Deracemization Enabled by Visible-Light Photocatalysis

Enantioselective [2 + 2] Photocycloreversion Enables De Novo Deracemization Synthesis of Cyclobutanes

While photochemical deracemization significantly enhances atom economy by eliminating the necessity for additional oxidants or reductants, the laborious presynthesis of substrates from feedstock chemicals is often required, thereby compromising the practicality of this method. In this study, we propose a novel approach known as de novo deracemization synthesis, which involves direct utilization of simple substrates undergoing both photochemical transformation and reversible photochemical transformation. The efficient enantiocontrol of chiral catalysts in the latter process establishes an effective platform for deracemization. This alternative and practical approach to address the challenges of asymmetric photocatalysis has been successfully demonstrated in the photosensitized de novo deracemization synthesis of azaarene-functionalized cyclobutanes featuring three stereocenters, including an all-carbon quaternary center. By exclusively employing a suitable chiral catalyst to enable kinetically controlled [2 + 2] photocycloreversion, we pave a creative path toward achieving more cost-effective photochemical deracemization.

Photoexcited Palladium-Catalyzed Deracemization of Allenes

The different enantiomers of specific chiral molecules frequently exhibit disparate biological, physiological, or pharmacological properties. Therefore, the efficient synthesis of single enantiomers is of particular importance not only to the pharmaceutical sector but also to other industrial sectors, such as agrochemical and fine chemical industries. Deracemization, a process during which a racemic mixture is converted into a nonracemic product with 100% atom economy and theoretical yield, is the most straightforward method to access enantioenriched molecules but a challenging task due to a decrease in entropy and microscopic reversibility. Axially chiral allenes bear a distinctive structure of two orthogonal cumulative π-systems and are acknowledged as synthetically versatile synthons in organic synthesis. The selective creation of axially chiral allenes with high optical purity under mild reaction conditions has always been a very popular and hot topic in organic synthesis but remains challenging. Herein, a photoexcited palladium-catalyzed deracemization of nonprefunctionalized disubstituted allenes is disclosed. This method provides an efficient and economical strategy to accommodate a broad scope of allenes with good enantioselectivities and yields (53 examples, up to 96% yield and 95% ee). The use of a suitable chiral palladium complex with visible light irradiation is an essential factor in achieving this transformation. A metal-to-ligand charge transfer mechanism was proposed based on control experiments and density functional theory calculations. Quantum mechanical studies implicate dual modes of asymmetric induction behind our new protocol: (1) sterically controlled stereoselective binding of one allene enantiomer under the ground-state and (2) facile, noncovalent interaction-driven excited-state isomerization toward the opposite enantiomer. The success of this newly established photochemical deracemization strategy should provide inspiration for expansion to other multisubstituted allenes and will open up a new mode for enantioselective excited-state palladium catalysis.

Catalytic Photochemical Deracemization via Short-Lived Intermediates

Upon irradiation in the presence of a suitable chiral catalyst, racemic compound mixtures can be converted into enantiomerically pure compounds with the same constitution. The process is called photochemical deracemization and involves the formation of short-lived intermediates. By opening different reaction channels for the forward reaction to the intermediate and for the re-constitution of the chiral molecule, the entropically disfavored process becomes feasible. Since the discovery of the first photochemical deracemization in 2018, the field has been growing rapidly. This review comprehensively covers the research performed in the area and discusses current developments. It is subdivided according to the mode of action and the respective substrate classes. The focus of this review is on the scope of the individual reactions and on a discussion of the mechanistic details underlying the presented reaction.

