Natural alkaloids and synthetic relatives as chiral templates of the Orito's reaction

The enantioselective hydrogenation of methyl or ethyl pyruvate over cinchona‐platinum catalyst system (Orito's reaction) is one of the most intensively studied heterogeneous catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation reactions. Studies aiming at systematic changes of the chiral template have played a crucial role in creating hypotheses for the mechanism of Orito's reaction. It is very important to clarify which structural unit of the alkaloid takes part in the enantiodifferentiation, and learn about the role of the different structural units of chiral templates. In this article, we made an attempt to describe the behavior of natural alkaloids, their synthetic derivatives, and analogues as chiral templates in the heterogeneous catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of activated ketones. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Heterogeneous asymmetric reactions. Part 24. Heterogeneous catalytic enantioselective hydrogenation of the C==N group over cinchona alkaloid modified palladium catalyst.

The enantioselective hydrogenation of C==N-C group containing compounds over modified metal catalysts is as yet an uninvestigated research area. This work contains results obtained on the hydrogenation of 1-pyrroline-2-carboxylate esters and sodium salt over cinchona alkaloid-modified alumina-supported Pd catalyst. The effect of the reaction parameters and the structure of the alkaloid molecule on hydrogenation rate and enantioselectivity allowed us to assume that on the catalyst surface only a weak interaction exists between the modifier and the substrate, resulting in the low enantiomeric excesses (up to 20%) obtainable in these reactions.     

Capillary electrophoretic chiral resolution of vicinal diols by complexation with borate and cyclodextrin: Comparative studies on different cyclodextrin derivatives

Capillary electrophoretic enantioseparation of compounds containing vicinal diol groups have been investigated using different β-cyclodextrin (CD) derivatives and borate as a background electrolyte. Both native β-CD and several β-CD derivatives are examined. Chiral recognition is attributed to both enantioselective inclusion of the analyte into the chiral cavity of the CD and complexation with borate. The influence of concentration of the chiral selector, pH, and organic modifiers on the resolution was studied. Four diols were baseline separated. Chirality 9:153–156, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Density functional computations of enantioselective alkynylation of aldehyde catalyzed by chiral zinc(II)-complexes

The enantioselective alkynylation of aldehyde catalyzed by chiral zinc(II)-complexes was studied by means of the density functional theory (DFT). All the structures were optimized completely at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. To obtain more exact energies, single-point energy calculations at B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level were carried out on the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) geometries. As shown, this enantioselective alkynylation was endothermic. The chirality-determining step for the alkynylation was the formation of the catalyst–ethanol complexes and the transition states for this step involved a six-membered ring. The dominant products predicted theoretically were of (R)-chirality, in good agreement with experiment.      

Enantioselective hydrogenation of α‐ketoesters catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid stabilized Rh nanoparticles in ionic liquid

The heterogeneous enantioselective hydrogenation of α‐ketoesters catalyzed by rhodium nanoparticles (Rh NPs) in ionic liquid was studied with the stabilization and modification of cinchona alkaloids. TEM characterization showed that well‐dispersed Rh NPs of about 1.96 nm were obtained in ionic liquid. The results showed that cinchona alkaloids not only had good enantiodifferentiating ability but also accelerated the catalytic reaction. Under the optimum reaction conditions, the enantiomeric excess in ethyl benzoylformate hydrogenation could reach as high as 60.9%.     

Enantioselective Michael addition catalyzed by cinchona alkaloids.

Enantioselective Michael additions of cyclic beta-ketoesters to methyl vinyl ketone catalyzed by cinchona alkaloids were studied. The results revealed that the induced enantioselectivity was significantly influenced by both the structure of the catalyst and that of the substrate. Interesting differences in the effect of the structure of the alkaloid on the enantioselectivity of this reaction in the case of three beta-ketoesters were discovered. High enantioselectivities were obtained in the reaction of ethyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate and ethyl 2-oxocyclohexanecarboxylate (up to 83 and 80%, respectively) at a low cinchona:reactant ratio of 1:500. As the specific rotations of the product enantiomers were unknown, they were determined by optical rotation and chiral GC measurements and verified by NMR experiments.     

