Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Bis-Sulfinyl Chlorides: A General Enantiodivergent Synthesis of C2-Symmetric Bis-Sulfinate Esters and Bis-Sulfoxides

Decarboxylative Sulfinylation Enables a Direct, Metal-Free Access to Sulfoxides from Carboxylic Acids

The intermediate oxidation state of sulfoxides is central to the plethora of their applications in chemistry and medicine, yet it presents challenges for an efficient synthetic access, limiting the structural diversity of currently available sulfoxides. Here, we report a data-guided development of direct decarboxylative sulfinylation that enables the previously inaccessible functional group interconversion of carboxylic acids to sulfoxides in a reaction with sulfinates. Given the broad availability of carboxylic acids and the growing synthetic potential of sulfinates, the direct decarboxylative sulfinylation is poised to improve the structural diversity of synthetically accessible sulfoxides. The reaction is facilitated by a kinetically favored sulfoxide formation from the intermediate sulfinyl sulfones, despite the strong thermodynamic preference for the sulfone formation, unveiling the previously unknown and chemoselective radicalophilic sulfinyl sulfone reactivity.

Immunomodulatory Effects of (R)-Sulforaphane on LPS-Activated Murine Immune Cells: Molecular Signaling Pathways and Epigenetic Changes in Histone Markers

The aim of this study was to explore the immunomodulatory effects of the natural enantiomer (R)-Sulforaphane (SFN) and the possible signaling pathways involved in an ex vivo model of LPS-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore, we studied the epigenetic changes induced by (R)-SFN as well as the post-translational modifications of histone H3 (H3K9me3 and H3K18ac) in relation to the production of cytokines in murine splenocytes after LPS stimulation. (R)-SFN was able to modulate the inflammatory response and oxidative stress induced by LPS stimulation in murine peritoneal macrophages through the inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-18 and TNF-α) production by down-regulating the expression of pro-inflammatory enzymes (iNOS, COX-2 and mPGES-1). We also found that activation of the Nrf-2/HO-1 axis and inhibition of the JAK2/STAT-3, MAPK, canonical and non-canonical inflammasome signaling pathways could have been responsible for the immunomodulatory effects of (R)-SFN. Furthermore, (R)-SFN modulated epigenetic modifications through histone methylation (H3K9me3) and deacetylation (H3K18ac) in LPS-activated spleen cells. Collectively, our results suggest that (R)-SFN could be a promising epinutraceutical compound for the management of immunoinflammatory diseases.

N-Isopropylsulfinylimines vs. N-tert-butylsulfinylimines in the stereoselective synthesis of sterically hindered amines: an improved synthesis of enantiopure (R)- and (S)-rimantadine and the trifluoromethylated analogues

An improved fully stereoselective synthesis of both enantiomers of rimantadine and its trifluoromethylated analogues has been developed, using N-isopropylsulfinylimines as a starting chiral material, proving the superiority of the isopropyl group as a chiral inducer over the tert-butyl group in the case of hindered N-sulfinylimines.

Thermodynamic Resolution and Enantioselective Synthesis of C2-Symmetric Bis-sulfoxides Based on Chiral Iridium(III) Complexes

Enantiopure Λ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(MeCN)₂](PF₆) and Δ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(MeCN)₂](PF₆) (where dfppy is (4,6-difluoropheny)pyridine) were demonstrated to preferentially react with (S,S)-1,2-bis(arylsulfinyl)ethane and (R,R)-1,2-bis(arylsulfinyl)ethane, respectively, under thermodynamic equilibrium. Sequential treatment of Λ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(MeCN)₂](PF₆) and Δ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(MeCN)₂](PF₆) with C₂-symmetric bis-sulfoxides led to diastereoselective formation of the corresponding diastereomers Λ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(R,R)-bis-sulfoxide)](PF₆) in 90-92% and Δ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(S,S)-bis-sulfoxide)](PF₆) in 88-90%, respectively. The uncoordinated (R,S)-bis-sulfoxides were afforded in 45% with >97% de values. Enantiopure (S,S)-bis-sulfoxides and (R,R)-bis-sulfoxides were respectively obtained by the release of sulfoxide ligands from the corresponding complexes in the presence of glycine in yields of 20-21% with 97-99% ee values. The enantioreceptors Λ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(MeCN)₂](PF₆) and Δ-[Ir(dfppy)₂(MeCN)₂](PF₆) can be recycled and reused in the next reaction cycle. Moreover, a protocol for asymmetric oxidation of prochiral bis-sulfide into enantiopure C₂ symmetric bis-sulfoxide was also developed in a high enantioselectivity. The absolute configurations at the metal centers and sulfur atoms were determined by X-ray crystallography.

