Inverting External Asymmetric Induction via Selective Energy Transfer Catalysis: A Strategy to ß-Chiral Phosphonate Antipodes.

Enantiodivergent, catalytic reduction of activated alkenes relays stereochemical information encoded in the antipodal chiral catalysts to the pro-chiral substrate. Although powerful, the strategy remains vulnerable to costs and availability of sourcing both catalyst enantiomers. Herein, a stereodivergent hydrogenation of α,ß-unsaturated phosphonates is disclosed using a single enantiomer of the catalyst. This enables generation of the R- or S-configured ß-chiral phosphonate with equal and opposite selectivity. Enantiodivergence is regulated at the substrate level through the development of a facile E → Z isomerisation. This has been enabled for the first time by selective energy transfer catalysis using anthracene as an inexpensive organic photosensitiser. Synthetically valuable in its own right, this process enables subsequent RhI -mediated stereospecific hydrogenation to generate both enantiomers of the product using only the S-catalyst (up to 99:1 and 3:97 e.r.). This strategy out-competes the selectivities observed with the E-substrate and the R-catalyst.

Indirect "no-bond" ³¹P···³¹P spin-spin couplings in P,P-[3]ferrocenophanes: insights from solid-state NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

No-bond (31)P-(31)P indirect dipolar couplings, which arise from the transmission of nuclear spin polarization through interaction of proximal nonbonded electron pairs have been investigated in the solid state for a series of closely related substituted P,P-[3]ferrocenophanes and model systems. Through variation and combination of ligands (phenyl, cyclohexyl, isopropyl) at the two phosphorus sites, the P···P distances in these compounds can be varied from 3.49 to 4.06 Å. Thus, the distance dependence of the indirect no-bond coupling constant J(nb) can be studied in a series of closely related compounds. One- and two-dimensional solid-state NMR experiments serve to establish the character of these couplings and to measure the isotropic coupling constants J(iso), which were found to range between 12 and 250 Hz. To develop an understanding of the magnitude of J(nb) in terms of molecular structure, their dependences on intramolecular internuclear distances and relative orbital orientations is discussed by DFT-calculations on suitable models. In agreement with the literature the dependence of J(nb) on the P···P distance is found to be exponential; however, the steepness of this curve is highly dependent on the internuclear equilibrium distance. For a quantitative description, the off-diagonal elements of the expectation value of the Kohn-Sham-Fock operator in the LMO basis for the LMOs of the two phosphorus lone-pairs is proposed. This parameter correlates linearly with the calculated J(nb) values and possesses the same distance-dependence. In addition, the simulations indicate a distinct dependence of J(nb) on the dihedral angle defined by the two C-P bonds providing ligation to the molecular backbone. For disordered materials or those featuring multiple sites, conformers, and/or polymorphism, a new double-quantum NMR method termed DQ-DRENAR can be used to conveniently measure internuclear (31)P-(31)P distances. If conducted on compounds with known P···P distances, such measurements can also serve to estimate the magnitude of the anisotropy ΔJ of these no-bond indirect spin-spin couplings. The DFT results suggest that in the present series of compounds the magnitude of ΔJ is strongly correlated with that of the isotropic component, as both parameters have analogous distance dependences. While our studies indicate a sizable J-anisotropy for the model compound 1,8-bis(diphenylphosphino)napthalene (ΔJ ~ -70 Hz), the corresponding values for the P,P-[3]ferrocenophanes are significantly smaller, affecting their DQ-DRENAR curves only in a minor way. Based on the above insights, the structural aspects of conformational disorder and polymorphism observed in some of the P,P-[3]ferrocenophanes are discussed.

Dibenzopentalenes from B(C6F5)3-induced cyclization reactions of 1,2-bis(phenylethynyl)benzenes.

'Lene' and mean: The strong Lewis acid B(C6F5)3 efficiently converts some bis(arylethynyl)benzenes into dibenzopentalenes through a series of Lewis acid induced cyclization reactions at room temperature. Thus the reaction has the potential to be useful in the synthesis of substituted dibenzopentalene derivatives which are difficult to make by conventional means.

Light-Enabled Enantiodivergence: Stereospecific Reduction of Activated Alkenes Using a Single Organocatalyst Enantiomer.

Light-enabled enantiodivergence is demonstrated in which the alkene substrate configuration is manipulated (E → Z) prior to organocatalytic reduction with a chiral thiourea and Hantzsch ester. This allows stereodivergent reduction to be regulated at the substrate level with high fidelity and mitigates the need for a second, enantiomeric catalyst (up to 93:07 and 95:5 er). The synthetic utility of this strategy has been demonstrated in the synthesis of the weight-loss drug (R)-Lorcaserin (Belviq) and a potent AMPA modulator.

