Asymmetric Ring-Opening of Epoxides Catalyzed by Metal–Salen Complexes

Water-enabling strategies for asymmetric catalysis

Water possesses unique advantages, including abundance, environmental friendliness and mild effects. Undoubtedly, it is an ideal solvent or reagent in chemical syntheses. Water also shows unique abilities in catalytic asymmetric synthesis. It can accelerate reaction rates, improve diastereo- or enantioselectivities, initiate reactions, diversify chemo, diastereo- or enantioselectivities through various effects (hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, protonation). Several reviews have demonstrated the positive effects of water in asymmetric synthesis. In this review, we summarize water-enabling strategies in the last decade, and focus on advances which reveal how water affects a reaction.

A Nuclearity-Dependent Enantiodivergent Epoxide Opening via Enthalpy-Controlled Mononuclear and Entropy-Controlled Dinuclear (Salen)Titanium Catalysis

A nuclearity-dependent enantiodivergent epoxide opening reaction has been developed, in which both antipodes of chiral alcohol products are selectively accessed by mononuclear (salen)TiIII complex and its self-assembled oxygen-bridged dinuclear counterparts within the same stereogenic ligand scaffold. Kinetic studies based on the Eyring equation revealed an enthalpy-controlled enantio-differentiation mode in mononuclear catalysis, whereas an entropy-controlled one in dinuclear catalysis. DFT calculations outline the origin of the enantiocontrol of the mononuclear catalysis and indicate the actual catalyst species in the dinuclear catalytic system. The mechanistic insights may shed a light on a strategy for stereoswichable asymmetric catalysis utilizing nuclearity-distinct transition-metal complexes.

Synthesis, characterization, biological studies and DFT study of Schiff Bases and their complexes derived from aromatic diamine compounds with cobalt (II)

Based on vanillin and diamine compounds (ortho phenylene diamine, meta phenylene diamine, 3,4- diamine toluene), derivation of two new Schiff base ligands (L1 and L2) was done, after which synthesis and treatment with Co (II) chloride was performed at a metal-to-ligand ratio of 1:1 to get two new complexes, i.e. [CoL3(H2O)2]Cl2 and [CoL1(H2O)2]Cl2. These complexes and ligands were characterized by employing NMR, IR, atomic absorption, UV visible absorption, molecular weight determination, molar conductance, and magnetic measurement techniques. As per the data, the ligands were found to be bidentate ligands that were linked to two azomethine nitrogen sites. It was suggested that these complexes were paramagnetic electrolyte compounds that possessed coordination number four. Screening of the ligands and metal complexes was done to assess their antimicrobial activities against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, which was found to show biological activity. Calculations using quantum chemistry were done to examine the molecule geometry. The investigation includes several quantum chemical characteristics derived from frontier molecular orbitals. Keywords: Schiff bases, transition metal complexes, vanillin, diamine aromatic compounds, antibacterial activity, DFT study.

Reactions of cobalt(ii) chloride and cobalt(ii) acetate with hemisalen-type ligands: ligand transformation, oxidation of cobalt and complex formation. Preliminary study on the cytotoxicity of Co(ii) and Co(iii) hemisalen complexes

Several molecular cobalt(ii) complexes, one Co(ii) coordination polymer and one ionic cobalt(iii) complex with imine hemisalen ligands were synthesized. The hemisalen ligands were synthesized from o-vanillin (oVP) and diverse aminopyridines (compounds HL1-HL4) or aminophenol (compound HL5). It was observed that cobalt(ii) chloride in dry acetonitrile catalyzes a transformation of HL1 and HL3 instead of complex formation. The conversion of these imines proceeded via self-cyclization to N-2''-pyridyl-2,6-dioxo-9-aza-[c,g]di-2'-methoxybenzo nonan or its methyl derivative as the major product. The remaining reactions were performed using imines HL1-HL5 and cobalt(ii) acetate Co(Ac)₂ in methanol or DMSO/acetonitrile resulting in forming a series of cobalt complexes. The following series of compounds was obtained: two similar tetrahedral molecular Co(ii) complexes [Co(L1)₂] and [Co(L3)₂], one trinuclear, mixed-ligand Co₃(Ac)₂(L4)₂(oVP)₂, one coordination polymer {Co(L2)₂}_∞ and finally one octahedral anionic Co(iii) complex [HNEt₃][Co(L5)₃]. The latter complex formed in a cobalt(ii) acetate reaction with a hemisalen HL5 derived from oVP and 2-aminophenol. The molecular structures of all compounds were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, and the cytotoxicity of Co(ii) and Co(iii) complexes towards cancer cell lines HCT116, HL-60 and normal cell line MRC-5 was studied.

Mechanochemical synthesis of unsymmetrical salens for the preparation of Co–salen complexes and their evaluation as catalysts for the synthesis of α-aryloxy alcohols via asymmetric phenolic kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides

In this paper, we report the mechanochemical synthesis of unsymmetrical salens using grinding and ball milling technologies, respectively, both of which were afforded in good yield. The chelating effect of the unsymmetrical salens with zinc, copper, and cobalt was studied and the chiral Co–salen complex 2f was obtained in 98% yield. Hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of epichlorohydrin with water catalyzed by complex 2f (0.5 mol %) was explored and resulted in 98% ee, suggesting complex 2f could serve as an enantioselective catalyst for the asymmetric ring opening of terminal epoxides by phenols. A library of α-aryloxy alcohols 3 was thereafter synthesized in good yield and high ee using 2f via the phenolic KR of epichlorohydrin.

Ni/Photoredox-Catalyzed Enantioselective Cross-Electrophile Coupling of Styrene Oxides with Aryl Iodides

A Ni/photoredox-catalyzed enantioselective reductive coupling of styrene oxides and aryl iodides is reported. This reaction affords access to enantioenriched 2,2-diarylalcohols from racemic epoxides via a stereoconvergent mechanism. Multivariate linear regression (MVLR) analysis with 29 bioxazoline (BiOx) and biimidazoline (BiIm) ligands revealed that enantioselectivity correlates with electronic properties of the ligands, with more electron-donating ligands affording higher ee's. Experimental and computational mechanistic studies were conducted, lending support to the hypothesis that reductive elimination is enantiodetermining and the electronic character of the ligands influences the enantioselectivity by altering the position of the transition state structure along the reaction coordinate. This study demonstrates the benefits of utilizing statistical modeling as a platform for mechanistic understanding and provides new insight into an emerging class of chiral ligands for stereoconvergent Ni and Ni/photoredox cross-coupling.

New Trends in Asymmetric Catalysis

As far back as the mid-nineteenth century, the studies of Louis Pasteur brought to light the essential role of molecular chirality in biology [...]

Imine-functionalized polysiloxanes for supramolecular elastomers with tunable mechanical properties

A series of imine-functionalized polysiloxanes were reported for the first time and used to build supramolecular coordination elastomers.