(CPO)对有机底物的手性识别功能,以CPO催化、叔丁基过氧化氢(TBHP)氧化甲基苄基硫醚合成手性R-苄基甲基亚砜,并在反应体系中引入多羟基化合物及季铵盐提高了目标产物的产率;反应主要受体系的pH值、氧化剂类型、反应时间、氧化剂/底物摩尔比,以及CPO用量等因素控制.引入多羟基化合物(甘油,PEG400,PEG600)时,R-苄基甲基亚砜的产率及ee值可分别达到65.5%和96.3%;而引入季铵盐(TEABr,TPABr,TBABr)时,其产率提高到78.2%～68.5%,ee值为95.4%～94%.UV-vis及荧光光谱分析表明反应体系中引入少量添加剂时CPO活性中心的血红素辅基暴露程度增加,底物容易接近,同时CPO的α-螺旋结构得以加强,从而有效改善了CPO的催化性能.与目前的合成方法相比,CPO酶促氧化制备手性R-苄基甲基亚砜高效、定向,酶用量极少,具有一定的产业化应用潜能.     

Asymmetric fluoroallylboration of aldehydes

Contrary to previous reports, the homologation of benzyloxydifluorovinyllithium with bulky chiral iodomethylboronates readily provides a series of chiral γ,γ-difluoroallylboronates. Asymmetric fluoroallylboration of aldehydes with a 2-phenylbornane-2,3-diol-derived reagent provides gem-difluorinated homoallyl alcohols in good yields and 77-95% ee. Preparation of a chiral α-pyrone in >99% ee has also been described.     

Enantioselective enzymes for organic synthesis created by directed evolution

A new concept for the creation of enzymes displaying improved enantioselectivity in a given reaction is described; it is based on "evolution in the test tube". Accordingly, proper molecular biological methods for random mutagenesis, gene expression, and high-throughput screening systems for the rapid assay of enantioselectivity are combined. Several rounds of mutagenesis and screening are generally necessary in order to create mutant enzymes that show high degrees of enantioselectivity, as in the case of the lipase-catalyzed hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a chiral ester in which the original enantioselectivity of 2 % ee (E = 1) increases to > 90% ee (E = 25).     

Iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylation of sodium triisopropylsilanethiolate: a new way to form chiral thiols

The iridium phosphoramidite complex-promoted regio- and enantioselective reaction of allylic carbonates with sodium triisopropylsilanethiolate produced allylic sulfides in 40-77% yields with up to 97 : 3 (branched?:?linear) and 89% ee, which were readily transformed into chiral thiol in 68% yield with 87% ee or disulfides with two chiral C-S bond centers in 40-73% yields with up to 90 : 10 dr and 99% ee.     

Ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of N-boc-indoles

Highly enantioselective hydrogenation of various N-Boc-indoles proceeded successfully in the presence of the ruthenium complex generated from an appropriate ruthenium precursor and a trans-chelate chiral bisphosphine PhTRAP. Various 2- or 3-substituted indoles were converted into chiral indolines with high enantiomeric excesses (up to 95% ee). The PhTRAP-ruthenium catalyst was able to promote the hydrogenation of 2,3-dimethylindoles, giving cis-2,3-dimethylindolines with 72% ee.     

Application of a high-throughput enantiomeric excess optical assay involving a dynamic covalent assembly: parallel asymmetric allylation and ee sensing of homoallylic alcohols

Asymmetric Ir-catalyzed C–C coupling of primary alcohols with allyl-acetates, as described by Krische, to form chiral secondary homo-allylic alcohols were performed in parallel as a means to optimize the ee values thereof. Specifically, approximately 400 examples of this reaction were performed by varying the catalyst, added acids and bases, and starting reactants, to form 4-phenyl-1-butene-4-ol (1). The ee values for the transformations were determined in a high-throughput fashion using a 4-component assembly that creates a circular dichroism signal indicative of the extent of asymmetric induction. Further, a parallel and rapid quantitative TLC method measures the yield of each reaction, revealing which reactions give reliable ee values in the CD-based assay. Overall, the nearly 200 reactions whose ee values were determined could be quantitated in under two hours. Using a combination of the TLC method to measure yield with the CD-assay to measure ee values, several trends in reaction conditions were revealed. For example, it was found that the cyclometalated iridium catalyst modified by BINAP and m-nitro-p-cyano-benzoic acid delivered adduct 1 with the highest levels of enantiomeric enrichment (94%), whereas the corresponding SEGPHOS-modified catalyst gave a comparable yield but lower ee (91%). Most importantly, this study shows that supramolecular assemblies can report hundreds of ee values in a rapid and reliable fashion to analyze parallel synthesis routines.     