Creating a Defined Chirality in Amino Acids and Cyclic Dipeptides by Photochemical Deracemization

2,5-Diketopiperazines are cyclic dipeptides displaying a wide range of applications. Their enantioselective preparation has now been found possible from the respective racemates by a photochemical deracemization (53 examples, 74 % to quantitative yield, 71-99 % ee). A chiral benzophenone catalyst in concert with irradiation at λ=366 nm enables to establish the configuration at the stereogenic carbon atom C6 at will. If other stereogenic centers are present in the diketopiperazines they remain unaffected and a stereochemical editing is possible at a single position. Consecutive reactions, including the conversion into N-aryl or N-alkyl amino acids or the reduction to piperazines, occur without compromising the newly created stereogenic center. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that the benzophenone catalyst processes one enantiomer of the 2,5-diketopiperazines preferentially and enables a reversible hydrogen atom transfer that is responsible for the deracemization process. The remarkably long lifetime of the protonated ketyl radical implies a yet unprecedented mode of action.

Multiplicative enhancement of stereoenrichment by a single catalyst for deracemization of alcohols

Stereochemical enrichment of a racemic mixture by deracemization must overcome unfavorable entropic effects as well as the principle of microscopic reversibility; recently, photochemical reaction pathways unveiled by the energetic input of light have led to innovations toward this end, most often by ablation of a stereogenic C(sp3)-H bond. We report a photochemically driven deracemization protocol in which a single chiral catalyst effects two mechanistically different steps, C-C bond cleavage and C-C bond formation, to achieve multiplicative enhancement of stereoinduction, which leads to high levels of stereoselectivity. Ligand-to-metal charge transfer excitation of a titanium catalyst coordinated by a chiral phosphoric acid or bisoxazoline efficiently enriches racemic alcohols that feature adjacent and fully substituted stereogenic centers to enantiomeric ratios up to 99:1. Mechanistic investigations support a pathway of sequential radical-mediated bond scission and bond formation through a common prochiral intermediate and reveal that, although the overall stereoenrichment is high, the selectivity in each individual step is moderate.

Light-driven redox deracemization of indolines and tetrahydroquinolines using a photocatalyst coupled with chiral phosphoric acid

The integration of oxidation and enantioselective reduction enables a redox deracemization to directly access enantioenriched products from their corresponding racemates. However, the solution of the kinetically microscopic reversibility of substrates used in this oxidation/reduction unidirectional event is a great challenge. To address this issue, we have developed a light-driven strategy to enable an efficient redox deracemization of cyclamines. The method combines a photocatalyst and a chiral phosphoric acid in a toluene/aqueous cyclodextrin emulsion biphasic co-solvent system to drive the cascade out-of-equilibrium. Systemic optimizations achieve a feasible oxidation/reduction cascade sequence, and mechanistic investigations demonstrate a unidirectional process. This single-operation cascade route, which involves initial photocatalyzed oxidation of achiral cyclamines to cyclimines and subsequent chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed enantioselective reduction of cyclimines to chiral cyclamines, is suitable for constructing optically pure indolines and tetrahydroquinolines.

Multifaceted View on the Mechanism of a Photochemical Deracemization Reaction

Upon irradiation in the presence of a chiral benzophenone catalyst (5 mol %), a racemic mixture of a given chiral imidazolidine-2,4-dione (hydantoin) can be converted almost quantitatively into the same compound with high enantiomeric excess (80-99% ee). The mechanism of this photochemical deracemization reaction was elucidated by a suite of mechanistic experiments. It was corroborated by nuclear magnetic resonance titration that the catalyst binds the two enantiomers by two-point hydrogen bonding. In one of the diastereomeric complexes, the hydrogen atom at the stereogenic carbon atom is ideally positioned for hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) to the photoexcited benzophenone. Detection of the protonated ketyl radical by transient absorption revealed hydrogen abstraction to occur from only one but not from the other hydantoin enantiomer. Quantum chemical calculations allowed us to visualize the HAT within this complex and, more importantly, showed that the back HAT does not occur to the carbon atom of the hydantoin radical but to its oxygen atom. The achiral enol formed in this process could be directly monitored by its characteristic transient absorption signal at λ ≅ 330 nm. Subsequent tautomerization leads to both hydantoin enantiomers, but only one of them returns to the catalytic cycle, thus leading to an enrichment of the other enantiomer. The data are fully consistent with deuterium labeling experiments and deliver a detailed picture of a synthetically useful photochemical deracemization reaction.

