Enantioselective esterification of prochiral phosphonate pendants of a polyphenylacetylene assisted by macromolecular helicity: storage of a dynamic macromolecular helicity memory

A poly(phenylacetylene) bearing a phosphonic acid monoethyl ester as the pendant forms a one-handed helical structure induced by an optically active amine, and this helicity can be "memorized"after the amine is replaced by achiral diamines. The helicity memory lasts for an extremely long time but spontaneously disappears after the achiral diamines are removed by a stronger acid, indicating the dynamic nature of the helicity memory. Here we report that such a dynamic memory could be "stored" after the pendant was converted to its methyl ester with diazomethane, resulting in the generation of a phosphorus stereogenic center with optical activity. The esterification enantioselectively proceeded through chirality transfer from the induced helical conformation or the helicity memory of the polyacetylene backbone. Although the enantioselectivity was low, the pendant chirality was significantly amplified in the polymer backbone at low temperatures, resulting in higher optical activity as an excess single-handed helix than that expected from the enantiomeric excess of the pendants.