Stereoselective synthesis of highly functionalised P-stereogenic nucleosides via palladium-catalysed P–C cross-coupling reactions

Screening of chiral shift reagents suitable to generically separate the enantiomers of V-agents by 31P-NMR spectroscopy

Fourteen amino acids protected at the N-terminal and at their side chains were screened for resolving the enantiomers of V-agents by NMR. While none of the shift reagents tested showed really effective separation in proton NMR, two of them (BOC-Gln(Xan)-OH, 16, and Z-Arg(Z)₂-OH), 21, with 16 superior to 21) were found suitable to separate the enantiomers of all V-agent homologues involved in the test by ³¹P-NMR. Molar ratios investigated were 1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5, 1:2, and 1:3 with the V-agent set to 1 throughout the experiments. All these ratios were more or less effective, but 1:3 was found to separate the V-agents the most reliable way. It is postulated that three chiral solvating molecules are then coordinated around the organophosphate: ion pair formation with the amino nitrogen of the V agent side chain, hydrogen bonding provided by the PO unit, and extension of coordination at the phosphorus atom itself. After chiral separation of VX by semi-preparative LC-MS the enantiomers were examined with both configurations of 16 releasing four different ³¹P NMR peaks which correspond to four different complexes: R-S₃, R-R₃, S-R₃, and S-S₃. Comparing these results with literature data it is assumed that (+)-VX corresponds to the R_P configuration and (-)-VX to the S_P-configuration.

Asymmetric Electrophilic Reactions in Phosphorus Chemistry

This review is devoted to the theoretic and synthetic aspects of asymmetric electrophilic substitution reactions at the stereogenic phosphorus center. The stereochemistry and mechanisms of electrophilic reactions are discussed—the substitution, addition and addition-elimination of many important reactions. The reactions of bimolecular electrophilic substitution SE2(P) proceed stereospecifically with the retention of absolute configuration at the phosphorus center, in contrast to the reactions of bimolecular nucleophilic substitution SN2(P), proceeding with inversion of absolute configuration. This conclusion was made based on stereochemical analysis of a wide range of trivalent phosphorus reactions with typical electrophiles and investigation of examples of a sizeable number of diverse compounds. The combination of stereospecific electrophilic reactions and stereoselective nucleophilic reactions is useful and promising for the further development of organophosphorus chemistry. The study of phosphoryl group transfer reactions is important for biological and molecular chemistry, as well as in studying mechanisms of chemical processes involving organophosphorus compounds. New versions of asymmetric electrophilic reactions applicable for the synthesis of enantiopure P-chiral secondary and tertiary phosphines are discussed.