Visible-Light-Active Coumarin- and Quinolinone-Based Photocatalysts and Their Applications in Chemical Transformations

Organic dyes have been actively studied as useful photocatalysts because they allow access to versatile structural flexibility and green synthetic applications. The identification of a new class of robust organic chromophores is, therefore, in high demand to increase structural diversity and variability. Although coumarins and quinolinones have long been acknowledged as organic chromophores, their ability to participate in photoinduced transformations is somewhat less familiar. Fascinated by their chromophoric features and adaptable platform, our group is interested in the identification of fluorescent bioactive molecules and in the development of new photoinduced synthetic methods using coumarins and quinolinones as photocatalysts. This account provides an overview of our recent progress in the discovery and application of light-absorbing coumarin and quinolinone derivatives in photochemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Light-empowered contra-thermodynamic stereochemical editing

Creating, conserving and modifying the stereochemistry of organic compounds has been the subject of significant research efforts in synthetic chemistry. Most synthetic routes are designed according to the stereoselectivity-determining step. Stereochemical editing is an alternative strategy, wherein the chiral-defining or geometry-defining steps are independent of the construction of the major scaffold or complexity. It enables late-stage alterations of stereochemistry and can generate isomers from a single compound. However, in many instances, stereochemical editing processes are contra-thermodynamic, meaning the transformation is unfavourable. To overcome this barrier, photocatalysis uses photogenerated radical species and introduces thermochemical biases. A range of synthetically valuable contra-thermodynamic stereochemical editing processes have been invented, including deracemization of chiral molecules, positional alkene isomerization and dynamic epimerization of sugars and diols. In this Review, we highlight the fundamental mechanisms of visible-light photocatalysis and the general reactivity modes of the photogenerated radical intermediates towards contra-thermodynamic stereochemical editing processes.

Photochemical Deracemization of Chiral Alkenes via Triplet Energy Transfer

A visible-light-mediated, enantioselective approach to axially chiral alkenes is described. Starting from a racemic mixture, a major alkene enantiomer is formed due to selective triplet energy transfer from a catalytically active chiral sensitizer. A catalyst loading of 2 mol % was sufficient to guarantee consistently high enantioselectivities and yields (16 examples, 51%-quant., 81-96% ee). NMR studies and DFT computations revealed that triplet energy transfer is more rapid within the substrate-catalyst complex of the minor alkene enantiomer. Since this enantiomer is continuously racemized, the major enantiomer is enriched in the photostationary state.

Self-supporting photocatalyst of 2D Bi2O3 anchored on carbon paper for degradation pollutants

Two-dimensional vertically aligned Bi₂O₃ nanosheets over carbon paper (CP) were prepared via an in situ growth approach. Bi₂O₃/CP exhibits a robust photocatalytic activity, as well as renewability and flexibility. With Rhodamine B and 2,4-dichlorophenol used as target pollutants, the rate constant of Bi₂O₃/CP was 3.72 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹ and 6.93 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹ under visible-light irradiation for 2 h, respectively. The improved activity was attributed to the synergistic effects of the hierarchical structure of Bi₂O₃ and the conductive substrate, CP; the former provided efficient catalytic sites for the pollutants and absorbed more of the light scattered among the nanosheets, while the latter is beneficial to the photogenerated electron transfer.

Two-dimensional vertically aligned Bi₂O₃ nanosheets over carbon paper (CP) were prepared via an in situ growth approach.

Photochemical Deracemization at sp3-Hybridized Carbon Centers via a Reversible Hydrogen Atom Transfer

A photochemical deracemization of 5-substituted 3-phenylimidazolidine-2,4-diones (hydantoins) is reported (27 examples, 69%-quant., 80-99% ee). The reaction is catalyzed by a chiral diarylketone which displays a two-point hydrogen bonding site. Mechanistic evidence (DFT calculations, radical clock experiments, H/D labeling) suggests the reaction to occur by selective hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). Upon hydrogen binding, one substrate enantiomer displays the hydrogen atom at the stereogenic center to the photoexcited catalyst allowing for a HAT from the substrate and eventually for its conversion into the product enantiomer. The product enantiomer is not processed by the catalyst and is thus enriched in the photostationary state.