Chiral-Directing-Group-Assisted Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Addition of Inert Arene C−H Bond to Aldimines with Subsequent Intramolecular Cyclization

By using a chiral directing group, an asymmetric rhodium(III)-catalyzed C−H bond addition to aldimines followed by intramolecular cyclization to form chiral isoindolinones has been achieved (up to 68 % yield, up to 93 % ee). A three-component variant that resembles Mannich reaction was also realized (41 % yield, 83 % ee). Product elaborations and preliminary mechanistic studies were described.     

新型双膦配体及钯催化的烯丙基烷基化反应用于构筑季碳手 性中心

从二茂铁恶唑啉膦化合物(Sp)-1出发,合成了严平面手性二茂铁修饰的口袋型双膦配体(R,R,Sp,Sp)-4和(S,S,Sp,Sp)-4。这类配体在前手性亲核试剂的不对称烯丙基化构筑手性季碳中心的反应中,显示了较好的反应活性及对映选择性。当利用亚胺的氨基酸酯衍生物时,可以得到一些非天然的季碳氨基酸衍生物,ee值最高可以达到75.3%。一些简单的酮的烯醇负离子也可用作亲核试剂,产物为α-位双取代的具有季碳中心的酮,ee值可高达95%。     

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes catalyzed by designer chiral BINOL–quinine–squaramide: efficient access to optically active nitro-alkanes and their isoxazole derivatives

A chiral BINOL–quinine–squaramide has been identified as the best catalyst for the asymmetric Michael addition of nitroalkenes to 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. A series of chiral nitroalkanes were prepared with approximately >99% ee. Furthermore, the methodology was applied successfully to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure isoxazoles derivatives (>99% ee).     

Synthesis of a new 1,4-aminoalcohol and its use as catalyst in the enantioselective addition of organozinc to aldehydes

The synthesis of a new enantiopure, conformationally constrained 1,4-aminoalcohol is reported, starting from commercially available reagents from the chiral pool. This 1,4-aminoalcohol was used as chiral ligand in the addition of Et₂Zn to aldehydes (best ee 98%) and in the synthesis of chiral propargylic alcohols (best ee 70%) by alkynylzinc species.     

Synthesis of Chiral Ionic Polymers Containing Quaternary Ammonium Sulfonate Structure and their Catalytic Activity in Asymmetric Alkylation

Repeated reaction between chiral quaternary ammonium dimer and disodium disulfonate gave the ionic polymer, which contains chiral quaternary ammonium sulfonate structure as a repeating unit. This chiral ionic polymer showed an excellent catalytic activity in asymmetric alkylation reaction. With the chiral ionic polymer catalysts, high level of enantioselectivities up to 97% ee were attained.     

Discrimination of enantiomers by means of NMR spectroscopy using chiral liquid crystalline solution: application to triazole fungicides, uniconazole and diniconazole

An NMR method for discriminating among enantiomers by using a chiral liquid crystalline solution was applied to chiral triazole compounds, uniconazole (1) and diniconazole (2), which exhibit antifungal and plant growth regulating activities. These chiral compounds were dissolved in PBLG (poly-gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate)--CDCl3 chiral liquid crystalline solvent for measurements of 13C NMR. The enantiomeric separations were primarily observed in the signals of aromatic carbons owing to differences in chemical shift anisotropies. The enantiomeric excess (ee) was determined from the integral scale of the separated peaks. The resulting ee values are in fair agreement with the actual values. The extrasplittings due to residual dipolar couplings were also measured using Het2DJ spectra for 1S and R, and 2R, and the results are discussed.     

Efficient palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of ketones and aldehydes

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of ketones, via enamines generated in situ as nucleophiles, were carried out smoothly with chiral metallocene-based P,N-ligands. Under the same conditions, however, reactions of aldehydes could hardly be observed. Subsequently, this obstacle was resolved by using chiral metallocene-based P,P-ligands. Both ketones and aldehydes afforded excellent enantioselectivities with up to 98% ee and 94% ee, respectively.