Steric Tuning of Sulfinamide/Sulfoxides as Chiral Ligands with C1, Pseudo-meso, and Pseudo-C2 Symmetries: Application in Rhodium(I)-Mediated Arylation

A new family of sulfinamide/sulfoxide derivatives was synthesized as chiral bidentate ligands by stereoselective additions of methylsulfinyl carbanions to N-tert-butylsulfinylimines. The new ligands, with C₁, pseudo-meso, and pseudo-C₂ symmetries, were successfully assayed in Rh-catalyzed additions of arylboronic acids to activated ketones. The sterically dissymmetric C₁ ligand (R_S,S_C,R_S)-N-[1-(phenylsulfinyl)-3-methylbut-2-yl] tert-butylsulfinamide turned out to be the optimal one, allowing the 1,4-additions of diverse arylboronic acids, on different α,β-unsaturated cyclic ketones with high chemical yields and enantioselectivities up to >99% ee.

Sulforaphane homologues: Enantiodivergent synthesis of both enantiomers, activation of the Nrf2 transcription factor and selective cytotoxic activity

Reported is an enantiodivergent approach for the synthesis of both enantiomers of sulforaphane (SFN) homologues with different chain lengths between the sulfinyl sulfur and the isothiocyanate groups and different substituents on the sulfinyl sulfur. The homologues were designed in order to unravel the effect of all the diversity elements included in sulforaphane's structure. The key step of the approach is the diastereoselective synthesis of both sulfinate ester epimers at sulfur, using as single chiral auxiliary the sugar derived diacetone-d-glucose. The approach allows the first synthesis of both enantiomers of 5-methylsulfinylpentyl isothiocyanate, and the biologically important 6-methylsulfinylhexyl isothiocyanate (6-HITC) found in Japanese horseradish, wasabi (Wasabia japonica). The ability of the synthesized compounds as inductors of phase II detoxifying enzymes has been studied by determining their ability to activate the cytoprotective transcription factor Nrf2. The cytotoxic activity of all the synthesized compounds against human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) and foetal lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) is also reported.

“Sulfolefin”: a mixed sulfinamido-olefin ligand in enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to trifluoromethyl ketones

Trifluoromethyl-substituted tertiary alcohols were obtained with good yields and enantioselectivities using the shelf stable sulfolefin-1 as a catalyst precursor.

Mechanism of the base-assisted displacement of chloride by alcohol in sulfinyl derivatives

A computational study with density functional theory (DFT) is carried out on the reaction between methyl sulfinyl chloride (MSC) and methanol in the presence of trimethylamine, a process which is a general model for two different methods used in practice for the obtention of chiral sulfoxides through dynamic kinetic resolution. Two mechanistic options are considered: in one of them, chloride is initially displaced by the base (ion pair mechanism), whereas in the other, chloride stays bound to sulfur until its final displacement by methoxy (neutral mechanism). In both cases, the approach of the alcohol to sulfur is coupled with a hydrogen transfer from methanol to the oxo group of MSC in a single concerted transition state. The presence of a trimethylamine molecule facilitates substantially the reaction by reducing the nucleophilic substitution barrier by more than 10 kcal/mol through the formation of a N-H bond with the hydrogen atom being transferred. The neutral mechanism presents a free energy barrier lower than the ion pair alternative and is thus preferred.

C2-Symmetric Bissulfoxides as Organocatalysts in the Allylation of Benzoyl Hydrazones: Spacer and Concentration Effects

A comparative study on the allylation of a benzoyl hydrazone with allyl trichlorosilane using monosulfoxides, methylene-bridged C2-symmetric bissulfoxides, and ethylene-bridged C2-symmetric bissulfoxides shows that the enantioselectivity of the process is highly dependent on the spacer between the two sulfinyl sulfurs and the concentration of the reaction.

Efficiency in nonenzymatic kinetic resolution

The Walden memorial at the Technical University in Riga is pictured in the frontispiece to mark the recent centennial of the Walden inversion. This is a rare public monument to key events from the first era of exploration in stereocontrolled synthesis, and may be the only such monument to use the language of organic chemistry expressed at the molecular level. The reaction of racemic substrates with chiral nucleophiles is one of many methods currently known to achieve kinetic resolution, a phenomenon that ranks as the oldest and most general approach for the synthesis of highly enantioenriched substances. The first nonenzymatic kinetic resolutions as well as the original forms of the Walden inversion were studied in the 1890s. All of these investigations were conducted within the first generation following the demonstration that carbon is tetrahedral, and provided abundant evidence that the principles and importance of enantiocontrolled syntheses were understood. However, a reliable, rapid technique to quantify results and guide the optimization process was still lacking. Many decades passed before this problem was solved by the advent of HPLC and GLPC assays on chiral supports, which stimulated explosive growth in the synthesis of nonracemic substances by kinetic resolution. The Walden monument is accessible to passers-by for hands-on inspection as well as for contemplation and learning. In a similar way, kinetic resolution is experimentally accessible and can be thought-provoking at several levels. We follow the story of kinetic resolution from the early discoveries through fascinating historical milestones and conceptual developments, and close with a focus on modern techniques that maximize efficiency.

The isopropylsulfinyl group: a useful chiral controller for the asymmetric aziridination of sulfinylimines and the organocatalytic allylation of hydrazones

[reaction: see text] A comparative study shows that the isopropylsulfinyl group for which an enantiodivergent and highly diastereoselective approach is reported behaves better than the tert-butylsulfinyl and p-tolylsulfinyl groups, both in terms of reactivity and stereoselectivity in the Corey-Chaykovsky reaction of chiral sulfinylimines and the organocatalytic allylation of acyl hydrazones.

