Brønsted Acid Assisted Regio‐ and Enantioselective Direct O‐Nitroso Aldol Reaction Catalysed by α,α‐Diphenylprolinol Trimethylsilyl Ether

In the presence of p‐nitrobenzoic acid, the O‐nitroso aldol reaction of nitrosobenzene with enolisable aldehydes may be promoted by commercially available α,α‐diphenylprolinol trimethylsilyl ether. The reaction proceeds with good yields and essentially complete enantioselectivity, with catalyst loadings in the 5–10 mol % range. The resulting α‐oxyaldehyde adducts may be transformed in situ into α‐oxyimines, which provide 1,2‐amino alcohols upon treatment with Grignard reagents, in good overall yield (45–59 %) and with typical diastereomeric ratios ≥95:5.     

Phosphido‐diphosphine pincer group 3 complexes as efficient initiators for lactide polymerization

New Group 3 metal complexes of the type [LM(CH₂SiMe₃)₂(THF)_n] supported by tridentate phosphido‐diphosphine ligands [(o‐C₆H₄PR₂) ₂ PH; L1‐H : R = iPr; L2‐H : R = Ph] have been synthesized by reaction of L1‐H and L2‐H with [M(CH₂SiMe₃)₃(THF)₂)] (M = Y and Sc). All the new complexes [(o‐C₆H₄PR₂) ₂ PM(CH₂SiMe₃)₂(THF)_n] [M = Y, R = iPr (1), R = Ph (2); M = Sc, R = iPr (3), R = Ph (4)] were studied as initiators for the ring opening polymerization of lactide. The yttrium complexes ( 1 and 2 ) exhibited high activity and good polymerization control, shown by the linear fits in the plot of number‐averaged molecular weight (M_n) versus the percentage conversion and versus the monomer/initiator ratio and by the low polydispersity index values. Interestingly, very good molar‐mass control was observed even when L ‐Lactide was polymerized in the absence of solvent at 130 °C. A good molar‐mass control but lower activities were observed in the polymerization reaction of lactide promoted by the analogous scandium complexes 3 and 4 . © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1374–1382, 2010     

Quantitation of a de‐fluorinated analogue of Casopitant Mesylate by normal‐phase liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

The introduction of Quality by Design (QbD) in Drug Development has resulted in a greater emphasis on chemical process understanding, in particular on the origin and fate of impurities. Therefore, the identification and quantitation of low level impurities in new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) play a crucial role in project progression and this has created a greater need for sensitive and selective analytical methodology. Consequently, scientists are constantly challenged to look for new applications of traditional analytical techniques. In this context a normal‐phase liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS) method was developed to determine the amount of a de‐fluorinated analogue impurity in Casopitant Mesylate, a new API under development in GlaxoSmithKline, Verona. Normal‐phase LC provided the selectivity needed between our target analyte and Casopitant, while a single quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to ensure the sensitivity needed to detect the impurity at <0.05%w/w. Standard solutions and samples were prepared in heptane/ethanol (50:50, v/v) containing 1% of 2 M NH₃ in ethanol; the mobile phase consisted of heptane/ethanol (95:5, v/v) with isocratic elution (flow rate: 1.0 mL/min, total run time: 23 min). To allow the formation of ions in solutions under normal‐phase (apolar) conditions, a post‐column infusion of a solution of 0.1% v/v of formic acid in methanol was applied (flow rate: 200 µL/min). The analysis was carried out in positive ion mode, monitoring the impurity by single ion monitoring (SIM). The method was fully validated and its applicability was demonstrated by the analysis of real‐life samples. This work is an example of the need for selective and accurate methodology during the development of a new chemical entity in order to develop an appropriate control strategy for impurities to ultimately ensure patient safety. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the use of symmetry in the ab initio quantum mechanical simulation of nanotubes and related materials

Nanotubes can be characterized by a very high point symmetry, comparable or even larger than the one of the most symmetric crystalline systems (cubic, 48 point symmetry operators). For example, N = 2n rototranslation symmetry operators connect the atoms of the (n,0) nanotubes. This symmetry is fully exploited in the CRYSTAL code. As a result, ab initio quantum mechanical large basis set calculations of carbon nanotubes containing more than 150 atoms in the unit cell become very cheap, because the irreducible part of the unit cell reduces to two atoms only. The nanotube symmetry is exploited at three levels in the present implementation. First, for the automatic generation of the nanotube structure (and then of the input file for the SCF calculation) starting from a two‐dimensional structure (in the specific case, graphene). Second, the nanotube symmetry is used for the calculation of the mono‐ and bi‐electronic integrals that enter into the Fock (Kohn‐Sham) matrix definition. Only the irreducible wedge of the Fock matrix is computed, with a saving factor close to N. Finally, the symmetry is exploited for the diagonalization, where each irreducible representation is separately treated. When M atomic orbitals per carbon atom are used, the diagonalization computing time is close to Nt, where t is the time required for the diagonalization of each 2M × 2M matrix. The efficiency and accuracy of the computational scheme is documented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

