Computationally Aided Absolute Stereochemical Determination of Enantioenriched Amines

Circular Dichroism Sensing: Strategies and Applications

The analysis of the absolute configuration, enantiomeric composition, and concentration of chiral compounds are frequently encountered tasks across the chemical and health sciences. Chiroptical sensing methods can streamline this work and allow high-throughput screening with remarkable reduction of operational time and cost. During the last few years, significant methodological advances with innovative chirality sensing systems, the use of computer-generated calibration curves, machine learning assistance, and chemometric data processing, to name a few, have emerged and are now matched with commercially available multi-well plate CD readers. These developments have reframed the chirality sensing space and provide new opportunities that are of interest to a large group of chemists. This review will discuss chirality sensing strategies and applications with representative small-molecule CD sensors. Emphasis will be given to important milestones and recent advances that accelerate chiral compound analysis by outperforming traditional methods, conquer new directions, and pioneering efforts that lie at the forefront of chiroptical high-throughput screening developments. The goal is to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the current state and a perspective of future directions of this rapidly emerging field.

A Real-Time Strategy for Chiroptical Sensing and Enantiomeric Excess Determination of Primary Amines via an Acid-Base Reaction

Two achiral aromatic carboxylic acids that included the 1,8-naphthalimide group and an imidazolium cation were synthesized and exploited as chiroptical sensors. These compounds showed the real-time discrimination and enantiomeric excess determination of chiral amines and amino alcohols via an acid-base interaction, especially for UV-silent chiral compounds.

Absolute stereochemical determination of 1,2-diols via complexation with dinaphthyl borinic acid

Rapid derivatization of chiral 1,2-diols with dinaphthyl borinic acid (DBA) leads to a cyclic boronate, enabling the absolute stereochemical prediction via exciton-coupled circular dichroic (ECCD) of the naphthyl groups. Aryl- and alkyl-substituted 1,2-diols derivatized with DBA yield a predictable ECCD, which is also in agreement with theoretical predictions derived from computationally minimized structures.

Amplification of the chiroptical response of UV-transparent amines and alcohols by N-phthalimide derivatization enabling absolute configuration determination through ECD computational analysis

The stereoselective transformation of chiral UV-transparent amines and alcohols to phthalimides has proved to be a simple and efficient method to enhance the chiroptical response of these substrates allowing their reliable absolute configuration determination by computational analysis of ECD spectra. Such a transformation also leads to a significant reduction in the molecular conformational flexibility thus simplifying the conformational analysis required by the computational treatment. The method described herein thus allows the absolute configuration assignment to these challenging substrates to be much easier and reliable.

Predictive chirality sensing via Schiff base formation

Among the large number of chiroptical sensors that have been developed to date, few allow rational determination of the absolute configuration of chiral substrates together with quantitative ee analysis. We have prepared and tested stereodynamic N-aryl aminobenzaldehyde sensors that bind chiral amines via Schiff base formation. The covalent binding of the amine substrate generates a conformational bias in the chromophoric sensor moiety which results in characteristic CD signals. Computational analysis revealed that CD prediction of the sign of the Cotton effect and thus determination of the absolute configuration of the substrate becomes practical with a sterically crowded sensor design because the number of conformations to be considered is largely reduced and the chiroptical sensor response is less sensitive to conformational equilibria. The amplitude of the measured CD signal can be used for quantitative ee analysis of nonracemic amine samples with the help of a calibration curve.

Central-to-axial chirality induction in biphenyl chiroptical probes for the stereochemical characterization of chiral primary amines

Flexible biphenyls have been applied as efficient and practical chiroptical probes for absolute configuration assignment to chiral primary amines. The mechanism of the central-to-axial chirality transfer from the amine moiety to the conformationally flexible biphenyl system has been determined by NMR and computational studies. This allowed proposing a general non-empirical rule in order to establish, simply by looking at the sign of the 250 nm A band in the ECD spectrum of the biphenyl derivative, the torsion of the biphenyl and thus the absolute configuration of the amine. The method proved to be very reliable and sensitive, allowing treatment of samples on the μmol scale and permitting the simultaneous determination of the amine sample's absolute configuration and enantiopurity.

Optical Analysis of Reaction Yield and Enantiomeric Excess: A New Paradigm Ready for Prime Time

This Perspective highlights the advances of optical methods for asymmetric reaction discovery. Optical analysis allows for the determination of absolute configuration, enantiomeric excess and reaction yield that is amenable to high-throughput experimentation. Thus, the synthetic organic community is encouraged to incorporate the methods discussed to expedite the development of high-yielding, enantioselective transformations.

In Depth Analysis of Chiroptical Properties of Enones Derived from Abietic Acid

With the use of inexpensive commercially available abietic acid, a whole series of abietane enones were prepared in high yields. The structures of all the products obtained were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis with particular emphasis on the use of advanced NMR techniques, comparison with previously reported data and, where possible, by single crystal X-ray diffraction. However, in cases where X-ray crystallography was not applicable or compounds tested were unstable, a final stereochemical assignment could be inferred only by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) supported by vibrational circular dichroism to increase credibility. To reveal the relationship between structure and chiroptical properties, we used combined experimental and theoretical analysis of geometries, structural parameters, and chiroptical properties of all enones synthesized. A thorough analysis of their conformational flexibility by examining the effect of solvent and temperature on the ECD spectra was also used to achieve desired objectives. As a result, the impact of substituents adjacent to the enone chromophore on the conformation was determined by demonstrating that even slight changes in the position of hydroxyl and isopropyl groups attached to carbon C13 may substantially affect ECD curves' pattern, leading in some cases to Cotton effects sign reversal.

Dynamic Covalent Chemistry within Biphenyl Scaffolds: Reversible Covalent Bonding, Control of Selectivity, and Chirality Sensing with a Single System

Axial chirality is a prevalent and important phenomenon in chemistry. Herein we report a combination of dynamic covalent chemistry and axial chirality for the development of a versatile platform for the binding and chirality sensing of multiple classes of mononucleophiles. An equilibrium between an open aldehyde and its cyclic hemiaminal within biphenyl derivatives enabled the dynamic incorporation of a broad range of alcohols, thiols, primary amines, and secondary amines with high efficiency. Selectivity toward different classes of nucleophiles was also achieved by regulating the distinct reactivity of the system with external stimuli. Through induced helicity as a result of central-to-axial chirality transfer, the handedness and ee values of chiral monoalcohol and monoamine analytes were reported by circular dichroism. The strategies introduced herein should find application in many contexts, including assembly, sensing, and labeling.

Di(1-naphthyl) methanol ester of carboxylic acids for absolute stereochemical determination

The absolute stereochemistry of chiral carboxylic acids is determined as a di(1-naphthyl)methanol ester derivative. Computational scoring of conformations favoring either P or M helicity of the naphthyl groups, capable of exciton-coupled circular dichroic coupling, leads to a predicted stereochemistry for the derivatized carboxylic acids.

Determination of the Absolute Configuration of β-Chiral Primary Alcohols Using the Competing Enantioselective Conversion Method

A method for determining the absolute configuration of β-chiral primary alcohols has been developed. Enantioenriched alcohols were acylated in the presence of either enantiomer of the enantioselective acylation catalyst HBTM, and the faster reaction was determined by measuring product conversion using 1H NMR spectroscopic analysis. An empirical mnemonic was developed that correlates the absolute configuration of the alcohol to the faster reacting catalyst. Successful substrates for this method include primary alcohols that bear a "directing group" on the stereogenic center; directing groups include arenes, heteroarenes, enones, and halides.