Reactivity and selectivity modulation within a molecular assembly: recent examples from photochemistry

In recent years, photochemical reactions have emerged as powerful transformations which significantly expand the repertoire of organic synthesis. However, a certain lack of selectivity can hamper their application and limit their scope. In this context, a major research effort continues to focus on an improved control over stereo- and chemoselectivity that can be achieved in molecular assemblies between photosubstrates and an appropriate host molecule. In this tutorial review, some recent, representative examples of photochemical reactions have been collected whose unique outcome is dictated by the formation of a molecular assembly driven by non-covalent weak interactions.

Visible-Light-Driven Catalytic Deracemization of Secondary Alcohols

Deracemization of racemic chiral compounds is an attractive approach in asymmetric synthesis, but its development has been hindered by energetic and kinetic challenges. Here we describe a catalytic deracemization method for secondary benzylic alcohols which are important synthetic intermediates and end products for many industries. Driven by visible light only, this method is based on sequential photochemical dehydrogenation followed by enantioselective thermal hydrogenation. The combination of a heterogeneous dehydrogenation photocatalyst and a chiral molecular hydrogenation catalyst is essential to ensure two distinct pathways for the forward and reverse reactions. These reactions convert a large number of racemic aryl alkyl alcohols into their enantiomerically enriched forms in good yields and enantioselectivities.

Photothermal-assisted triphase photocatalysis over a multifunctional bilayer paper

Photocatalysis as one of the future environment technologies has been investigated for decades. Despite great efforts in catalyst engineering, the widely used powder dispersion and photoelectrode systems are still restricted by sluggish interfacial mass transfer and chemical processes. Here we develop a scalable bilayer paper from commercialized TiO 2 and carbon nanomaterials, self-supported at gas-liquid-solid interfaces for photothermal-assisted triphase photocatalysis. The photogeneration of reactive oxygen species can be facilitated through fast oxygen diffusion over triphase interfaces, while the interfacial photothermal effect promotes the following free radical reaction for advanced oxidation of phenol. Under full spectrum irradiation, the triphase system shows 13 times higher reaction rate than diphase controlled system, achieving 88.4% mineralization of high concentration phenol within 90 min full spectrum irradiation. The bilayer paper also exhibits high stability over 40 times cycling experiments and sunlight driven feasibility, showing potentials for large scale photocatalytic applications by being further integrated into a triphase flow reactor.

Photochemical Deracemization of Primary Allene Amides by Triplet Energy Transfer: A Combined Synthetic and Theoretical Study

The photochemical deracemization of 2,4-disubstituted 2,3-butadienamides (allene amides) was investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The reaction was catalyzed by a thioxanthone which is covalently linked to a chiral 1,5,7-trimethyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-2-one skeleton providing a U-shaped arrangement of the sensitizing unit relative to a potential hydrogen-bonding site. Upon irradiation at λ = 420 nm in the presence of the sensitizer (2.5 mol %), the amides reached at -10 °C a photostationary state in which one enantiomer prevailed. The enantioenriched allene amides (70-93% ee) were isolated in 74% to quantitative yield (19 examples). Based on luminescence data and DFT calculations, energy transfer from the thioxanthone to the allene amides is thermodynamically feasible, and the achiral triplet allene intermediate was structurally characterized. Hydrogen bonding of the amide enantiomers to the sensitizer was monitored by NMR titration. The experimental association constants (K_a) were similar (59.8 vs 25.7 L·mol^-1). DFT calculations, however, revealed a significant difference in the binding properties of the two enantiomers. The major product enantiomer exhibits a noncovalent dispersion interaction of its arylmethyl group to the external benzene ring of the thioxanthone, thus moving away the allene from the carbonyl chromophore. The minor enantiomer displays a CH-π interaction of the hydrogen atom at the terminal allene carbon atom to the same benzene ring, thus forcing the allene into close proximity to the chromophore. The binding behavior explains the observed enantioselectivity which, as corroborated by additional calculations, is due to a rapid triplet energy transfer within the substrate-catalyst complex of the minor enantiomer.