Base-catalyzed inversion of chiral sulfur centers. A computational study

[reaction: see text] A theoretical study on the pyramidal inversion of the chiral sulfur compounds SO(X)(Me) (X = Cl, OMe, p-MePh) has been carried out by means of the DFT(Becke3LYP) method. Our results reveal that in the case of X = Cl, an organic tertiary amine such as NMe(3) can catalyze the racemization. The base-catalyzed inversion of SO(Cl)(Me) is proposed as a feasible dynamic kinetic resolution mechanism for the synthesis of chiral sulfoxides by the DAG method.

Titanium-catalyzed enantioselective additions of alkyl groups to aldehydes: mechanistic studies and new concepts in asymmetric catalysis

The catalytic asymmetric addition of alkyl groups to aldehydes is an important reaction in the enantioselective synthesis of secondary alcohols. This reaction can be catalyzed by zinc- or titanium-based catalysts. While the mechanism of the zinc/amino alcohol catalysts has received significant attention, the titanium-based catalysts have been less studied. This Account summarizes our mechanistic studies with bis(sulfonamide) and BINOL-derived titanium catalysts. It also describes our use of this reaction in the development of new approaches to asymmetric catalysis, including applications of diastereomeric catalysts and optimization of asymmetric catalysts with achiral and meso ligands.

Density functional study on the mechanism of the vanadium-catalyzed oxidation of sulfides by hydrogen peroxide

A computational study with the Becke3LYP method is carried out on the mechanism of the reaction of complexes V(O)(L)(OOH) and V(O)(LH)(OO) (L = O(CH)(3)N(CH(2))(2)O) with CH(3)S-SCH(3), a system that stands as a model for experimental systems where the metal complex contains larger chelating Schiff bases and the substrate is bis(tert-butyl) disulfide. The different possible isomers of both the hydroperoxo V(O)(L)(OOH) and the peroxo V(O)(LH)(OO) forms of the catalyst are explored, and the reactivity of the most stable among them with the dimethyl disulfide substrate is studied through location of the corresponding transition states. A large variety of reactive paths happen to exist, though in all cases the reaction takes place through a direct transfer process, with the simultaneous formation of the S-O bond and breaking of the O-O bond being the rate-limiting step.

Highly diastereoselective oxidation of 2-amino-2-deoxy-1-thio-beta-D-glucopyranosides: synthesis of imino sulfinylglycosides

A synthetic route to imino thioglycosides and to imino sulfinylglycosides has been developed. A detailed study on the diastereoselective oxidation of 2-amino-2-deoxy-1-thio-beta-D-glucopyranosides is reported. It has been shown that the stereochemical outcome of the oxidation is highly dependent on the protective group of the amine function. While the oxidation of iminothioglycosides is slightly diastereoselective (up to 30% de in favor of the R(S) sulfoxide), a single isomer is obtained in the case of tetrachlorophthalimido derivatives. The absolute configuration of the sulfinyl glycoside was ascertained by NMR analysis using our recent model on the basis of the exo-anomeric effect corroborated by X-ray crystallography.

Dynamic kinetic transformation of sulfinyl chlorides: synthesis of enantiomerically pure C(2)-symmetric bis-sulfoxides

Two modular and highly convergent approaches for the synthesis of both isomers of a large number of optically pure C(2)-symmetric bis-sulfoxides have been developed, and their scope and limitations have been assessed. The first one uses as intermediate diastereomerically pure C(2)-symmetric bis-sulfinate esters 6(S(S),S(S)) and 6(R(S),R(S)), obtained by dynamic kinetic resolution of ethane-1,2-bis-sulfinyl chloride 5. A single inducer of chirality, the glucose-derived DAG (diacetone-D-glucose) 1 is used for the enantioselective synthesis of both diastereomerically pure C(2)-symmetric bis-sulfinate esters, thanks to the opposite stereodirecting effect of pyridine and (i)Pr(2)NEt used to catalyze the reaction. The second approach is based on the copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling of optically pure lithiomethyl sulfoxides. Both isomers of a large number of methyl sulfoxides can be obtained in a convergent manner using (R(S))- and (S(S))-DAG methanesulfinate esters 8R(S) and 8S(S). Methanesulfinates 8R(S) and 8S(S) are also obtained in an enantioselective way by a dynamic kinetic resolution of methane sulfinyl chloride 24. The final bis-sulfoxides are obtained with enhanced enantioselectivities compared to the corresponding monomers, as a result of the Horeau effect which is operating in both approaches. A model based on the formation of pentacoordinated sulfur intermediate is proposed. This model can explain the dynamic kinetic resolution observed via Berry pseudorotations, without the commonly accepted in situ racemization of the starting material. The usefulness of the approaches is demonstrated by the preparation of complexes of Pd(II) and Ru(II) bearing bidentated chiral sulfoxides as ligands.