Chiral Self-recognition Research Articles

Pronounced Self-Induced Diastereomeric Anisochronism in Anisidine Amino Acid Diamides.

The emergent properties resulting from selective supramolecular interactions are of significant importance for materials and chemical systems. For the directed use of such properties, a fundamental understanding of the interaction mechanism and the resulting mode of function is necessary for a tailored design. The self-induced diastereomeric anisochronism effect (SIDA), which occurs in the intermolecular interaction of chiral molecules, generates unique properties such as chiral self-recognition and nonlinear effects. Here we show that anisidine amino acid diamides lead to extraordinary signal splitting in NMR spectra through supramolecular interaction and homochiral self-recognition. By systematic experiments we have investigated the underlying SIDA effect, explored its limits and finally successfully utilized it in the determination of enantiomeric ratios by NMR spectroscopy of chiral 'SIDA-inactive' compounds such as thalidomide.

Homochiral vs. heterochiral preference in chiral self-recognition of cyclic diols.

The structure and clustering propensity of a chiral derivative of cis-1,2-cyclohexanediol, namely, 1-phenyl-cis-1,2-cyclohexanediol (cis-PCD), has been studied under supersonic expansion conditions by combining laser spectroscopy with quantum chemistry calculations. The presence of the phenyl substituent induces conformational locking relative to cis-1,2-cyclohexanediol (cis-CD), and only one conformer of the bare molecule is observed by both Raman and IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy. The homochiral preference inferred for the dimer formation at low enough temperature is in line with the formation of a conglomerate in the solid state. The change in clustering propensity in cis-PCD relative to trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol (trans-CD), which shows heterochiral preference, is explained by the presence of the phenyl substituent rather than the effect of cis-trans isomerism. Indeed the transiently chiral cis-CD also forms preferentially heterodimers, whose structure is very close to that of the corresponding trans-CD dimer.

Chiral Carbon Nanorings: Synthesis, Properties and Hierarchical Self-assembly of Chiral Ternary Complexes Featuring a Narcissistic Chiral Self-Recognition for Chiral Amines.

We report the synthesis and chiroptical properties of novel chiral carbon nanorings Sp-/Rp-[12]PCPP containing a planar chiral [2.2]PCP unit, and demonstrate that Sp-/Rp-[12]PCPP can not only host crown ether 18-Crown-6 to form ring-in-ring complexes with a binding constant 3.35×103 M-1 , but also accommodate the complexes of 18-Crown-6 and S/R-protonated amines to form homochiral S@Sp-/R@Rp- and heterochiral S@Rp-/R@Sp- ternary complexes, displaying significantly larger binding constants of up to 3.31×105 M-1 depending on the chiral guests. Importantly, homochiral S@Sp-/R@Rp- ternary complexes exhibit an enhanced CD signal, while the heterochiral S@Rp-/R@Sp- ones have a constant CD signal compared with the chiral carbon nanorings, respectively, which suggests that homochiral S@Sp-/R@Rp- ternary complexes display a highly narcissistic chiral self-recognition for S/R-protonated chiral amines, respectively. Finally, the chiral ternary complexes can be further applied to determine the ee values of chiral guests. The findings highlight a new application of carbon nanorings in supramolecular sensors, beyond the common recognition of π-conjugated molecules.

Turning Enantiomeric Relationships into Diastereomeric Ones: Self-Resolving α-Ureidophosphonates and Their Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis

