Virtual issue on absolute structure

A Holistic Approach to Determining Stereochemistry of Potential Pharmaceuticals by Circular Dichroism with β-Lactams as Test Cases

This paper's main objective is to show that many different factors must be considered when solving stereochemical problems to avoid misleading conclusions and obtain conclusive results from the analysis of spectroscopic properties. Particularly in determining the absolute configuration, the use of chiroptical methods is crucial, especially when other techniques, including X-ray crystallography, fail, are not applicable, or give inconclusive results. Based on various β-lactam derivatives as models, we show how to reliably determine their absolute configuration (AC) and preferred conformation from circular dichroism (CD) spectra. Comprehensive CD analysis, employing both approaches, i.e., traditional with their sector and helicity rules, and state-of-the-art supported by quantum chemistry (QC) calculations along with solvation models for both electronic (ECD) and vibrational (VCD) circular dichroism ranges, allows confident defining stereochemistry of the β-lactams studied. Based on an in-depth analysis of the results, we have shown that choosing a proper chiroptical method/s strictly depends on the specific case and certain structural features.

The Publications of Howard Flack (1943–2017)

Howard Flack was a driving force in the development of modern crystallography. Today “the Flack parameter” has entered into the common parlance of crystallography but his influence was far wider. This article provides an overview of his scientific output and a full bibliography.

Ethyl (3S)-3-[(3aR,5R,6S,6aR)-6-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyltetrahydrofuro[4,5-d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl]-3-{(3S)-3-[(3aR,5R,6S,6aR)-6-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyltetrahydrofuro[4,5-d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl]-5-oxoisoxazolidin-2-yl}propanoate chloroform monosolvate

The Flack and Watkin 2AD plot based on 1941 acentric Friedel pairs for the title chloro­form solvate shows that the observed intensity differences for Friedel opposites are dominated by random and systematic errors, erasing information about resonant scattering.

The title compound, C₂₂H₃₃NO₁₂·CHCl₃, was obtained as a product of a double aza-Michael addition of hydroxyl­amine on a Chiron with a known absolute configuration. The enanti­opure compound crystallized as a chloro­form solvate, in space group P1, and diffraction data were collected at room temperature with Ag Kα radiation. The Flack parameter refined to x = −0.01 (16); however, the Flack and Watkin 2AD plot clearly shows that differences between Friedel opposites (the D component of the plot) do not carry any reliable information about resonant scattering of Cl atoms, and are rather dominated by random and systematic errors. The R_D factor calculated using 1941 acentric Friedel pairs is R_D = 0.995. On the other hand, the 2A component of the plot, related to average intensities of Friedel pairs, shows that data are of good quality (R_A = 0.069). This example illustrates that while using Ag Kα radiation (λ = 0.56083 Å), scatterers heavier than Cl should be present in a chiral crystal in order to determine confidently the absolute structure of the crystal.

Absolute-structure reports

All the 139 noncentrosymmetric crystal structures published inActa Crystallographica Section Cbetween January 2011 and November 2012 inclusive have been used as the basis of a detailed study of the reporting of absolute structure. These structure determinations cover a wide range of space groups, chemical composition and resonant-scattering contribution. DefiningAandDas the average and difference of the intensities of Friedel opposites, their level of fit has been examined using 2ADand selected-Dplots. It was found, regardless of the expected resonant-scattering contribution to Friedel opposites, that the Friedel-difference intensities are often dominated by random uncertainty and systematic error. An analysis of data collection strategy is provided. It is found that crystal-structure determinations resulting in a Flack parameter close to 0.5 may not necessarily be from crystals twinned by inversion. Friedifstatis shown to be a robust estimator of the resonant-scattering contribution to Friedel opposites, very little affected by the particular space group of a structure nor by the occupation of special positions. There is considerable confusion in the text of papers presenting achiral noncentrosymmetric crystal structures. Recommendations are provided for the optimal way of treating noncentrosymmetric crystal structures for which the experimenter has no interest in determining the absolute structure.<!?tpb=25.7pt>

Use of intensity quotients and differences in absolute structure refinement

Several methods for absolute structure refinement were tested using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected using Cu Kα radiation for 23 crystals with no element heavier than oxygen: conventional refinement using an inversion twin model, estimation using intensity quotients in SHELXL2012, estimation using Bayesian methods in PLATON, estimation using restraints consisting of numerical intensity differences in CRYSTALS and estimation using differences and quotients in TOPAS-Academic where both quantities were coded in terms of other structural parameters and implemented as restraints. The conventional refinement approach yielded accurate values of the Flack parameter, but with standard uncertainties ranging from 0.15 to 0.77. The other methods also yielded accurate values of the Flack parameter, but with much higher precision. Absolute structure was established in all cases, even for a hydrocarbon. The procedures in which restraints are coded explicitly in terms of other structural parameters enable the Flack parameter to correlate with these other parameters, so that it is determined along with those parameters during refinement.