An efficient dynamic asymmetric catalytic system within a zinc-templated network

Enhanced cooperativity leading to high catalytic activity and stereoselectivity has been achieved through a complex network of simple species interacting reversibly. This novel dynamic catalytic system relies on bipyridine-based organocatalytic ligands and zinc(ii) as the template. It demonstrates the effectiveness of dealing with mixtures rather than single species in asymmetric catalysis.

Ligand libraries for high throughput screening of homogeneous catalysts

This review describes different approaches to construct ligand libraries towards high throughput screening of homogeneous metal catalysts.

Dynamic assembly of a zinc-templated bifunctional organocatalyst in the presence of water for the asymmetric aldol reaction

A bifunctional organocatalytic system consisting of simple pyridine ligands containing separate catalytic functionalities was assembled using ZnCl2. This novel metal-templated catalyst furnished high yields and stereoselectivities towards the aldol reaction. The addition of controlled amounts of water turned out to be crucial to dissolve the system and achieve optimal results.

Dynamic covalent organocatalysts discovered from catalytic systems through rapid deconvolution screening

The first example of a bifunctional organocatalyst assembled through dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) is described. The catalyst is based on reversible imine chemistry and can catalyze the Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction of enones with aldehydes or N-tosyl imines. Furthermore, these dynamic catalysts were shown to be optimizable through a systemic screening approach, in which large mixtures of catalyst structures were generated, and the optimal catalyst could be directly identified by using dynamic deconvolution. This strategy allowed one-pot synthesis and in situ evaluation of several potential catalysts without the need to separate, characterize, and purify each individual structure. The systems were furthermore shown to catalyze and re-equilibrate their own formation through a previously unknown thiourea-catalyzed transimination process.

Transient substrate-induced catalyst formation in a dynamic molecular network

In biology enzyme concentrations are continuously regulated, yet for synthetic catalytic systems such regulatory mechanisms are underdeveloped. We now report how a substrate of a chemical reaction induces the formation of its own catalyst from a dynamic molecular network. After complete conversion of the substrate, the network disassembles the catalyst. These results open up new opportunities for controlling catalysis in synthetic chemical systems.

Selection of chiral zinc catalysts for the kinetic resolution of esters via dynamic templating

Dynamic combinatorial libraries of chiral tetradentate bis-imine zinc(II) complexes have been prepared and screened for (1) their discrimination of enantiomeric picolinate esters and pyridyl phosphonate transition state analogs (TSAs) and (2) their catalytic activity and selectivity for enantioselective methanolysis of racemic picolinate esters. The zinc complexes are in equilibrium with their imine ligands as well as with the aldehyde and amine building blocks that form them, enabling the composition of the library to adapt in response to the introduction of coordinating substrates or TSAs. Binary (L)Zn(OTf)(solv)(+) complexes are generated either individually or in libraries from chiral tartrate-derived diamines (2,3) and a set of N-heterocyclic aldehydes (4-12) and the distribution of complexes established by ESI-MS analysis. Binding studies of the (diimine)Zn(OTf)(2) complex libraries with enantiomeric R- and S-2-pyridyl phosphonate TSA 13 show chiral discrimination via formation of diastereomeric LZn(R/S-13)(+) complexes with low to moderate enatioselectivity ratios, k(R)/k(S) (α), ranging from 0.5 to 5.0; corresponding templating of selected binary complexes with the enantiomeric substrates, PyrCO(2)CH(OH)Ph (1), show negligible chiral recognition. The rate constants for methanolysis of the R- and S-esters, PyrCO(2)CH(OH)Ph (1) catalyzed by several L*Zn(OTf)(2) complexes range in value several fold depending on L and with enantioselectivity ratios, k(R)/k(S) (α), ranging from 0.76 to 2.8.