Tetrahedron, asymmetry最新文献

Methods for determination of absolute structure using X-ray crystallography are described, with an emphasis on applications for absolute configuration assignment of enantiopure light-atom organic compounds. The ability to distinguish between alternative absolute structures by X-ray crystallography is the result of a physical phenomenon called resonant scattering, which introduces small deviations from the inherent inversion symmetry of single-crystal X-ray diffraction patterns. The magnitude of the effect depends on the elements present in the crystal and the wavelength of the X-rays used to collect the diffraction data, but it is always very weak for crystals of compounds containing no element heavier than oxygen. The precision of absolute structure determination by conventional least squares refinement appears to be unduly pessimistic for light-atom materials. Recent developments based on Bijvoet differences, quotients and Bayesian statistics enable better and more realistic precision to be obtained. The new methods are sensitive to statistical outliers, and techniques for identifying these are summarised.

The absolute stereochemistry of chiral molecules is ideally established to atomic resolution by X-ray crystallographic analysis. However, chiroptical spectroscopies, namely electronic circular dichroism (ECD), optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and Raman optical activity (ROA), play important complementary roles in establishing relative and absolute sterochemistries as well as allowing determinations of optical purity. A brief summary of chiroptical spectroscopies is presented, along with guidance to their advantages and disadvantages. The application of ECD to verifying that single crystals selected for crystallographic analysis are indeed representative of bulk material is described.

This review focuses on the general features of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) as applied in determining the absolute configuration of organic compounds. The high sensitivity and straightforward spectral interpretation of the exciton chirality method makes this approach very useful, and complementary to X-ray crystallography. A brief tutorial is provided on ECD, with precautions and tips for using it, especially the exciton chirality method. The spectroscopic ECD of several examples are analyzed.

The absolute configuration of two novel α_vβ₆ integrin inhibitors was established via degradation to the corresponding C3-aryl substituted butyrolactone. The configuration of the resulting lactones was established by asymmetric synthesis using 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to butenolide, catalysed by bis(norbornadiene)rhodium (I) tetrafluoroborate in the presence of (R)-BINAP, and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Studies on arylboronic acid conjugate additions to acyclic crotonate esters bearing a γ-oxygen substituent are also reported. Three Rh catalysts were investigated and the one giving the highest enantioselectivity was bis(norbornadiene)rhodium (I) tetrafluoroborate.

A simple methodology for the synthesis of N-tert-butanesulfinyl-α-keto aldimines from both α-keto aldehydes and carboxylic esters has been developed. The addition of an in situ formed allyl indium reagent to these chiral imines was also studied. The addition took place in a sequential manner, first to the imine group with excellent diastereoselectivity and then to the carbonyl group with lower diastereoselectivity. Ruthenium-catalyzed ring closing metathesis of the resulting 5-aminoocta-1,7-dien-4-ol derivatives provided access to 6-aminocyclohex-3-enols. Reduction of the α-keto aldimines led to N-tert-butanesulfinyl-1,2-aminoalcohols as a 1:1 diastereomeric mixture.

The interaction between leucine and β-cyclodextrin with different solvents was studied by molecular mechanics and dynamics simulations. In order to analyse the influence of the solvent polarity on the inclusion complex formation and separation process of leucine enantiomers by β-cyclodextrin, the organic modifiers were characterised by the same value of dielectric constant in the electrostatic contribution to the interaction energy, and a different molecular configuration of amino acids (neutral or zwitterion). The complexes formed in polar solvents were more stable than those in non-polar solvents with the same dielectric constant, because the electrostatic contribution is negative for the former and positive for the latter. The optimized structures obtained for leucine enantiomers and β-cyclodextrin in vacuo are non-inclusion complexes. The solvent polarity contributes to increasing the probability of the presence in an inner position for the guest, whereas the results for non-polar configurations were smaller and distributed in larger areas. The regions where the enantiomers spend more time in the simulation correspond to locations with greater chiral discrimination. d-Leu was the first eluted enantiomer in every case, except for a polar solvent with $\epsilon =26$.

α,β-Unsaturated hydroxamates derived from the ‘chiral Weinreb amide’ auxiliary (S)-N-1-(1′-naphthyl)ethyl-O-tert-butylhydroxylamine consistently adopt a defined conformation and undergo highly diastereoselective conjugate addition reactions with lithium amide reagents. The configuration of the N-1-(1′-naphthyl)ethyl group dictates the position of the O-tert-butyl group and also the configuration adopted by the pyramidal nitrogen atom via a ‘chiral relay’ effect. Conjugate addition of lithium amide reagents to these substrates proceeds on the face opposite to both the O-tert-butyl group and nitrogen lone-pair with high levels of diastereoselectivity.

Based on the features of its crystallization, racemic 3-(2,3-dimethylphenoxy)propane-1,2-diol 2, the synthetic precursor of the chiral drug xibenolol 1, was resolved into pure enantiomers by the direct method of entrainment. The enantiomers of diol 2 through a Mitsunobu reaction were converted into the nonracemic 1,2-epoxy-3-(2,3-dimethylphenoxy)propanes (S)- and (R)-3, and then into the xibenolol enantiomers. Single crystals of (+)- and (−)-1·HCl were studied by X-ray diffraction. On the basis of the Flack parameter, the absolute (R)- and (S)-configurations were assigned to these compounds and to the other intermediate chiral substances.

The self-disproportionation of enantiomers (SDE) is a phenomenon that can lead to the perturbation of the enantiomeric excess (ee) in fractions obtained from a scalemic sample that has been subjected to a physical process. While fractional crystallization is widely appreciated as a means to effect enantiopurification, processes that are potentially able to give rise to the SDE phenomenon, notably chromatography, are greatly underappreciated in this regard. In this exposition we question if sufficient care is being taken by workers to avoid the erroneous reporting of stereochemical outcomes in asymmetric synthesis, natural products work, and other chiral-based areas of study due to ignorance of the SDE phenomenon and recommend the incorporation of SDE tests via sublimation and achiral chromatography as outlined herein to check for the occurrence of the SDE phenomenon in the applied methodology and routine experimental work.

In routine small-molecule single crystal structure determination, accurate absolute structure determination has sometimes been challenging. Developments in diffractometers, X-ray sources, detectors and software, along with new concepts for the elucidation of the absolute structure have seen the greatest advances in recent times. Nonetheless, determining the absolute structure of a crystal, particularly when only light atoms are present, requires some thought in the planning of the experiment in order to obtain the best possible data and some care in modelling the structure and interpreting the results so as not to draw incorrect or unsupported conclusions. Some practical recommendations for best practice and how to avoid pitfalls and misinterpretations are presented as a guide, particularly for those new to the field of crystal structure analysis.