Mono- and bis-quinidine organocatalysts in the asymmetric methanolysis of cis-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride: a conformational and mechanistic NMR study

The enantioselective organocatalytic methanolysis of cis-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride mediated by quinidine derivatives with pyridazine or anthraquinone core was investigated, carrying out a detailed nuclear magnetic resonance study of the conformational preferences of the alkaloid catalysts in the pure solvent and in the presence of the reaction substrates and products. No significant interaction between the meso-anhydride and the alkaloid derivatives was detected. In contrast, evidence for a considerable influence of the alcohol reactant on the conformational state of some of the chiral organocatalysts could be obtained, which lends support to the hypothesis of general-base catalysis mechanism, as opposed to the nuclephilic one. The catalytic properties of the studied derivatives showed no obvious correlation with their conformational prevalence in the resting state, suggesting that the alkaloid 9-O substituent should have a more active role than merely enforcing the chiral fragments to adopt a preferential reactive conformation. A strong enantioselective interaction between the enantiomers of the hemiester product and the alkaloid derivatives was also observed, leading to the conclusion that in the actual reaction conditions a relatively large fraction of the latter is in the protonated form.     

Exploring new methods and materials for enantioselective separations and catalysis

In this article, we will review and highlight some recent computational work on enantioselective adsorption and catalysis in zeolites and metal–organic frameworks. The design, development and understanding of chiral structures will help expand the utility of nanoporous materials into chiral technology. The highlighted works are examples of how molecular simulations can provide a fundamental understanding of chirality in nanoporous materials. This understanding is essential to help in the design and development of next-generation enantioselective separation devices and catalysts.     

An electrochemical sensor based on cellulose nanocrystal for the enantioselective discrimination of chiral amino acids

A novel electrochemical sensor based on 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanocrystals (TOCNCs) and l-cystines (l-Cys) modified Au electrode (TOCNC/l-Cys/Au) has been fabricated for detection and discrimination of the enantiomers of phenylalanine (Phe), leucine (Leu), and valine (Val). The three amino acids are in connection with metabolism diseases. The TOCNC/l-Cys/Au electrode exhibited obvious peak current difference for the amino acid enantiomers by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The TOCNCs on the electrode surface expressed different interactions with d- and l-amino acids, so the electrochemical recognitions of the three amino acid enantiomers were achieved. TOCNCs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The modified electrodes were characterized by SEM and electrochemical techniques. According to DPV, peak currents of the two enantiomers decreased linearly with their concentrations. Furthermore, satisfactory results were obtained when this electrode was applied to measure the d- and l-Phe mixture. The experimental results show that TOCNCs are suitable material for chiral sensor. The contrast of serum sample of healthy people and patients with type 2 diabetes also was proposed, and significant difference was exhibited on the modified electrode. This work is significant for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of multiple metabolic diseases.     

Highly Efficient Asymmetric Additions of Diethylzinc to Aldehydes Triply Activated by Chiral Phosphoramide‐Zn(II) Complexes Derived From Cinchona Alkaloids

New chiral phosphoramide ligands derived from cinchona alkaloids were developed, which react with diethylzinc to form chiral phosphoramide‐Zn(II) complexes containing two Lewis bases and one Lewis acid. These trifunctional complexes can serve as highly efficient chiral catalysts for triple activation of enantioselective addition reactions of diethylzinc with aldehydes to give desired alcohol products with excellent yields and enantiomeric excess (ee) values up to 99%. Chirality 25:561‐566, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Stereoselective binding of 2-(4-biphenylyl)-3-substituted-3-hydroxypropionic acids on an immobilised human serum albumin chiral stationary phase