High-pressure investigations under CO/H2 of rhodium complexes containing hemispherical diphosphites

The two rhodium complexes [Rh(acac)(L(R))] (L(R)=(S,S)-5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-25,27-di(OR)-26,28-bis(1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-dioxyphosphanyloxy)calix[4]arene; 6: R=benzyl, 7: R=fluorenyl), each based on a hemispherical chelator forming a pocket about the metal centre upon chelation, are active in the hydroformylation of 1-octene and styrene. As expected for this family of diphosphanes, both complexes resulted in remarkably high selectivity towards the linear aldehyde in the hydroformylation of 1-octene (l/b≈15 for both complexes). Linear aldehyde selectivity was also observed when using styrene, but surprisingly only 6 displayed a marked preference for the linear product (l/b=12.4 (6) vs. 1.9 (7)). A detailed study of the structure of the complexes under CO or CO/H(2) in toluene was performed by high-pressure NMR (HP NMR) and FT-IR (HP-IR) spectroscopies. The spectroscopic data revealed that treatment of 6 with CO gave [Rh(acac)(CO)(η(1)-L(benzyl))] (8), in which the diphosphite behaves as a unidentate ligand. Subsequent addition of H(2) to the solution resulted in a well-defined chelate complex with the formula [RhH(CO)(2)(L(benzyl))] (9). Unlike 6, treatment of complex 7 with CO only led to ligand dissociation and concomitant formation of [Rh(acac)(CO)(2)], but upon addition of H(2) a chelate complex analogous to 9 was formed quantitatively. In both [RhH(CO)(2)(L(R))] complexes the diphosphite adopts the bis-equatorial coordination mode, a structural feature known to favour the formation of linear aldehydes. As revealed by variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy, these complexes show the typical fluxionality of trigonal bipyramidal [RhH(CO)(2)(diphosphane)] complexes. The lower linear selectivity of 7 versus 6 in the hydroformylation of styrene was assigned to steric effects, due to the pocket in which the catalysis takes place being less adapted to accommodate CO or larger olefins and, therefore, possibly leading to facile ligand decoordination. This interpretation was corroborated by an X-ray structure determination carried out for 7.     

Solid-state (15)N CPMAS NMR and computational analysis of ligand hapticity in rhodium(η-diene) poly(pyrazolyl)borate complexes

Novel [Rh(η-diene)Tp(x)] complexes of sterically encumbered Tp(x) ligands (Tp(x) = Tp(4Bo), diene = cod, 1; nbd, 2; Tp(x) = Tp(4Bo,5Me), diene = cod, 3; nbd, 4; Tp(x) = Tp(a,3Me), diene = cod, 5; nbd, 6; Tp(x) = Tp(a*,3Me), diene = cod, 7; nbd, 8) have been prepared by treatment of [Rh(η-diene)(μ-Cl)](2) with TlTp(x) (Tp(x) in general, in detail: Tp(4Bo) = hydrotris(indazol-1-yl)borate, Tp(4Bo,5Me) = hydrotris(5-methyl-indazol-1-yl)borate, Tp(a,3Me) = hydrotris(3-methyl-2H-benz[g]-4,5-dihydroindazol-2-y1)borate, Tp(a*,3Me) = hydrotris(3-methyl-2H-benz[g]indazol-2-yl)borate), and characterized by analytical and spectral data (IR, (1)H, (11)B, and (13)C NMR solution). The structures adopted by [Rh(nbd)Tp(4Bo)] 2, [Rh(cod)Tp(4Bo,5Me)] 3, [Rh(nbd)Tp(a,3Me)] 6, [Rh(nbd)Tp(a*,3Me)] 8, and [Rh(nbd)Tp(a*,3Me*)] 8* (incorporating a borotropomeric ligand), have been investigated. Low steric hindrance between the ligands in 2 and 3 permits κ(3) coordination of the pyrazolylborate while the high steric encumbrance present in 6, 8, and 8* results in κ(2) ligands. The coordination modes of the ligands to the metal have also been established by (15)N CPMAS studies of selected ligands and their corresponding Rh complexes. These spectroscopic data are in agreement with the (15)N chemical shifts obtained by using quantum-chemical methods to assist reliable assignments of the experimental values, affording new insights into the extraction of structural information concerning the hapticity (κ(2) or κ(3)) of the poly(pyrazolyl)borate ligands to the Rh metal.     

