Adducts of rhodium(II) tetraacylates with methionine and its derivatives: 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and chiral recognition

Complexation of rhodium(II) dimeric tetraacylates: tetraacetate Rh₂AcO₄, tetratrifluoroacetate Rh₂TFA₄ , and (S)-Mosher’s acid salt Rh₂MTPA₄ with both enantiomerically pure and racemic methionine and its derivatives: hydrochloric salt of methionine, hydrochloric salt of methionine methyl ester, N-formyl methionine, N-phthaloyl methionine, N-phthaloyl methyl ester of methionine, and methyl ester of N,N-dimethylmethionine has been investigated by means of ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H and ¹³C NMR) and absorption electronic spectroscopy in the visible range. Complexation processes were investigated in D₂O or CDCl₃ solutions, depending on the ligands’ and rhodium salts’ solubilities. Some supporting measurements were performed in the solid phase, using ¹³C and ¹⁵N CPMAS NMR techniques.All ligands investigated form 1:1 and 1:2 adducts in the solution, depending on the rhodium salt to ligand molar ratios. The complexation site in the ligands (S atom) was deduced on the basis of the NMR parameter adduct formation shift (Δδ = δ_adduct ? δ_ligand) and calculated chemical shifts (DFT, NMR GIAO). In the cases of the Rh₂TFA₄ and Rh₂MTPA₄ adducts, decreasing the temperature within the range 220–254 K slowed down the ligand exchange and allowed us to observe the signals of all diastereoisomers in the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra.