Double layer crystallization of heptahelicene on noble metal surfaces

Resolution of enantiomers of chiral compounds via crystallization is the dominant method in chemical industry, but chiral recognition at the molecular level during this process is still poorly understood. Using single metal surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum as model system, the enantio-related transition from the monolayer structure into a double layer of the racemic mixture of heptahelicene has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. Submolecular resolution reveals enantiopure second layers on Ag(111) and almost enantiopure second layers on Au(111). In analogy to previous results on Cu(111), it is concluded that transition from the 2D first layer racemate into a layered racemate occurs.     

Determination of absolute configurations by X-ray crystallography and 1H NMR anisotropy

To determine the absolute configurations of chiral compounds, many spectroscopic and diffraction methods have been developed. Among them, X-ray crystallographic Bijvoet method, CD exciton chirality method, and the combination of vibrational circular dichroism and quantum mechanical calculations are of nonempirical nature. On the other hand, X-ray crystallography using a chiral internal reference, and 1H NMR spectroscopy using chiral anisotropy reagents are relative and/or empirical methods. In addition to absolute configurational determinations, preparations of enantiopure compounds are strongly desired. As chiral reagents useful for both the preparation of enantiopure compounds by HPLC separation and the simultaneous determination of their absolute configurations, we have developed camphorsultam dichlorophthalic acid (CSDP acid) for X-ray crystallography and 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid (MalphaNP acid) for 1H NMR spectroscopy. In this review, the principles and applications of these X-ray and NMR methods are explained using mostly our own data.     

Observation of hyperpositive non-linear effect in catalytic asymmetric organozinc additions to aldehydes

Asymmetric amplification is a phenomenon that is believed to play a key role in the emergence of homochirality in life. In asymmetric catalysis, theoretical and experimental models have been investigated to provide an understanding of how chiral amplification is possible, in particular based on non-linear effects. Interestingly, it has been proposed a quarter century ago that chiral catalysts, when not enantiopure might even be more enantioselective than their enantiopure counterparts. We show here that such hyperpositive non-linear effect in asymmetric catalysis is indeed possible. An in-depth study into the underlying mechanism was carried out, and the scheme we derive differs from the previous proposed models.     

MalphaNP acid, a powerful chiral molecular tool for preparation of enantiopure alcohols by resolution and determination of their absolute configurations by the (1)H NMR anisotropy method

A novel methodology using a chiral molecular tool of MalphaNP acid (1), 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid, useful for preparation of enantiopure secondary alcohols and determination of their absolute configurations by the (1)H NMR anisotropy method was developed; racemic MalphaNP acid (1) was enantioresolved with (-)-menthol, and the enantiopure MalphaNP acid (S)-(+)-(1) obtained was allowed to react with racemic alcohol, yielding a mixture of diastereomeric esters, which was clearly separated by HPLC on silica gel. By applying the sector rule of (1)H NMR anisotropy effect, the absolute configuration of the first-eluted MalphaNP ester was unambiguously determined. Solvolysis or reduction of the first-eluted MalphaNP esters yielded enantiopure alcohols.     

Synthesis of enantiopure phthalides including 3-butylphthalide, a fragrance component of celery oil, and determination of their absolute configurations

Enantiopure phthalides 2 and 5-8 were synthesized via enantioresolution of the corresponding alcohols with a chiral auxiliary of camphorsultam dichlorophthalic acid, (1S,2R,4R)-(-)-CSDP acid 3, followed by solvolysis with KOH in MeOH and the catalytic oxidation of chiral glycols with iridium complex 28. The absolute configurations of phthalides 2 and 5-8 were determined by applying the (1)H-NMR anisotropy method of MalphaNP acid (4), 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid, to the chiral synthetic precursory alcohols. In the case of 3-phenylphthalide (R)-(-)-7, the absolute configuration determined by the (1)H-NMR anisotropy method using MalphaNP acid 4 agreed with that by the X-ray crystallographic method. By applying these methods, 3-butylphthalide (S)-(-)-2, a fragrance component of essential oil of celery, has been synthesized in an enantiopure form, and its absolute configuration was unambiguously determined.     

Synthesis, absolute configuration, and application of enantiopure trans-1-aminobenz[f]indan-2-ol

Both novel enantiopure trans-1-aminobenz[f]indan-2-ols (4) were obtained from the racemate by the diastereomeric salt formation with (+)- and (-)-dibenzoyltartaric acids (8), respectively, and the absolute configuration of the enantiomer 4 in the less-soluble diastereomeric salt of racemic 4 with (+)-8 was determined to be (1S,2S) by an X-ray crystallographic analysis. The chiral recognition ability of the enantiopure amino alcohol was examined for the enantioseparation of racemic 2-arylalkanoic acids by the diastereomeric salt formation. The role of the naphthylene group of the amino alcohol was found to be closely associated with the stabilization of the crystal by CH/pi interactions on the basis of an X-ray crystallographic study.     

Enantioresolution and absolute configurations of chiral meta-substituted diphenylmethanols as determined by X-ray crystallographic and 1H NMR anisotropy methods

meta-Substituted diphenylmethanols were enantioresolved by the method of chiral phthalic acid yielding enantiopure alcohols. Their absolute configurations were unambiguously determined by X-ray crystallography of chiral phthalate esters and/or by the (1)H NMR anisotropy method using 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid.     

Asymmetric synthesis of functionalized carbocycles and heterocycles

Anions of 1-halo-4-hexenyl phosphonamides derived from chiral, enantiopure C2 symmetrical 1,2-diamino cyclohexane react at the gamma-position in conjugate addition reactions with alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds such as cyclopentenone, 4-(H)-furanone, pyrroline-2-one, and cinnamates to give functionalized adducts. Addition to imines is also possible. The adducts can be transformed into enantiopure or enriched carbocyclic and heterocyclic compounds bearing useable functionality.     

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of the antidepressant duloxetine and its enantiomer

Sodium borohydride reduction of 3-chloro-1-(2-thienyl)-1-propanone gave the corresponding racemic alcohol which was kinetically resolved with lipase B from Candida antarctica as catalyst to yield the chiral building blocks (S)-3-chloro-1-(2-thienyl)-1-propanol and the corresponding (R)-butanoate. The enantiopure chiral building blocks were converted into Duloxetine and its enantiomer.     

Semipreparative HPLC enantioseparation,chiroptical properties,and absolute configuration of two novel cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitors

A direct semipreparative HPLC enantioseparation of two chiral thiazolidinone derivatives having cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibition activity was performed on the Chiralpak IA chiral stationary phase. Semipreparative amounts of enantiopure forms were collected using acetonitrile‐ethanol‐trifluoroacetic acid mixtures as mobile phase. The absolute configuration of both compounds was unequivocally established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction method and correlated to the chiroptical properties of isolated enantiomers. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

New route to enantiopure MalphaNP acid, a powerful resolution and chiral 1H NMR anisotropy reagent

MalphaNP acid (+/-)-1, 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid, was enantioresolved by the use of phenylalaninol (S)-(-)-4; a diastereomeric mixture of amides formed from acid (+/-)-1 and amine (S)-(-)-4 was easily separated by fractional recrystallization and/or HPLC on silica gel, yielding amides (R;S)-(-)-5a and (S;S)-(+)-5b. Their absolute configurations were determined by X-ray crystallography by reference to the S configuration of the phenylalaninol moiety. Amide (R;S)-(-)-5a was converted to oxazoline (R;S)-(+)-8a, from which enantiopure MalphaNP acid (R)-(-)-1 was recovered. In a similar way, enantiopure MalphaNP acid (S)-(+)-1 was obtained from amide (S;S)-(+)-5b. These reactions provide a new route for the large-scale preparation of enantiopure MalphaNP acid, a powerful chiral reagent for the enantioresolution of alcohols and simultaneous determination of their absolute configurations by (1)H NMR anisotropy.     

Aromatic dioxygenases: molecular biocatalysis and applications

Aromatic dioxygenases have been found to catalyse single and tandem oxidation reactions of conjugated polyenes. Rational selection and design of dioxygenases, allied to substrate shape, size and substitution pattern, has been used to control regiochemistry and stereochemistry during the oxygenation process. The resulting enantiopure bioproducts have been increasingly utilised as precursors for new and alternative routes in chiral synthesis.     

Highly diastereoselective synthesis of enantiopure naphthylaminoalcohols with analgesic properties

The diastereoselective synthesis via Grignard reaction of enantiopure analgesic naphthylaminoalcohols has been performed. The chiral racemic key intermediate 3-dimethylamino-2-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)propan-1-one and enantiomers were prepared and transformed into the desired compounds by addition of the organometallic reagent. The chemical characterization of all diastereoisomers was accomplished by 1H NMR and HPLC analyses and the absolute configuration assigned by CD spectroscopy. The in vitro and in vivo profile has also been evaluated.     

An oxorhenium complex bearing a chiral cyclohexane‐1‐olato‐2‐thiolato ligand: Synthesis,stereochemistry, and theoretical study of parity violation vibrational frequency shifts

In our effort towards measuring the parity violation energy difference between two enantiomers, a simple chiral oxorhenium complex 5 bearing enantiopure 2‐mercaptocyclohexan‐1‐ol has been prepared as a potential candidate species. Vibrational circular dichroism revealed a chiral environment surrounding the rhenium atom, even though the rhenium is not a stereogenic center itself, and enabled to assign the (1S,2S)‐(?) and (1R,2R)‐(+) absolute configuration for 5 . For both compound 5 and complex 4 , previously studied by us and bearing a propane‐2‐olato‐3‐thiolato ligand, relativistic calculations predict parity violating vibrational frequency differences of a few hundreds of millihertz, above the expected sensitivity attainable by a molecular beam Ramsey interferometer that we are constructing.     

