Absolute Configuration of Bromochlorofluoromethane from Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Its Enantioselective Complexation by Cryptophane-C

Enantiopure cryptophane derivatives: Synthesis and chiroptical properties

This review addresses the synthesis of enantiopure cryptophane and the study of their chiroptical properties. Cryptophane derivatives represent an important class of macrocyclic compounds that can bind a large range of species in solution under different conditions. The overwhelming majority of these host molecules is chiral, and their chiroptical properties have been thoroughly investigated. The first part of this review is dedicated to the optical resolution and the synthesis of enantiopure cryptophane derivatives. In a second part, the study of the chiroptical properties of these molecular hosts by different techniques such as electronic and vibrational circular dichroism and Raman optical activity is detailed. These techniques allow the determination of the absolute configuration of cryptophane derivatives and provide useful information about their conformation in different conditions.

Synthesis of Cyclotriveratrylene-Sucrose-Based Capsules

Cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) is a C₃-symmetrical macrocycle, which can be used as a chiral building block in the construction of supramolecular containers. Coupling of the CTV unit with a sucrose molecule gave enantiopure water-soluble (after deprotection) containers. The absolute configuration of the synthesized capsules was determined by NMR and ECD spectroscopies and DFT calculations.

Efficient resolution of racemic crown-shaped cyclotriveratrylene derivatives and isolation and characterization of the intermediate saddle isomer

The preparative resolution of a trifunctionalized C₃-symmetrical chiral cyclotriveratrylene derivative was achieved via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a chiral stationary phase. This approach is a promising alternative to the previously reported resolution through formation of diastereomeric esters because it involves fewer synthetic steps and is less prone to thermal (re)racemization. During these studies an intermediate saddle conformer could also be isolated and characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The HPLC separation method was further developed in order to allow investigations on the racemization behavior of the cyclotriveratrylene derivative.

Xe affinities of water-soluble cryptophanes and the role of confined water

Simulations provide molecular insight on the aqueous binding of Xe to cryptophanes.

Given their relevance to drug design and chemical sensing, host–guest interactions are of broad interest in molecular science. Natural and synthetic host molecules provide vehicles for understanding selective molecular recognition in aqueous solution. Here, cryptophane–Xe host–guest systems are considered in aqueous media as a model molecular system that also has important applications. ¹²⁹Xe–cryptophane systems can be used in the creation of biosensors and powerful contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging applications. Detailed molecular information on the determinants of Xe affinity is difficult to obtain experimentally. Thus, molecular simulation and free energy perturbation methods were applied to estimate the affinities of Xe for six water-soluble cryptophanes. The calculated affinities correlated well with the previously measured experimental values. The simulations provided molecular insight on the differences in affinities and the roles of conformational fluctuations, solvent, and counter ions on Xe binding to these host molecules. Displacement of confined water from the host interior cavity is a key component of the binding equilibrium, and the average number of water molecules within the host cavity is correlated with the free energy of Xe binding to the different cryptophanes. The findings highlight roles for molecular simulation and design in modulating the relative strengths of host–guest and host–solvent interactions.

Enantiopure supramolecular cages: synthesis and chiral recognition properties

Enantiopure compounds are ubiquitous in the chemical sciences and present a particular interest in the field of molecular recognition and host-guest systems. Indeed, chiral molecular receptors are at the basis of numerous biological recognition processes and have important implications in biochemistry or pharmacology. Chemists have been investigating this field for several decades, which has led to the development of the synthesis of chiral hosts, their enantiomeric differentiation, and the studies of their recognition properties towards important and bio-relevant chiral guest substrates. The design of molecular cages is a rather difficult task that is even more demanding when enantiopure molecules are required. In this review we chose to present the main families of synthetic organic supramolecular cages that have been developed, whose structures contain stereogenic centers or present an inherent chirality, giving rise to chiral supramolecular cages. Particular attention is given to obtaining enantiopure compounds. Their recognition properties are also underlined. A last important aspect of the review is to present how chiroptical spectroscopies can be used to characterize the recognition phenomena displayed by supramolecular cages.