Enantioselective Photochemical Reactions Enabled by Triplet Energy Transfer

For molecules with a singlet ground state, the population of triplet states is mainly possible (a) by direct excitation and subsequent intersystem crossing or (b) by energy transfer from an appropriate sensitizer. The latter scenario enables a catalytic photochemical reaction in which the sensitizer adopts the role of a catalyst undergoing several cycles of photon absorption and subsequent energy transfer to the substrate. If the product molecule of a triplet-sensitized process is chiral, this process can proceed enantioselectively upon judicious choice of a chiral triplet sensitizer. An enantioselective reaction can also occur in a dual catalytic approach in which, apart from an achiral sensitizer, a second chiral catalyst activates the substrate toward sensitization. Although the idea of enantioselective photochemical reactions via triplet intermediates has been pursued for more than 50 years, notable selectivities exceeding 90% enantiomeric excess (ee) have only been realized in the past decade. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive survey on the various photochemical reactions which were rendered enantioselective by triplet sensitization.

Synthesis of CdS-loaded (CuC10H26N6)3(PW12O40)2 for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline under simulated solar light irradiation

Largely discharged and excreted medical pollutants pose huge threats to ecosystems. However, typical photocatalysts, such as the Keggin-typed H₃PW₁₂O₄₀, can hardly degrade these hazards under visible-light due to their broad bandgap and catalytic disability. In this work, the visible light harvesting was enabled by combining macrocyclic coordination compound CuC₁₀H₂₆N₆Cl₂O₈ with H₃PW₁₂O₄₀, and the resulting CuPW was loaded with CdS to reach robust catalytic ability to totally detoxify medicines. We prepared the CuPW–CdS composites through a facile precipitation method, and it showed excellent photocatalytic degradation for degrading tetracycline under visible-light irradiation. The (CuC₁₀H₂₆N₆)₃(PW₁₂O₄₀)₂ with 10 wt% load of CdS shows the highest performance and is ∼6 times more efficient than the pure CuPW counterpart. The heterojunctional CuPW–CdS composites promote the separation of electrons and holes, and consequentially enhance photocatalytic activity. Thanks to migration of electrons from CdS to CuPW, the photocorrosion of CdS is prohibited, resulting in a high chemical stability during photocatalysis. In this work we design a new route to the multi-structural composite photocatalysts for practical applications in medical pollutant decontamination.

We demonstrated the incorporation of (CuC₁₂H₃₀N₆)²⁺ into the a Keggin type H₃PW₁₂O₄₀ by a simple one-pot self-assembly process. A heterojunction structure was constructed by introducing CdS which has high photocatalytic activities.

Photochemically Induced Ring Opening of Spirocyclopropyl Oxindoles: Evidence for a Triplet 1,3-Diradical Intermediate and Deracemization by a Chiral Sensitizer

The photochemical deracemization of spiro[cyclopropane‐1,3′‐indolin]‐2′‐ones (spirocyclopropyl oxindoles) was studied. The corresponding 2,2‐dichloro compound is configurationally labile upon direct irradiation at λ=350 nm and upon irradiation at λ=405 nm in the presence of achiral thioxanthen‐9‐one as the sensitizer. The triplet 1,3‐diradical intermediate generated in the latter reaction was detected by transient absorption spectroscopy and its lifetime determined (τ=22 μs). Using a chiral thioxanthone or xanthone, with a lactam hydrogen bonding site as a photosensitizer, allowed the deracemization of differently substituted chiral spirocyclopropyl oxindoles with yields of 65–98 % and in 50–85 % ee (17 examples). Three mechanistic contributions were identified to co‐act favorably for high enantioselectivity: the difference in binding constants to the chiral thioxanthone, the smaller molecular distance in the complex of the minor enantiomer, and the lifetime of the intermediate 1,3‐diradical.