Synthesis of alternating metallocopolymers by chiral recognition

We report the synthesis of chiral enantiopure polytopic bridging ligands, which may lead to the formation of metallosupramolecular polymers with zinc (II) as metal linker. We show that chiral C₂‐symmetric bisoxazoline ligands are useful moieties to efficiently generate heterochiral complexes and thus polymeric entities. The corresponding metallopolymers were further characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) to obtain information on the level of crystallinity of our different metallopolymers.     

Strategic use of preparative chiral chromatography for the synthesis of a preclinical pharmaceutical candidate

The modern use of preparative chromatography in pharmaceutical development is illustrated by the case of a recent preclinical candidate from these laboratories. The synthesis of the candidate employed a coupling of two enantiopure intermediates, each of which could be resolved using preparative chiral chromatography. SFC screening was employed to identify the enantioselective stationary phases, and semipreparative SFC methods derived from this screening were used to produce gram amounts of enantiopure intermediate for initial studies. However, initial larger scale resolution required the translation of the SFC methods to HPLC conditions. Preparative chiral HPLC on a 30-cm i.d. column was then used to produce enantiopure intermediates which were coupled to give 170 g of the preclinical candidate. Subsequent preparation of the candidate at larger scale for later-stage clinical evaluation employed an improved synthesis in which one component was constructed by asymmetric synthesis. Resolution of the other component, now a more advanced intermediate, was carried out using newly obtained large-scale SFC equipment. Some discussion is presented on the varying strategies whereby preparative chiral chromatography can be used to support either short-term or long-term synthetic goals in preclinical pharmaceutical development.     

Enantioresolution by the chiral phthalic acid method: absolute configurations of substituted benzylic alcohols

Substituted benzylic alcohols were enantioresolved by the chiral phthalic acid method as follows; 1) esterification of racemic alcohols with chiral phthalic acid, 2) separation of a diastereomeric mixture of the esters formed by HPLC on silica gel, and 3) recovery of enantiopure alcohols from the separated esters. The absolute configurations of chiral phthalic acid esters of benzylic alcohols were unambiguously determined by the X-ray crystallography using the campharsultam moiety as the internal standard of absolute configuration.     

Chiral recognition of ethers by NMR spectroscopy

Enantiomers of chiral ethers and acetals are notoriously difficult to differentiate because their reactivity is low and they are poor donors to any Lewis acid or metal ion. As an exception, epoxides are somewhat better donors. This review describes the properties of ethers, explains NMR methods for their chiral recognition and describes successful examples of ether differentiation. The majority of literature reports deals with chiral lanthanide shift reagents and dirhodium tetracarboxylate complexes, which were used as enantiopure auxiliaries to create diastereomeric adducts with dispersed (1)H and (13)C NMR signals. The various methods are compared as to which is best suited for which purpose.     

Simple protocols for NMR analysis of the enantiomeric purity of chiral diols

A three-component chiral derivatization protocol for determining the enantiopurity of chiral diols by (1)H NMR spectroscopic analysis is described here. The present approach involves the derivatization of 1,2- 1,3- and 1,4-diols with 2-formylphenylboronic acid and enantiopure alpha-methylbenzylamine. This method affords a mixture of diastereoisomeric iminoboronate esters whose ratio can be determined by integration of well-resolved diastereotopic resonances in their (1)H NMR spectra, thus enabling the determination of the enantiopurity of the parent diol. The protocol as described takes less than 90 min to complete.     

A Possible Path to the RNA World: Enantioselective and Diastereoselective Purification of Ribose

A theoretical mechanism resulting in the prebiotic appearance of enantiopure ribose, which would be needed for the origin of RNA and the “RNA world” is proposed. The mechanism simultaneously explains the emergence of biological homochirality and could answer the question of why nucleic acids are based on ribose rather than another sugar. Cleavage of certain non-chiral mineral crystals is known to lead to formation of chiral surfaces. In a chromatography-like process a mixture of racemic carbohydrates originating from the formose reaction is proposed to have been separated on such a chiral surface. Monosaccharides interact with surfaces through their hydroxyl groups, either by hydrogen bond formation or complex formation with metal ions. α-Ribopyranose, which has all hydroxyl groups on one side of the ring, is known to interact more strongly than other sugars with surfaces, as corroborated by certain chromatographic and electrophoresis data. A similar scenario leading to enantiopure ribose is separation on a flat, but not necessarily chiral surface in the presence of a strong electric field capable of orienting highly polar derivatives of sugars. Portions of this work were presented to Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of ACS, Hershey, PA, USA, June 05, 2006.