Controlling chiral recognition and chiral information transfer has major implications in areas ranging from drug design and asymmetric catalysis to supra- and macromolecular chemistry. Especially intriguing are phenomena associated with chiral self-recognition. The design of systems that show self-induced recognition of enantiomers, i.e., involving homochiral versus heterochiral dimers, is particularly challenging. Here, we report the chiral self-recognition of α-ureidophosphonates and its application as both a powerful analytical tool for enantiomeric ratio determination by NMR and as a convenient way to increase their enantiomeric purity by simple achiral column chromatography or fractional precipitation. A combination of NMR, X-ray, and DFT studies indicates that the formation of homo- and heterochiral dimers involving self-complementary intermolecular hydrogen bonds is responsible for their self-resolving properties. It is also shown that these often unnoticed chiral recognition phenomena can facilitate the stereochemical analysis during the development of new asymmetric transformations. As a proof of concept, the enantioselective organocatalytic hydrophosphonylation of alkylidene ureas toward self-resolving α-ureidophosphonates is presented, which also led us to the discovery of the largest family of self-resolving compounds reported to date.

Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly of Complexes Constructed from Two Helical Ligands: Synthesis, Structures, and Selective Gas Adsorption Properties.

Two helical ligands (L1 and L2) were designed and synthesized by a Schiff base condensation reaction. Eight complexes, {[Zn(L1)I2]·H2O}n (1), [Cd2(L1)2I4(CH3OH)2] (2), [Hg2(L1)2I4] (3), [Ag(L1)NO3]n (4), [Ag2(L1)2(NO3)2DMSO]·H2O (5), {[Zn2(L2)2Cl4]·2CHCl3}n (6), {[Ag(L2)]·NO3}n (7), and {[Ag(L2)NO3]·CH3OH}n (8), were synthesized and characterized based on these two ligands. The crystal structures show that both Schiff base compounds exist as racemic ligands with equal amounts of P- and M-helicity, and the assembly of these racemic ligands with metal ions can lead to homochiral or heterochiral complexes via a chiral self-recognition or self-discrimination process. Complexes 2, 3, and 5 exist as heterochiral metallomacrocycles with a figure-eight conformation. Complexes 1, 6, and 8 exist as one-dimensional (1D) homochiral helical chain coordination polymers, while complexes 4 and 7 exist as 1D heterochiral helical chain coordination polymers. Furthermore, gas and vapor adsorption measurements show that all of the synthesized complexes exhibit good selective adsorption capacities toward methanol and ethanol vapor over N2, H2, and O2.

Chiral Self-Recognition and Self-Discrimination Processes in Different Subphthalocyanine Aggregation Regimes

We have recently shown that, as a result of its rigid cone-shaped structure, racemic SubPcs trisubstituted with peripheral amides can self-assemble in two distinct regimes as a function of the solvent environment.1 In toluene, an apolar aromatic medium that can efficiently solvate p-surfaces, such compounds associate as tail-to-tail dimers (regime A). In methylcyclohexane (MCH), in contrast, they undergo a cooperative supramolecular polymerization process to yield non-centrosymmetric head-to-tail columnar stacks (regime B).2 SubPcs, being intrinsically chiral molecule, constitutes an ideal probe to study chiral self-sorting processes, which is the objective of this work. As depicted in the figure below, a racemic mixture of a trisubstituted SubPc can in principle self-assemble into different species. Homochiral dimers/polymers may form through a chiral self-recognition process: each enantiomer has a preference to aggregate with itself leading to helical supramolecular structures with a preferred handedness. At the other extreme, heterochiral dimers/polymers would be instead formed via a chiral self-discrimination process, where each enantiomer prefers to associate with the other, yielding purely racemic dimers/polymers displaying no predilection for a given helical sense. As an intermediate case, the enantiomers might show no strong self-sorting preference and yield statistical dimers/polymers.[1] C. G. Claessens, D. González-Rodríguez, M. S. Rodríguez-Morgade, A. Medina, T. Torres, Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 2192.[2] (a) J. Calbo, J. Aragó, P. M. Viruela, E. Ortí, T. Torres, D. González-Rodríguez, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 2543; (b) M. J. Mayoral, J. Guilleme, J. Calbo, J. Aragó, F. Aparicio, E. Ortí, T. Torres, D. González-Rodríguez, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020 , 142, 21017. Figure 1

Polymerization/depolymerization of chiral metallo-supramolecular assembly induced by redox change.