Synthesis of enantiopure, trisubstituted cryptophane-A derivatives

The efficient synthesis of enantiopure, trisubstituted cryptophane-A derivatives, organic host molecules with unusually high xenon affinity, is reported. Synthesis and chromatographic separation of (±) tri-Mosher's acid substituted cryptophane diastereomers gave ready access to the enantiopure cryptophanes, which are critical components in the design of enantiomerically pure (129)Xe biosensors. Hyperpolarized (129)Xe NMR spectroscopy identified single resonances for both trisubstituted cryptophane diastereomers that were separated by 9.5 ppm. This highlights opportunities for using enantiopure xenon biosensors in the simultaneous detection of (129)Xe in different biochemical environments.

Progress toward the first observation of parity violation in chiral molecules by high-resolution laser spectroscopy

Parity violation (PV) effects in chiral molecules have so far never been experimentally observed. To take up this challenge, a consortium of physicists, chemists, theoreticians, and spectroscopists has been established and aims at measuring PV energy differences between two enantiomers by using high-resolution laser spectroscopy. In this article, we present our common strategy to reach this goal, the progress accomplished in the diverse areas, and point out directions for future PV observations. The work of André Collet on bromochlorofluoromethane (1) enantiomers, their synthesis, and their chiral recognition by cryptophanes made feasible the first generation of experiments presented in this article.

Diastereomeric Xe chemical shifts in tethered cryptophane cages

Cryptophane cages serve as host molecules to a Xe atom. Functionalization of cryptophane-A has permitted the development of Xe as a biosensor. Synthetic routes used to prepare cryptophanes result in racemic mixtures of the chiral cages. In the preparation of a tethered cryptophane-A cage for biosensor applications, some achiral and chiral substituents such as left-handed amino acids have been used. When the substituent is achiral, the NMR signal of the Xe atom in the functionalized cage in solution is a single isotropic peak, since the Xe shielding tensor components in the R and L cages differ by no more than the signs of the off-diagonal elements. Chiral substituents can split the cage-encapsulated Xe NMR signal into one or more sets of doublets, depending on the number of asymmetric centers in the substituent. We carry out quantum mechanical calculations of Xe nuclear magnetic shielding for the Xe atom at the same strategic position within an L cryptophane-A cage, under the influence of chiral potentials that represent r or l substituents outside the cage. Calculations of the Xe shielding response in the Lr and Ll diastereomeric pairs permit the prediction of the relative order of the Xe chemical shifts in solutions containing the Rl and Ll diastereomers. Where the substituent itself possesses two chiral centers, comparison of the calculated isotropic shielding responses in the Llr, Lrl, Rll, and Lrr systems, respectively, permits the prediction of the Xe spectrum of diastereomeric systems in solutions containing Llr, Rlr, Lll, and Rll systems. Assignment of the peaks observed in the experimental Xe NMR spectra is therefore possible, without having to undertake the difficult synthetic route that produces a single optically pure enantiomer.

Chlorofluoroiodomethane as a potential candidate for parity violation measurements

CHFClI is among the more favorable molecules for parity violation (PV) measurements in molecules. Despite the fact that calculated PV effects are two orders of magnitude smaller than in some organometallic compounds, CHFClI displays interesting features which could make possible a new experimental PV test on this molecule. Indeed, ultrahigh resolution spectroscopy using an ultrastable CO(2) laser is favored by several intrinsic properties of this molecule. For example, the high vapor pressure of CHFClI allows investigation by supersonic beam spectroscopy. Indeed, the spectroscopic constants have been accurately determined by microwave and millimetre wave spectroscopy. This is important for the subsequent selection of an appropriate absorption band of CHFClI that could be brought to coïncide with the absorption of CO(2). Partially resolved (+)- and (-)-CHFClI enantiomers with respectively 63.3 and 20.5% ee's have been recently prepared and analyzed by molecular recognition using chiral hosts called cryptophanes. Finally, the S-(+)/R-(-) absolute configuration was ascertained by vibrational circular dichroïsm (VCD) in the gas phase.