Fluorinated Analogues of the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Vorinostat (Zolinza): Validation of a Chiral Hybrid Bioisostere, BITE.

A chiral, hybrid bioisostere of the CF3 and Et groups (BITE) was installed in a series of vorinostat (Zolinza) analogues, and their histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory behavior was studied relative to that of their nonfluorinated counterparts. Several of these compounds containing the 1,2-difluoroethylene unit showed in vitro potency greater than that of the clinically approved drug itself against HDAC1. This trend was found to be general with the BITE-modified HDAC inhibitors performing significantly better than the ethyl derivatives. Installed by the direct, catalytic vicinal difluorination of terminal alkenes using an I(I)/I(III) manifold, this underexplored chiral bioisostere shows potential in drug discovery.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Tetrafluoropentanols: Multivicinal Fluorinated Alkane Units for Drug Discovery.

A stereodivergent synthesis of four diastereomeric 2,3,4,5-tetrafluoropentanols is disclosed. X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals conformations that manifest sequential stereoelectronic gauche effects (σC-H/C → σC-F*), thereby generating topological diversity via subtle C(sp3)-H to C(sp3)-F exchange. Two representative tetrafluoro arrays have been incorporated into truncated analogues of Gilenya for the management of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. These closely similar multivicinal fluoroalkanes have notably different physicochemical profiles and were found to be stable in the presence of human microsomes.

Indirect synthesis of a pair of formal methane activation products at a phosphane/borane frustrated Lewis pair.

The regioisomeric formal Mes2PCH2CH2B(C6F5)2 FLP methane splitting products Mes2P(H)CH2CH2B(CH3)(C6F5)2 and Mes2P(CH3)CH2CH2B(H)(C6F5)2 were produced by indirect stepwise reactions. They were stable at 60 °C and were both characterized by X-ray diffraction. A DFT analysis revealed that their formation from the FLP and CH4 would be endergonic by +6.9 and +3.6 kcal mol-1, respectively, and it indicated that methane elimination from the zwitterionic products is kinetically hindered by barriers of 54.0 and 72.3 kcal mol-1, respectively.

α-CH acidity of alkyl-B(C6F5)2 compounds - the role of stabilized borata-alkene formation in frustrated Lewis pair chemistry.

Alkyl-B(C6F5)2 boranes are markedly α-CH-acidic. Using DFT we have calculated the pK a-values of a series of examples. Typically, (C6F5)2B-CH3 [pK a (calcd) = 18.3 in DMSO, 16.2 in dichloromethane] is almost as CH-acidic as cyclopentadiene. However, this α-CH-B(C6F5)2 acidity is in most cases not sufficient to allow for internal proton transfer in vicinal phosphane/borane frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). An exception is the slightly endergonic (+0.3 kcal mol-1) tautomerization of the in situ generated indane derived 1,3-P/B FLP 6 to its zwitterionic borata-alkene/phosphonium isomer 7, which was successfully trapped by Piers' borane [HB(C6F5)2] to yield the stable product 8. The pronounced α-CH[B] carbanion stabilization can be used synthetically. We have found that the dienyl borane E-H2C[double bond, length as m-dash]C(Me)CH[double bond, length as m-dash]CHB(C6F5)2 undergoes clean, thermally induced 1,4-hydrophosphination reactions with HPR2 (R: phenyl, mesityl, or t-butyl) reagents. α-CHB(C6F5)2 carbanion (i.e. borata-alkene) stabilization in the respective intermediates probably plays a decisive role in these reactions.

Polymorphism in P,P-[3]ferrocenophanes: insights from an NMR crystallographic approach.

Polymorphism phenomena in P,P-[3]ferrocenophanes were studied by (31)P and (13)C solid-state NMR spectroscopy and suitable DFT calculations. "No-bond" indirect (31)P(31)P spin-spin coupling constants serve as a rather sensitive tool for the characterization of such systems, particularly since this NMR observable strongly depends on intermolecular PP distances and mutual orientations of the phosphorus lone pairs. Indeed, the structure of a previously unknown pseudo-polymorphism of a P,P-[3]ferrocenophane was determined via the emerging tool kit of "NMR crystallography", where structural inputs and constraints determined by modern solid-state NMR techniques, aided by DFT calculations, are used for faster and more reliable structure solution or refinement of X-ray powder diffraction patterns. Based on this approach it is demonstrated that the observed pseudo polymorphism is related to reversible incorporation of dichloromethane in the crystal structures.

Ethene/alkyne exchange reaction at an intramolecular frustrated Lewis pair.

A vicinal ethylene bridged S/B frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) in situ generated by a hydroboration reaction of phenyl vinyl sulfide, reacts with p-tert-butylphenylacetylene by ethene/alkyne exchange and subsequent 1,2-addition of a second alkyne equivalent to give a zwitterionic sulfonium/borate product.