New C2-symmetry diols accumulating one stereogenic axis and two stereogenic centers

Herein we report a protocol for the enantioselective synthesis of the three stereoisomers of 1,1′-(1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diyl)bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethanol) and their characterization. These compounds, that combine axial and central chirality, might present interesting properties for enantiorecognition. Different reduction processes were applied to racemic and enantiopure 1,1′-(1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diyl)bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethanone) allowing the isolation of the corresponding ketols, 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-[2′-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1-hydroxyethyl)-1,1′-binaphthalen-2-yl]ethanone, and the named diols.     

Helicity-driven chiral self-sorting supramolecular polymerization with Ag+: right- and left-helical aggregates

The study of chiral self-sorting is extremely important for understanding biological systems and for developing applications for the biomedical field. In this study, we attempted unprecedented chiral self-sorting supramolecular polymerization accompanying helical inversion with Ag⁺ in one enantiomeric component. Bola-type terpyridine-based ligands (R-L¹ and S-L¹) comprising R- or S-alanine analogs were synthesized. First, R-L¹ dissolved in DMSO/H₂O (1 : 1, v/v) forms right-handed helical fibers (aggregate I) via supramolecular polymerization. However, after the addition of AgNO₃ (0.2–1.1 equiv.) to the R-L¹ ligand, in particular, it was found that aggregate II with left-handed helicity is generated from the [R-L¹(AgNO₃)₂] complex through the [R-L¹Ag]⁺ complex via the dissociation of aggregate I by a multistep with an off pathway, thus demonstrating interesting self-sorting properties driven by helicity and shape discrimination. In addition, the [R-L¹(AgNO₃)₂] complex, which acted as a building block to generate aggregate III with a spherical structure, existed as a metastable product during the formation of aggregate II in the presence of 1.2–1.5 equiv. of AgNO₃. Furthermore, the AFM and CD results of two samples prepared using aggregates I and III with different volume ratios were similar to those obtained upon the addition of AgNO₃ to free R-L¹. These findings suggest that homochiral self-sorting in a mixture system occurred by the generation of aggregate II composed of the [R-L¹Ag]⁺ complex via the rearrangement of both, aggregates I and III. This is a unique example of helicity- and shape-driven chiral self-sorting supramolecular polymerization induced by Ag⁺ starting from one enantiomeric component. This research will improve understanding of homochirality in complex biological models and contribute to the development of new chiral materials and catalysts for asymmetric synthesis.

Chiral self-sorting supramolecular polymerization of bola-type terpyridine-based ligands (R-L¹ and S-L¹) comprising R- or S-alanine analogs occurred upon addition of Ag⁺ in one enantiomeric component.     

Enantioselective synthesis of all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers in acyclic systems

Most of the methods for the creation of all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers in acyclic systems were developed in the last decade showing the contemporary interest of this field of research. Initial strategies, where chiral entities were linked to carbon skeleton, to enantioselective catalysis and finally to strategies where several carbon-carbon bonds were created in a single-pot operation, reflect the constant strive and creativity in the design and execution of synthetic sequences. This feature article summarizes these sequences and is divided into sections on substitution and additions reactions, alkylation, aldol, Mannich and rearrangements reactions. It is safe to predict that this field of chemistry will continue to grow exponentially in the coming decades and the ready availability of a wide range of these chiral entities will provide an excellent opportunity to further enrich mainstream synthetic methodologies.     

Sequential coupling of zincated hydrazone, alkenylboronate, and electrophile that creates several contiguous stereogenic centers

A zincated N,N-dimethylhydrazone of a ketone undergoes stereospecific syn addition to E- or Z-alkenylboronate to generate a gamma-Zn/B dimetallic intermediate, which reacts with a carbon electrophile to give a gamma-borylhydrazone in good yield with excellent diastereoselectivity, creating two to four contiguous stereogenic centers in a one-pot reaction.     

A Diels-Alder approach to the enantioselective construction of fluoromethylated stereogenic carbon centers

Highly enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions of β-fluoromethylacrylates were carried out in the presence of a Lewis acid activated chiral oxazaborolidine catalyst. These reactions yielded fluoromethylated cyclohexenes, including trifluoromethyl-, difluoromethyl-, and monofluoromethyl cyclohexenes, as nearly pure enantiomers. The resulting fluoromethyl cyclohexenes were converted into potential synthetic intermediates for bioactive compounds.     

Chiral memory via chiral amplification and selective depolymerization of porphyrin aggregates

Chiral memory at the supramolecular level is obtained via a new approach using chiral Zn porphrins and achiral Cu porphyrins. In a "sergeant-and-soldiers" experiment, the Zn "sergeant" transfers its own chirality to Cu "soldiers" and, after chiral amplification, the "sergeant" is removed from the coaggregates by axial ligation with a Lewis base. After this extraction, the preferred helicity observed for the aggregates containing achiral Cu porphyrins reveals a chiral memory effect that is stable and can be erased and partially restored upon subsequent heating and cooling.     