A series of 2-(4-biphenylyl)-3,3'-hydroxy-substituted phenyl propionic acid, with anti-inflammatory properties, bearing two chiral centres, were studied by HPLC upon HSA-CSP (human serum albumin-based chiral stationary phase). The compounds were analysed in their stereoisomeric erythro and threo forms. The study involved the enantioselective analysis on HSA-CSP, the determination of the racemate lipophilicity (log k'(w)), a QSRR (quantitative structure-retention relationship) analysis and CD study for the assessment of the absolute configuration of the most retained enantiomer. Lipophilicity was found to be an important factor affecting the affinity of the compounds for the HSA stationary phase, but electronic properties seemed to play a role. The position of the substituent of the phenyl group on carbon 3 was found important to modulate stereoselective interaction, the highest value of enantioselectivities being found for the erythro ortho-substituted phenyl derivatives. The previously proposed two steps mechanism of enantiodiscrimination for cyclohexylphenyl substituted derivatives was confirmed for this series of derivatives bearing the biphenylyl moiety.     

Surface Plasmon Polariton Propagation at the Interface of a Metal and an Ambichiral Nanostructured Medium

The propagation of a surface plasmon polariton wave at the interface of a metal and an ambichiral nanostructured medium was theoretically investigated in the Kretschmann configuration using transfer matrix method. The dependence of optical absorption linear polarization on structural parameters was reported. The results were compared with those obtained from the interface of a metal and a chiral dielectric medium as a reference structure. We found that multiple plasmon modes are excited at the interface of metal and ambichiral dielectric medium. Our calculations revealed that there exist five plasmon modes for chiral, trigonal, and tetragonal structures; three plasmon modes for pentagonal structure; two plasmon modes for hexagonal structure; and one plasmon mode for dodecagonal structure that propagate with different phase speeds. The obtained results showed that only one plasmon mode occurs at all pitches, while other modes exist at some of the pitches of anisotropic chiral and ambichiral dielectric mediums. The time-averaged Poynting vector versus the thickness of metal film confirmed that the energy of photons of incident light is transferred to surface plasmon polariton quasiparticles and the surface plasmon polariton wave is localized at the interface of metal and ambichiral dielectric medium.     

Selective binding of chiral molecules of cinchona alkaloid by beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins and organoselenium-bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s

The inclusion complexation behavior of chiral members of cinchona alkaloid with beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins (1 and 2) and 6,6(')-trimethylenediseleno-bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin) (3) was assessed by means of fluorescence and 2D-NMR spectroscopy. The spectrofluorometric titrations have been performed in aqueous buffer solution (pH 7.20) at 25.0 degrees C to determine the stability constants of the inclusion complexation of 1-3 with guest molecules (i.e., cinchonine, cinchonidine, quinine, and quinidine) in order to quantitatively investigate the molecular selective binding ability. The stability constants of the resulting complexes of 2 with guest molecules are larger than that of 1. As a result of cooperative binding, the stability constants of inclusion complexation of dimeric beta-cyclodextrin 3 with cinchonidine and cinchonine are higher than that of parent 1 by factor of 4.5 and 2.4, respectively. These results are discussed from the viewpoint of the size-fit and geometric complementary relationship between the host and guest.     

Development of a chiral stationary phase based on cinchonidine. Comparison with a quinine-based chiral column

A chiral anion-exchanger stationary phase based on cinchonidine (CD) was developed. Two columns were packed with and without endcapping (EC) treatment (CD-chiral stationary phase[CD-CSP(EC)] and [CD-CSP], respectively) and studied for their ability to separate N-2,4-dinitrophenyl α-amino acids (DNP-amino acids) enantiomers over a temperature range of 10-40 °C with a hydro-organic buffer mobile phase. The more hydrophobic, endcapped stationary phase showed significantly larger retentive capacity than the non-endcapped one. The apparent thermodynamic transfer parameters of the enantiomers from the mobile to both CSPs were estimated from van't Hoff plots within the cited temperature range. Similar studies with two natural quinine-based columns (QN-CSP and QN-CSP(EC)) were previously reported. In this work, a critical comparison in the chiral recognition ability to DNP-amino acids of these cinchonidine and QN-based chiral columns was drawn. It has been found that QN-based CSPs show greater chiral recognition capability towards these derivatives than CD-CSPs. The influence of the QN methoxy group on the equilibrium constants of the enantioselective interaction between these DNP-amino acids with these two cinchona CSPs could be assessed.     