We report on the polymerization/depolymerization of chiral metallo-supramolecular assembly by CuI /CuII redox change. By combining a monotopic enantiopure ligand with a ditopic ligand of opposite configuration, ML2 -type complexes are generated with chiral self-recognition or self-discrimination depending on the oxidation state of copper. In presence of CuI , the formation of heterochiral complexes is favored, thus generating dinuclear species whereas CuII advocates for the formation of homochiral species, namely, a mixture of mononuclear species and metallo-supramolecular polymeric species. Thus, cyclic voltammetry was used to study such a chirality-induced stimulus sensitive polymerization/depolymerization process.

Dynamic chiral self-recognition in aromatic dimers of styrene oxide revealed by rotational spectroscopy

Chiral molecular recognition is a pivotal phenomenon in biomolecular science, governed by subtle balances of intermolecular forces that are difficult to quantify. Non-covalent interactions involving aromatic moieties are particularly important in this realm, as recurring motifs in biomolecular aggregation. In this work, we use high-resolution broadband rotational spectroscopy to probe the dynamic conformational landscape enclosing the self-pairing topologies of styrene oxide, a chiral aromatic system. We reach a definite assignment of four homochiral and two heterochiral dimers using auxiliary quantum chemistry calculations as well as structure-solving methods based on experimental isotopic information. A complete picture of the dimer conformational space is obtained, and plausible routes for conformational relaxation are derived. Molecular structures are discussed in terms of conformational flexibility, the concerted effort of weak intermolecular interactions, and their role in the expression of the molecular fit.

Heterochiral Self‐Discrimination‐Driven Supramolecular Self‐Assembly of Decanuclear Gold(I)‐Sulfido Complexes into 2D Nanostructures with Chiral Anions‐Tuned Morphologies

Chiral self-recognition and self-discrimination are of vital importance to biological processes. In this work, 2D regular rhombic nanocrystals (RS-NC) were fabricated through heterochiral self-discrimination between chiral polynuclear gold(I)-sulfido complex enantiomers, [(R-BINAP)4 Au10 S4 ]Cl2 (R-Au10 ) and [(S-BINAP)4 Au10 S4 ]Cl2 (S-Au10 ), in MeOH without the need for any surfactants or templates. The monitoring of nanocrystals (NCs) formation by TEM and DLS has uncovered the self-assembly process and shape evolution of the NCs and revealed a screw-dislocation dictated spiral growth of the rhombic NCs. Upon addition of chiral anions, the morphology of the gold NCs was found to change from rhombic to strip and quasi-hexagonal nanosheets, arising from reverse and rotational layer-by-layer stacking to give the bilayer NCs. By applying a high temperature, rhombic gold nanoisland films were obtained from the rhombic NCs. The current study has provided a simple strategy towards the construction of regular geometric 2D NCs as well as their chiral anion-tuned and reverse and rotational stacking-determined morphology change by heterochiral self-discrimination.

Role of non-covalent interactions to dictate chiral selective self-assembly in Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) complexes of a racemic 1,2-dihydroquinazolinone ligand

Managing chirality at supramolecular level is an important aspect in crystal packing of chiral organic and organometallic molecules. Herein molecular structure of Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) complexes of a racemic 1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one ligand is described. The Cd(II) complexes exhibit intriguing structural features viz. capped octahedral geometry with seven coordination, and the presence of bridging as well as end-on azido ligand coordination to one metal center. Homo/heterochiral self-assembly in the complexes is dictated by strong NH⋯N, NH⋯O, NH⋯Cl hydrogen bonds as well as non-classical CH⋯O, CH⋯N, NH⋯π hydrogen bonds and parallel displaced π⋯π stacking interaction. Chiral self-recognition or self-discrimination process in the crystal packing is governed by the nature and strength of the participating non-covalent interactions.