Lewis acid catalyzed allylboration: discovery, optimization, and application to the formation of stereogenic quaternary carbon centers

A full account of the development of the first catalytic manifold for the additions of allylboronates to aldehydes is described. The thermal additions (both diastereospecific and enantioselective) of 2-carboxyester 3,3-disubstituted allylboronates 1 to both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes give biologically and synthetically important exo-methylene butyrolactones 2 containing a beta-quaternary carbon center. Although the thermal reaction requires 14 d at room temperature to reach completion, the presence of certain metal salts allows for a 12-16 h reaction while preserving the diastereospecificity observed in the uncatalyzed process. Preliminary mechanistic studies on the origin of the catalytic effect are described as well as stereoselective transformations of lactones 2 into cyclic and acyclic stereotriads with potential usefulness as synthetic intermediates.     

Saludimerines A and B, novel-type dimeric alkaloids with stereogenic centers and configurationally semistable biaryl axes

The first biarylic bis-morphinanedienone alkaloids, saludimerines A (3a) and B (3b), isolated from a tree of Croton flavens (Euphorbiaceae) are described. These naturally occurring dimers of the known alkaloid salutaridine are joined together via a rotationally hindered biaryl axis, giving rise to atropo-diastereomers that are configurationally stable at room temperature but slowly interconvert in methanolic solution within several days. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods and by partial synthesis, which was achieved by a highly atropo-diastereoselective biomimetic oxidative coupling of the monomeric precursor, salutaridine. Their axial configurations were elucidated by circular dichroism (CD) investigations, which succeeded despite the fact that the two atropo-diastereomers exhibit near-identical CD spectra. This remarkable phenomenon was rationalized by quantum chemical CD calculations. The configurational assignment of saludimerines A (3a) as P-axial and B (3b) as M was corroborated by atropisomer-specific NOE interactions between protons of the one molecular half with nuclei in the other.     

Oriented molecular aggregates of porphyrin-based amphiphiles and their morphology control by a boronic acid sugar interaction

Towards the morphology control of oriented porphyrin aggregates by added saccharides, three amphiphilic porphyrins bearing boronic acid groups were synthesised. Among them, an amphiphilic tetraphenylporphyrin (4) bearing two octadecyl groups at 5,10-positions and two boronic acid groups (acting as saccharide-binding sites) at 15,20-positions has been found to act as a membrane-forming amphiphile in an aqueous system. Spectroscopic (UV–Vis and CD), light-scattering, DSC and electron micrographic studies have established that in aqueous media 4 forms stable fibrous aggregates only in the presence of saccharides, which are chirally twisted by the absolute configuration of the added saccharides. This is a novel method to control the aggregate morphology by saccharides and well imitates the morphological functions of certain cell membranes, the surfaces of which are covered by saccharides.     

Regulated-stereoselective construction of thirteen stereogenic centers necessary for the frame of (+)-discodermolide, based on iterative Lewis acid-promoted aldol reactions

The segments C(1)-C(13) and C(15)-C(21) containing the 13 stereogenic centers required for the frame of (+)-discodermolide were synthesized in good to excellent enantio- and diastereoselectivities from a common racemic aldehyde, derived from 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol. The enantioselective aldol reactions of the racemic aldehyde with a silylketene acetal, derived from ethyl 2-bromopropionate, in the presence of chiral oxazaborolidinones, prepared in situ with N-p-toluenesulfonyl-(R)- and -(S)-valine and BH(3).THF, proceeded under kinetic control to give the stereotriads with a high degree of enantioselectivity. Enantioselective (chiral borane) and diastereoselective (BF(3).OEt(2) and TiCl(4)) aldol reactions with the silylketene acetal, coupled with diastereoselective radical debrominations (Bu(3)SnH, Et(3)B, with or without MgBr(2)), were used iteratively. This aldol reaction strategy for the construction of the polypropionate frame dramatically shortened the steps needed for the construction of the final segments.     

Stereoselective synthesis of novel types of cyclopropyl carbocyclic nucleosides containing quaternary stereogenic centers

Versatile and stereocontrolled synthetic entries to novel types of cyclopropyl carbocyclic nucleosides are described. The target products have been synthesized from suitable cyclopropane precursors obtained, in turn, from olefinic compounds derived from D-glyceraldehyde as a chiral precursor. Selective manipulation of the functional groups has allowed the preparation of enantiopure nucleosides, some of them displaying opposite chirality. All these molecules contain a quaternary stereogenic carbon at C-1 or C-3 of the cyclopropane ring and bear an amino, a hydroxymethyl, or a methyl group as an additional substituent. In one instance, thymine is directly linked to the cyclopropane. A methylene unit serves as the spacer in the other synthesized nucleosides.     