Catalytic reaction mechanism of Mn-doped nanoporous aluminophosphates for the aerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons

In this work we apply state-of-the-art electronic-structure-based computational methods based on hybrid-exchange density functional theory to study the mechanism of the aerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons catalysed by Mn-doped nanoporous aluminophosphates (Mn-AlPOs). We compare our results with available experimental data. We show that the catalytic efficiency of Mn-AlPOs in oxidation reactions is intrinsically linked to 1) the Mn redox activity, in particular between 2+ and 3+ oxidation states, and 2) the coordinative insaturation of tetrahedral Mn embedded in AlPO frameworks, which facilitates the reaction by stabilising oxo-type radicals through the formation of Mn complexes. Our mechanism demonstrates the crucial role of both Mn(III) and Mn(II) in the reaction mechanism: Mn(III) sites undergo an initial reaction cycle that leads to the production of the alkyl hydroperoxide intermediate, which can only be transformed into the oxidative products (alcohol, aldehyde and acid) by Mn(II). A preactivation step is required to yield the reduced Mn(II) sites able to decompose the hydroperoxide intermediates; this step takes place through a transformation of the hydrocarbon into the corresponding peroxo-derivative, stabilised by forming a complex with Mn(III) and yielding at the same time reduced Mn(II) sites. Both species enter a subsequent propagation cycle in which Mn(II) catalyses the dissociation of the hydroperoxide that proceeds until the formation of the oxidative products by two parallel pathways, through alkoxy- or hydroxy-radical-like intermediates, whilst the Mn(III)-peroxo complex enables further production of the hydroperoxide intermediate.     

Palladium acetate complexes bearing chelating N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands: Synthesis and catalytic oxidative homocoupling of terminal alkynes

The imidazolium salts 1,1′-dibenzyl-3,3′-propylenediimidazolium dichloride and 1,1′-bis(1-naphthalenemethyl)-3,3′-propylenediimidazolium dichloride have been synthesized and transformed into the corresponding bis(NHC) ligands 1,1′-dibenzyl-3,3′-propylenediimidazol-2-ylidene (L₁) and 1,1′-bis(1-naphthalenemethyl)-3,3′-propylenediimidazol-2-ylidene (L₂) that have been employed to stabilize the Pd^II complexes PdCl₂(κ²-C,C-L₁) (2a) and PdCl₂(κ²-C,C-L₂) (2b). Both latter complexes together with their known homologous counterparts PdCl₂(κ²-C,C-L₃) (1a) (L₃ = 1,1′-dibenzyl-3,3′-ethylenediimidazol-2-ylidene) and PdCl₂(κ²-C,C-L₄) (1b) (L₄ = 1,1′-bis(1-naphthalenemethyl)-3,3′-ethylenediimidazol-2-ylidene) have been straightforwardly converted into the corresponding palladium acetate compounds Pd(κ¹-O-OAc)₂(κ²-C,C-L₃) (3a) (OAc = acetate), Pd(κ¹-O-OAc)₂(κ²-C,C-L₄) (3b), Pd(κ¹-O-OAc)₂(κ²-C,C-L₁) (4a), and Pd(κ¹-O-OAc)₂(κ²-C,C-L₂) (4b). In addition, the phosphanyl-NHC-modified palladium acetate complex Pd(κ¹-O-OAc)₂ (κ²-P,C-L₅) (6) (L₅ = 1-((2-diphenylphosphanyl)methylphenyl)-3-methyl-imidazol-2-ylidene) has been synthesized from corresponding palladium iodide complex PdI₂(κ²-P,C-L₅) (5). The reaction of the former complex with p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) gave the corresponding bis-tosylate complex Pd(OTs)₂(κ²-P,C-L₅) (7). All new complexes have been characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. In addition the solid-state structures of 1b·DMF, 2b·2DMF, 3a, 3b·DMF, 4a, 4b, and 6·CHCl₃·2H₂O have been determined by single crystal X-ray structure analyses. The palladium acetate complexes 3a/b, 4a/b, and 6 have been employed to catalyze the oxidative homocoupling reaction of terminal alkynes in acetonitrile chemoselectively yielding the corresponding 1,4-di-substituted 1,3-diyne in the presence of p-benzoquinone (BQ). The highest catalytic activity in the presence of BQ has been obtained with 6, while within the series of palladium-bis(NHC) complexes, 4b, featured with a n-propylene-bridge and the bulky N-1-naphthalenemethyl substituents, revealed as the most active compound. Hence, this latter precursor has been employed for analogous coupling reaction carried out in the presence of air pressure instead of BQ, yielding lower substrate conversion when compared to reaction performed in the presence of BQ. The important role of the ancillary ligand acetate in the course of the catalytic coupling reaction has been proved by variable-temperature NMR studies carried out with 6 and 7′ under catalytic reaction conditions.     

Catalytic oxidation of thiols to disulfides using iodine and CeCl3·7H2O in graphite

A very simple procedure for the efficient oxidation of thiols to disulfides catalyzed by I₂/CeCl₃·7H₂O in graphite and ethyl acetate as the solvent, in an open system at room temperature is described. The reaction proceeds cleanly under mild conditions and was performed with aromatic, aliphatic, and heterocyclic thiols.