New data on the sorption properties of α1‐acid glycoprotein chiral stationary phase

A binding study on α₁‐acid glycoprotein (AGP), a widely used chiral stationary phase in drug analysis, has been performed. Being a selectivity decisive factor in enantiomer separation, the adsorption of the organic modifiers, as the regularly used acetonitrile (AcCN) and also of dioxane, was determined from phosphate buffer eluents (pH 7.2 and 4.0) in the concentration range of 0.57–3.81 M and 0.11–1.9 M, respectively. The adsorbed amount was determined by gas chromatography. At lower modifier concentrations no significant difference was found in the binding extent of AcCN and dioxane. At higher, characteristic concentrations of the organic additives, a saturation was obtained at both pH values; furthermore, at pH 4.0 it was followed by a definite rise in the modifier adsorption. This particular behaviour may indicate the exposure of new binding sites on AGP surface, as a result of changes in the protein structure, which was confirmed by CD‐spectroscopic measurements. The pH dependence of binding in equimolar concentration (1.9 M) has shown the priority of dioxane at pH 4.0, while the adsorption of AcCN dominated at higher pH, indicating the different character of the two solvents. The increased hydrogen bond formation should cause the preferred adsorption of dioxane at pH 4.0. Chirality 11:212–217, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Modification of chiral dimethyl tartrate through transesterification: Immobilization on POSS and enantioselectivity reversal in sharpless asymmetric epoxidation

Modification of dimethyl tartrate has been investigated through transesterification with aminoalcohols to provide reactive functionalities for the covalent bonding of chiral tartrate to polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes. The transesterification of dimethyl tartrate has been widely studied using different catalytic systems and reaction conditions. Through the proper selection of both the catalytic system and the reaction conditions, it is possible to achieve monosubstituted or bis‐substituted tartrate derivatives as sole products. All the intermediate chiral tartrate‐derived ligands were successfully used in the homogeneous enantioselective epoxidation of allylic alcohols providing moderate enantiomeric excess over the products. Attached amine groups have been used to support the modified tartrate ligands on to a haloaryl‐functionalized silsesquioxane moiety. This final chiral tartrate ligand displays reverse enantioselectivity in the asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols with regard to the starting dimethyl tartrate ligand, both molecules having the same chiral sign. However, the POSS‐containing ligand can be easily recovered in almost quantitative yield and reused in asymmetric epoxidation reactions. In addition, recovered silsesquioxane‐pendant ligand, though displaying decreasing catalytic activity in recycling epoxidation tests, showed very stable enantioselective behavior. Chirality 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Solvent selectivity in chiral chromatography using a β-cyclodextrin-bonded phase

A β-cyclodextrin-bonded phase has been used to investigate the separation of the enantiomers of atenolol, oxprenolol, celiprolol, tertatolol, terbutaline, fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, and zopiclone, focusing on the importance of solvent selectivity. With cyclodextrin (CD)-bonded phases, chiral discrimination occurs because the two enantiomers of a racemate form inclusion complexes of different strengths within the CD cavity. The organic modifier molecules tend to compete with solutes for a definite number of adsorption sites on the stationary phase. Moreover, the ternary complex formation may play an important role in chiral recognition. In this study, it was of interest to estimate the influence of mobile phase modifiers with respect to solvent type (i.e., ACN, MeOH, EtOH, THF, i-PrOH, PrOH and t-BuOH), size and shape, and concentration. Solvent selectivity has been investigated by using different organic modifiers in mobile phases with the same polarity, and relationships were established between the logarithm of solvent partition coefficient (log P_s) and the three most important chromatographic parameters: retention time (t), resolution (R), and enantioselectivity (α). Thus, it seems that the hydrophobicity of the organic modifier becomes one of the dominant factors affecting the inclusion process phenomena. Further, the apparent partition coefficients of the compounds under study have been determined and a comparison has been attempted regarding the degree of their enantiomeric resolution. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Enantioselective resolution of side-chain modified gem-difluorinated alcohols catalysed by Candida antarctica lipase B and monitored by capillary electrophoresis