Observations of Gradual Chiral Self-Recognition of Adsorbed Aromatic Compound.

The self-assembly of two-dimensional chiral 1 H,5 H-benzo(1,2- d:4,5- d')bistriazole (H2bbta) on a Ag(110) surface was investigated by ultra-high-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy. The gradual formation of ordered structures by H2bbta molecules with the same chirality recognizing each other was observed as the annealing temperature was increased from 300 to 333 K. When the sample was annealed at 355 K, the homochiral structures were converted to coexisting structures containing λ-H2bbta and δ-H2bbta in a ratio of 6:1. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that thermally driven and intermolecular interactions induced chiral self-recognition to form enantiomorphous H2bbta structures in which N-H···N hydrogen bonds and C-H···N hydrogen bonds are the main attractive forces.

Supramolecular features of 2-(chlorophenyl)-3-[(chlorobenzylidene)-amino]-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones: A combined experimental and computational study

The molecular structures of two isomeric 2-(chlorophenyl)-3-[(chlorobenzylidene)-amino] substituted 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones have been determined via single crystal XRD. Both isomers contain chloro substitutions on each of the phenyl rings and as a result a broad spectrum of halogen mediated weak interactions are viable in their crystal structures. The crystal packing of these compounds is stabilized by strong N−H⋯O hydrogen bond and various weak, non-classical hydrogen bonds acting synergistically. Both the molecules contain a chiral center and the weak interactions observed in them are either chiral self-discriminatory or chiral self-recognizing in nature. The weak interactions and spectral features of the compounds have been studied through experimental as well as computational methods including DFT, MEP, NBO and Hiresfeld surface analyses. In addition, the effect of different weak interactions to dictate either chiral self-recognition or self-discrimination in crystal packing has been elucidated.

New chiral stationary phases based on xanthone derivatives for liquid chromatography.

Six chiral derivatives of xanthones (CDXs) were covalently bonded to silica, yielding the corresponding xanthonic chiral stationary phases (XCSPs). The new XCSPs were packed into stainless-steel columns with 150 x 4.6 mm i.d. Moreover, the greening of the chromatographic analysis by reducing the internal diameter (150 x 2.1 mm i.d.) of the liquid chromatography (LC) columns was also investigated. The enantioselective capability of these phases was evaluated by LC using different chemical classes of chiral compounds, including several types of drugs. A library of CDXs was evaluated in order to explore the principle of reciprocity as well as the chiral self-recognition phenomenon. The separation of enantiomeric mixtures of CDXs was investigated under multimodal elution conditions. The XCSPs provided high specificity for the enantiomeric mixtures of CDXs evaluated mainly under normal-phase elution conditions. Furthermore, two XCSPs were prepared with both enantiomers of the same xanthonic selector in order to confirm the inversion order elution.

Making a Right or Left Choice: Chiral Self-Sorting as a Tool for the Formation of Discrete Complex Structures.

This review discusses chiral self-sorting-the process of choosing an interaction partner with a given chirality from a complex mixture of many possible racemic partners. Chiral self-sorting (also known as chiral self-recognition or chiral self-discrimination) is fundamental for creating functional structures in nature and in the world of chemistry because interactions between molecules of the same or the opposite chirality are characterized by different interaction energies and intrinsically different resulting structures. However, due to the similarity between recognition sites of enantiomers and common conformational lability, high fidelity homochiral or heterochiral self-sorting poses a substantial challenge. Chiral self-sorting occurs among natural and synthetic molecules that leads to the amplification of discrete species. The review covers a variety of complex self-assembled structures ranging from aggregates made of natural and racemic peptides and DNA, through artificial functional receptors, macrocyles, and cages to catalytically active metal complexes and helix mimics. The examples involve a plethora of reversible interactions: electrostatic interactions, π-π stacking, hydrogen bonds, coordination bonds, and dynamic covalent bonds. A generalized view of the examples collected from different fields allows us to suggest suitable geometric models that enable a rationalization of the observed experimental preferences and establishment of the rules that can facilitate further design.