Recent experimental and theoretical developments towards the observation of parity violation (PV) effects in molecules by spectroscopy

Parity violation (PV) at the molecular level is known to be responsible for a tiny energy difference between the two enantiomers of a chiral molecule. This parity violation energy difference (PVED) has not yet been detected by experiment. In the last few years, the search for PV effects in molecules has made important steps ahead for several reasons. On one hand, very accurate infra-red spectroscopy measurements were performed by metrologists on bromochlorofluoromethane (CHFClBr) with a 10 Hz accuracy, which so far is the most precise. On the other hand, relativistic calculations were used for the evaluation of DeltaE(PV) allowing for a screening of favorable molecules for future measurements. The synthesis of such chiral molecules with high parity violation effects is currently being investigated. In memory of Professor Jean-Bernard Robert.

Direct Assignment of Enantiofacial Discrimination on Single Heterocyclic Substrates by Self-induced CD

The first direct assignment of highly dynamic enantiofacial discrimination acting on a single heterocyclic substrate has been achieved by a combination of experimental and theoretical CD spectroscopy. The interaction of chirally modified hosts based on triphenylene ketals with appropriate prochiral guests can lead to the preferential formation of one diastereomeric host-guest complex. This reversible stereoselective binding transmits the chiral information from remote chiral groups in the host to the strongly absorbing triphenylene chromophore, which gives rise to self-induced CD. This effect was exploited for the determination of the enantiofacial recognition in various host-guest systems. Inversion of the steric demand either of the chiral substituents at the host or of the prochiral guest leads to almost complete inversion of the resulting CD spectra. For the assignment of the absolute stereochemistry of the complexes, a combined molecular dynamics/quantum-chemical approach was successfully employed. Despite the size and the highly dynamic character of the supramolecular systems, fundamental properties of the systems and details of the spectra were simulated accurately, providing access to fast and reliable assignment of the enantiofacial preference. The results are highly consistent with available X-ray data.

Chiral Trialkanolamine-Based Hemicryptophanes: Synthesis and Oxovanadium Complex

[reaction: see text] A novel class of chiral hemicryptophane hosts has been synthesized in diastereoisomerically pure form, namely, M-(R,R,R)-1a/P-(S,S,S)-1a and M-(S,S,S)-1b/P-(R,R,R)-1b. The C3-symmetrical precursor 9 was prepared, using either (R)- or (S)-glycidyl nosylate, repectively, as the chiral pool reactant and subsequently cyclized (trimerized) in the presence of Sc(OTf)3. The four stereoisomers were fully characterized and displayed two pairs of mirror-image CD spectra, which were used to determine their absolute configuration. The formation of the oxovanadium(V) complex of hemicryptophane 1a is also reported.

Gas-chromatographic separation of tri(hetero)halogenomethane enantiomers

Five-atomic tri(hetero)halogenomethanes represent the simplest class of non-isotopic small chiral molecules suitable for the study of fundamental aspects of chirality. The analytical gas-chromatographic separation of the enantiomers of bromochlorofluoromethane 1 and of chlorofluoroiodomethane 2 on the immobilized chiral stationary phase octakis(3-O-butanoyl-2,6-di-O-n-pentyl)-gamma-cyclodextrin 3, chemically linked to polydimethylsiloxane, is described. By temperature-dependent thermodynamic measurements very low isoenantioselective temperatures T(iso) are found and for optimum enantiomeric separations cryogenic temperatures are required. The ee values of enantiomerically enriched tri(hetero)halogenomethanes 1 and 2 are determined and relative configurations are correlated with the chromatographic elution order of 1 and 2 on 3.