Novel theoretical and computer-assisted modeling of isothermal and non-isothermal depolymerization kinetics

A novel kinetic model accounting for the observed asymptotic approach of the degree of polymerization (DP) to a limiting value significantly greater than unity on prolonged degradation is derived and applied to the solid-state degradation of cellulose (Kraft paper) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Experimental data were fitted using two iterative computer algorithms: one for isothermal DP data and the other for non-isothermal DP data obtained under a linear temperature ramp. The apparent activation energy for the solid-state recombination of chain radicals was found to be low in each case and was attributed to the proximity of free radicals being facilitated by restrictions imposed by the polymer matrix. The application of the model to non-isothermal DP yielded rate parameters that could be reconciled with those obtained from isothermal analyses, suggesting the novel approach has much merit for the future study of polymer degradation.     

An organocatalytic oxidative coupling strategy for the direct synthesis of arylated quaternary stereogenic centers

A broadly applicable oxidative coupling strategy of 3-substituted catechols and carbon-centered pro-nucleophiles for the construction of arylated quaternary stereogenic centers has been developed. Pivoting on a base-catalyzed addition of a carbon-centered acid to an in situ generated o-benzoquinone, the method is general and atom-economical and provides remarkably efficient access to one of the most challenging structural motifs. Furthermore, use of chiral bifunctional organocatalysts allows the process to be rendered asymmetric (up to 81% ee).     

Enantiospecific and regioselective rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation: diastereoselective approach to quaternary carbon stereogenic centers

The enantiospecific and regioselective rhodium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of a series of chiral nonracemic allylic carbonates, followed by ozonolysis and reductive lactonization, provides a convenient route to optically active gamma-lactones. Sequential alkylation and reductive alkylation furnished the alpha-quaternary-beta-ternary substituted gamma-lactone derivative as a >/=10:1 mixture of diastereoisomers.     

Diastereoselective alkylation and reduction of β-alkoxyacylsilanes: stereoselective construction of three contiguous stereogenic centers

The nucleophilic addition reaction to acylsilanes, having stereogenic centers at the α and β positions, derived from the aldol reaction of dimethyl acetals and acylsilane silyl enol ethers gives the corresponding α-silylalcohols in high yields with excellent diastereoselectivity. The protiodesilylation of α-silylalcohols proceeds with complete retention of the configuration. In addition, the reduction of acylsilanes having stereogenic centers at the α and β positions affords the corresponding α-silylalcohols in good yields with high diastereoselectivity similarly to the nucleophilic addition. And the treatment of acylsilanes having a phenyl group on silicon atom with fluoride ion results in the formation of phenyl carbinol derivatives via migration of the phenyl group with high diastereoselectivity.     

Highly diastereoselective four-component synthesis of polysubstituted 2-piperidinones with three and four stereogenic centers

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A novel four-component diastereoselective synthesis of polysubstituted 2-piperidinones is reported. The Michael addition–Mannich cascade of...     

Highly diastereoselective multicomponent synthesis of polysubstituted 2-hydroxy-2-trifluoromethylpiperidineswith four and five stereogenic centers

The Michael–Mannich cascade cyclization of cyano olefins, ethyl 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-oxobutanoate, aromatic aldehydes and ammonium acetate provides convenient stereoselective formation of ethyl 5,5-dicyano-4,6-diaryl-2-hydroxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)piperidine-3-carboxylates with fourstereogenic centers and dialkyl 4,6-diaryl-5-cyano-2-hydroxy-2-(trifluoromethyl)piperidine-3,5-dicarboxylates with five stereogenic centers. Ammonium acetate plays dual role, acting as a base and as a nitrogen source.     

Effect of cationic micellar aggregates on the kinetics of oxidation of aminoalcohols by N-bromosuccinimide in alkaline medium

The kinetics of oxidation of some aminoalcohols (AA), viz. ethanolamine, diethanolamine, and triethanolamine, by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in alkaline medium has been investigated in the absence as well as in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant. The reaction always followed a first-order dependence of rate on NBS, while the order in each AA and alkali was found to decrease from unity to zero at higher [AA] and [OH-], respectively. The reaction is strongly catalyzed by CTAB even before the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of CTAB. However, the observed rate constants attained constancy at higher [CTAB] (>CMC of CTAB). The premicellar kinetics has been rationalized in the light of the Piszkiewicz positive cooperativity model [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 99 (1977) 1550]. The binding constants between the reactants and the surfactant have also been evaluated using the Raghvan and Srinivasan model [Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 98 (1987) 199], which is applicable to bimolecular micellar catalyzed reaction and predicts constancy in the observed rate constant at higher [surfactant]. The binding constants obtained by both the models are in good agreement.