Catalytic atroposelective synthesis of axially chiral benzonitriles via chirality control during bond dissociation and CN group formation

The applications of axially chiral benzonitriles and their derivatives remain mostly unexplored due to their synthetic difficulties. Here we disclose an unusual strategy for atroposelective access to benzonitriles via formation of the nitrile unit on biaryl scaffolds pre-installed with stereogenic axes in racemic forms. Our method starts with racemic 2-arylbenzaldehydes and sulfonamides as the substrates and N-heterocyclic carbenes as the organocatalysts to afford axially chiral benzonitriles in good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities. DFT calculations suggest that the loss of p-toluenesulfinate group is both the rate-determining and stereo-determining step. The axial chirality is controlled during the bond dissociation and CN group formation. The reaction features a dynamic kinetic resolution process modulated by both covalent and non-covalent catalytic interactions. The axially chiral benzonitriles from our method can be easily converted to a large set of functional molecules that show promising catalytic activities for chemical syntheses and anti-bacterial activities for plant protections.

Carbene-catalyzed atroposelective synthesis of axially chiral styrenes

Axially chiral styrenes bearing a chiral axis between a sterically non-congested acyclic alkene and an aryl ring are difficult to prepare due to low rotational barrier of the axis. Disclosed here is an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalytic asymmetric solution to this problem. Our reaction involves ynals, sulfinic acids, and phenols as the substrates with an NHC as the catalyst. Key steps involve selective 1,4-addition of sulfinic anion to acetylenic acylazolium intermediate and sequential E-selective protonation to set up the chiral axis. Our reaction affords axially chiral styrenes bearing a chiral axis as the product with up to > 99:1 e.r., > 20:1 E/Z selectivity, and excellent yields. The sulfone and carboxylic ester moieties in our styrene products are common moieties in bioactive molecules and asymmetric catalysis.

Mechanically axially chiral catenanes and noncanonical mechanically axially chiral rotaxanes

The term chiral was introduced by Lord Kelvin over a century ago to describe objects that are distinct from their own mirror image. Chirality is relevant in many scientific areas, but particularly chemistry because different mirror image forms of a molecule famously have different biological properties. Chirality typically arises in molecules due to a rigidly chiral arrangement of covalently bonded atoms. Less generally appreciated is that molecular chirality can arise when molecules are threaded through one another to create a mechanical bond. For example, when two molecular rings with chemically distinct faces are joined like links in a chain the resulting structure is chiral even when the rings themselves are not. We re-examined the symmetry properties of such mechanically axially chiral catenanes and in doing so identified a straightforward route to these molecules from simple building blocks. This also led to the discovery of a previously overlooked mechanical stereogenic unit that can arise when such a ring encircles a dumbbell-shaped axle to generate a rotaxane. These insights allowed us to produce the first highly enantioenriched axially chiral catenane and the same approach gave access to a molecule containing the newly identified noncanonical axially chiral rotaxane motif. With methods to access these structures in hand, the process of exploring their properties and applications can now begin.

Construction of Axially Chiral Styrene-Type Allylamines via Chiral Phosphoric Acid-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive Amination

The first enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral styrene-type allylamines was achieved through chiral phosphoric acid mediated atroposelective reductive amination of 1-enal substituted 2-naphthols. This protocol features a broad substrate scope,...

Organocatalytic Atroposelective Construction of Axially Chiral Nonsymmetric Biaryltriols and Their Applications on Asymmetric Synthesis and Heavy Metal Ion Detection

An organocatalytic methodology toward the atroposelective construction of axially chiral nonsymmetric biaryltriols has been successfully developed. Quinine-derived thiourea-catalyzed intramolecular reaction through VQM (vinylidene ortho-quinone methides) intermediate enabled efficient access to...

Molecular Insights on Chirality Transfer from Double Axially Chiral Phosphoric Acid in a Synergistic Enantioselective Intramolecular Amination

In the most general practice of asymmetric catalysis, a chiral catalyst, typically bearing a center or an axis of chirality, is employed as the chiral source for imparting enantiocontrol over...

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrophosphination of Internal Alkynes: Highly Regio- and Stereoselective Construction of Axially Chiral Phosphines

Palladium-catalyzed unprecedented atroposelective hydrophosphination of internal alkynes has been realized using diarylphosphines, affording C-N axially chiral trisubstituted olefins (vinylphosphines) in excellent regioselectiviry, (E)-selectivity, and enantioselectivity. The axial chirality was established via integration of hydrophosphination and dynamic kinetic transformation of the alkynes, with both symmetrical and nonsymmetrical secondary phosphines being applicable. In the latter case, additional P-central chirality has been constructed in good diastereoselectivity.