Molecular Dynamics-Based Models Explain the Unexpected Diastereoselectivity of the Sharpless Asymmetric Dihydroxylation of Allyl D-Xylosides

Abstract

The catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation of several allyl 2-O-benzyl-α-D-xylosides with AD-mix β and PYR(DHQD)2 shows almost no diastereofacial selectivity if the 3- and 4-OH groups are unprotected or acetylated. Acetal, benzyl ethers and benzoyl esters enhance the diastereoselectivity, in the opposite sense to that predicted by the “AD mnemonic”, which is completely lost using AD-mix α. In an attempt to understand this behaviour, computational studies of the asymmetric dihydroxylation (AD) of olefins using Sharpless' and Corey's catalysts have been carried out using molecular dynamics. A three-step algorithm was developed taking advantage of the enzyme-like behaviour of catalyst-olefin systems and applied using an ESFF force field. To validate our approach, the first sampling step procedure was then refined and performed using a modified CVFF force field. This led to a U-shaped model in good agreement with that proposed by Corey for the AD of allyl 4-methoxybenzoates, which brings to the fore a role for the methoxy group. This model also accounts for the observed enantioselectivity of styrene dihydroxylation. When applied to the AD of allyl xylosides using AD-mix β, our model accounts well for the observed diastereoselectivity. Both synthetic and modelling results confirmed that aromatic groups on the olefin could be involved in π-π stacking interactions with the aromatic rings of the catalyst and should be important, if not a prerequisite, to achieve high enantio- and diastereoselectivity.