Symmetry Breaking of Phospholipids

Either stereo reactants or stereo catalysis from achiral or chiral molecules are a prerequisite to obtain pure enantiomeric lipid derivatives. We reviewed a few plausibly organic syntheses of phospholipids under prebiotic conditions with special attention paid to the starting materials as pro-chiral dihydroxyacetone and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), which are the key molecules to break symmetry in phospholipids. The advantages of homochiral membranes compared to those of heterochiral membranes were analysed in terms of specific recognition, optimal functions of enzymes, membrane fluidity and topological packing. All biological membranes contain enantiomerically pure lipids in modern bacteria, eukarya and archaea. The contemporary archaea, comprising of methanogens, halobacteria and thermoacidophiles, are living under extreme conditions reminiscent of primitive environment and may indicate the origin of one ancient evolution path of lipid biosynthesis. The analysis of the known lipid metabolism reveals that all modern cells including archaea synthetize enantiomerically pure lipid precursors from prochiral DHAP. Sn-glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (G1PDH), usually found in archaea, catalyses the formation of sn-glycerol-1-phosphate (G1P), while sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) catalyses the formation of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) in bacteria and eukarya. The selective enzymatic activity seems to be the main strategy that evolution retained to obtain enantiomerically pure lipids. The occurrence of two genes encoding for G1PDH and G3PDH served to build up an evolutionary tree being the basis of our hypothesis article focusing on the evolution of these two genes. Gene encoding for G3PDH in eukarya may originate from G3PDH gene found in rare archaea indicating that archaea appeared earlier in the evolutionary tree than eukarya. Archaea and bacteria evolved probably separately, due to their distinct respective genes coding for G1PDH and G3PDH. We propose that prochiral DHAP is an essential molecule since it provides a convergent link between G1DPH and G3PDH. The synthesis of enantiopure phospholipids from DHAP appeared probably firstly in the presence of chemical catalysts, before being catalysed by enzymes which were the products of later Darwinian selection. The enzymes were probably selected for their efficient catalytic activities during evolution from large libraries of vesicles containing amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids, and meteorite components that induced symmetry imbalance.

Photochemical Deracemization of Allenes and Subsequent Chirality Transfer

Trisubstituted allenes with a 3-(1'-alkenylidene)-pyrrolidin-2-one motif were successfully deracemized (13 examples, 86-98 % ee) employing visible light (λ=420 nm) and a chiral triplet sensitizer as the catalyst (2.5 mol %). The photocatalyst likely operates by selective recognition of one allene enantiomer via hydrogen bonds and by a triplet-sensitized racemization process. Even a tetrasubstituted allene (45 % ee) and a seven-membered 3-(1'-alkenylidene)-azepan-2-one (62 % ee) could be enantiomerically enriched under the chosen conditions. It was shown that the axial chirality of the allenes can be converted into point chirality by a Diels-Alder (94-97 % ee) or a bromination reaction (91 % ee). Ring opening of the five-membered pyrrolidin-2-one was achieved without significantly compromising the integrity of the chirality axis (92 % ee).

Enantioselective synthesis enabled by visible light photocatalysis

Enantioselective photoreaction has been a synthetic challenge for decades. With the continuous development of modern visible light photocatalysis and asymmetric catalysis, remarkable advances have been achieved through the synergistic action of these catalytic reactions, allowing the construction of various enantiomerically enriched molecules that were once inaccessible using photocatalytic reactions. This review presents some of the contemporary developments in enantioselective visible-light photocatalysis reactions, covering the period from 2008 to March 2020, with the contents classified by catalysis type.

Cloud-inspired multiple scattering for light intensified photochemical flow reactors

A novel photoflow reactor that mimics how nature accelerates photochemistry in the clouds.