An enzymatic alternative to the chemical synthesis of chiral gem-difluorinated alcohols has been developed. The method is highly effective and stereoselective, feasible at laboratory temperature, avoiding the use of toxic heavy metal catalysts which is an important benefit in medicinal chemistry including the synthesis of drugs and drug precursors. Candida antarctica lipases A and B were applied for the enantioselective resolution of side-chain modified gem-difluorinated alcohols, (R)- and (S)-3-benzyloxy-1,1-difluoropropan-2-ols (1a and 1b), compounds serving as chiral building blocks in the synthesis of various bioactive molecules bearing a gem-difluorinated grouping. The catalytic activity of these lipases was investigated for the chiral acetylation of 1a and 1b in non-polar solvents using vinyl acetate as an acetyl donor. The dependence of the reaction course on various substrate and enzyme concentrations, reaction time, and temperature was monitored by chiral capillary electrophoresis (CE) using sulfobutyl ether β-cyclodextrin as a stereoselective additive of the aqueous background electrolyte. The application of CE, NMR, and MS methods has proved that the complex enzyme effect of Candida antarctica lipase B leads to the thermodynamically stable (S)-enantiomer 1b instead of the expected acetylated derivatives. In contrast, the enantioselective acetylation of racemic alcohol 1 was observed as a kinetically controlled process, where (R)-enantiomer 1a was formed as the main product. This process was followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and chiral isomerisation. Finally, single pure enantiomers 1a and 1b were isolated and their absolute configurations were assigned from NMR analysis after esterification with Mosher’s acids.     

Transition metal complexes in organic synthesis, part 59.(1) First enantioselective total synthesis of lavanduquinocin, a potent neuronal cell protecting substance from streptomyces viridochromogenes

Using (R)-propene oxide as a chiral building block a convergent enantioselective synthesis of the potent neuronal cell protecting alkaloid lavanduquinocin has been accomplished by the iron-mediated one-pot construction of the carbazole framework.     

Preparative Enantioseparation of β‐Substituted‐2‐Phenylpropionic Acids by Countercurrent Chromatography With Substituted β‐Cyclodextrin as Chiral Selectors

Preparative enantioseparation of four β‐substituted‐2‐phenylpropionic acids was performed by countercurrent chromatography with substituted β‐cyclodextrin as chiral selectors. The two‐phase solvent system was composed of n‐hexane‐ethyl acetate‐0.10 mol L‐1 of phosphate buffer solution at pH 2.67 containing 0.10 mol L^‐1 of hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD) or sulfobutylether‐β‐cyclodextrin (SBE‐β‐CD). The influence factors, including the type of substituted β‐cyclodextrin, composition of organic phase, concentration of chiral selector, pH value of the aqueous phase, and equilibrium temperature were optimized by enantioselective liquid–liquid extraction. Under the optimum separation conditions, 100 mg of 2‐phenylbutyric acid, 100 mg of tropic acid, and 50 mg of 2,3‐diphenylpropionic acid were successfully enantioseparated by high‐speed countercurrent chromatography, and the recovery of the (±)‐enantiomers was in the range of 90–91% for (±)‐2‐phenylbutyric acid, 91–92% for (±)‐tropic acid, 85–87% for (±)‐2,3‐diphenylpropionic acid with purity of over 97%, 96%, and 98%, respectively. The formation of 1:1 stoichiometric inclusion complex of β‐substituted‐2‐phenylpropionic acids with HP‐β‐CD was determined by UV spectrophotometry and the inclusion constants were calculated by a modified Benesi‐Hildebrand equation. The results showed that different enantioselectivities among different racemates were mainly caused by different enantiorecognition between each enantiomer and HP‐β‐CD, while it might be partially caused by different inclusion capacity between racemic solutes and HP‐β‐CD. Chirality 27:795–801, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.