Search for resolution of chiral fluorohalogenomethanes and parity-violation effects at the molecular level

The first observation of a parity-violation effect in molecules induced by weak interactions is still a dream that requires the synthesis and, eventually, the resolution of the enantiomers of well-chosen simple chiral molecules together with an appropriate experimental set-up for high-resolution spectroscopy. Performing IR spectroscopy on highly enantiomerically enriched samples of bromochlorofluoromethane succeeded in giving an upper limit of 10(-13) for the relative vibrational energy difference between the two enantiomers. These results led us to conceive a new experimental set-up based on a supersonic molecular beam and to work on other chiral molecules, such as chlorofluoroiodomethane. A synthesis of (+/-)-CHCIFI from racemic chlorofluoroiodoacetic acid should, in the near future permit the preparation of optically active samples of this haloform. The development of molecular beam spectroscopy using a two-photon Ramsey-fringes experiment should allow us to reach the precision needed to observe parity violation. These experimental challenges, which stimulate a close collaboration between chemists and physicists, are presented. The success of these projects would open the route to new information on the molecular Hamiltonian, a better knowledge of the electroweak interaction, and a better control of the various chirality-related properties of simple molecules.

Monitoring the differential ordering of enantiomers included into cyclodextrins through deuterium NMR in lyotropic liquid crystals

Deuterium NMR in an aqueous non-chiral liquid crystal allows the discrimination of enantiomers through their ordering inside beta-cyclodextrins.

Chiral softballs: synthesis and molecular recognition properties

Studies on the different congeners of the softball were undertaken to explore structural variants for enantioselective encapsulation. Two different spacer elements in the monomeric subunit render the dimeric softball chiral although the monomer itself is achiral. The dimers represent capsules with dissymmetric cavities with volumes ranging from 190 to 390 A(3). The cavities are distorted spheres, and asymmetric guests, such as naturally occurring terpenes, generally prefer one enantiomer of the capsule to its mirror image. The selectivities are moderate (up to 4:1). The complexation studies show that the host capsules are flexible enough to arrange themselves comfortably around a guest but still maintain enough rigidity to be influenced by the occupancy of a chiral guest. The enantiomeric capsules can interconvert (racemize) by dissociation and recombination of their subunits.

Creation of novel chiral cryptophanes by a self-assembling method utilizing a pyridyl-Pd(II) interaction

[structure: see text]. This Letter demonstrates the molecular design of novel self-assembled chiral cryptophanes. Mediated by square-planar Pd(II) complexes, racemic pyridyl cyclotriveratrylene derivative rac-2 self-assembles into mixtures of racemic chiral cryptophanes and meso cryptophanes (1), which interconvert with each other, and the rates are remarkably enhanced by the addition of a slight excess of rac-2. On the other hand, optically resolved P-2 or M-2 self-assembles into the chiral cryptophane as the only product.

Guest exchange in an encapsulation complex: a supramolecular substitution reaction

Encapsulation complexes are reversibly formed assemblies in which small molecule guests are completely surrounded by large molecule hosts. The assemblies are held together by weak intermolecular forces and are dynamic: they form and dissipate on time scales ranging from milliseconds to days-long enough for many interactions, even reactions, to take place within them. Little information is available on the exchange process, how guests get in and out of these complexes. Here we report that these events can be slow enough for conventional kinetic studies, and reactive intermediates can be detected. Guest exchange has much in common with familiar chemical substitution reactions, but differs in some respects: no covalent bonds are made or broken, the substrate is an assembly rather than a single molecule, and at least four molecules are involved in multiple rate-determining steps.

Chiral spaces: dissymmetric capsules through self-assembly

Molecules with self-complementary surfaces interact through weak intermolecular forces to form assemblies, and the assembled states frequently exhibit distinctive properties. Described here are systems in which symmetrical molecules assemble through hydrogen bonding to produce capsules with dissymmetric cavities. The capsules form and dissipate on a time scale that permits their direct observation by nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, and they act as hosts for smaller molecular guests. Molecular recognition of chiral guests, such as naturally occurring terpenes, determines which dissymmetric cavities are preferentially formed in the assembly process.