Back Cover: Chiral Self‐Recognition between Stereogenic Tetrapalladium Units Affording Pd8 Chains Supported by Homochiral Tetraphosphines (Chem. Eur. J. 3/2017)

Back Cover: Chiral Self‐Recognition between Stereogenic Tetrapalladium Units Affording Pd₈ Chains Supported by Homochiral Tetraphosphines (Chem. Eur. J. 3/2017)

Chiral Self-Recognition between Stereogenic Tetrapalladium Units Affording Pd8 Chains Supported by Homochiral Tetraphosphines.

By using a chiral tetraphosphine, rac-bis[(diphenylphosphinomethyl)phenylphosphino]methane (rac-dpmppm), linear octapalladium chains were synthesized as discrete molecules of [Pd8 (μ-rac-dpmppm)4 L2 ](BF4 )4 (L=CH3 CN, dmf, XylNC), [Pd8 (μ-rac-dpmppm)4 ](BF4 )4 , and [Pd8 (μ-rac-dpmppm)4 (Cl)2 ](BF4 )2 , which are stable in the solution states and characterized by spectroscopic and crystallographic methods to reveal the octapalladium chains supported by homochiral four tetraphosphines. Variable-temperature NMR studies for a 1:1 mixture of [Pd8 (μ-rac-dpmppm)4 (dmf)2 ](BF4 )4 and [Pd8 (μ-meso-dpmppm)4 (dmf)2 ]-(BF4 )4 in [D7 ]DMF revealed that the Pd8 chains were dissociated at higher temperature (T≈140 °C) into the Pd4 units of {Pd4 (μ-rac-dpmppm)2 }2+ and {Pd4 (μ-meso-dpmppm)2 }2+ , and they were thermodynamically self-aligned to restore the Pd8 chains at lower temperature (T<60 °C), through perfect chiral self-recognition between the stereogenic tetrapalladium units.

Ruthenium amino carboxylate complexes as asymmetric hydrogen transfer catalysts

The synthesis and characterization of optically active amino carboxylate complexes of formula [(η(6)-arene)Ru(Aa)Cl] (arene = C(6)H(6), C(6)Me(6), Aa = amino carboxylate) as well as those of the related trimers [{(η(6)-arene)Ru(Aa)}(3)][BF(4)](3) are reported. Trimerization takes place with chiral self-recognition: only diastereomers equally configured at the metal, R(Ru)R(Ru)R(Ru) or S(Ru)S(Ru)S(Ru), are detected. The crystal structures of the complexes [(η(6)-C(6)H(6))Ru(Pip)Cl] and [{(η(6)-C(6)Me(6))Ru(Pro)}(3)][BF(4)](3) have been determined by X-ray diffraction methods. Both types of complexes catalyse the hydrogen transfer reaction from 2-propanol to ketones with moderate enantioselectivity (up to 68% ee). The enantiodifferentiation achieved can be accounted for by assuming that Noyori's bifunctional mechanism is operating.

Investigation of Chiral Self-Recognition of π-Acidic 3,5-Dinitrobenzoylleucine Derivatives

School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USAReceived September 1, 2011, Accepted October 9, 2011Key Words : Enantiomer separation, Chiral self-recognition, Chiral stationary phasePioneering work in the design of brush-type chiralstationary phases (CSPs) using chiral recognition rationaleshas led to the development of a number of Pirkle-typecolumns.

Assessing chiral self-recognition using chiral stationary phases

Chiral stationary phases were synthesized and their ability to separate racemic precursors from which they were derived was assessed. Taken in conjunction with homochiral recognition previously observed in the solid state, the results of this study reveal that a geometrically controlling π–π interaction has a profound influence on molecular recognition.

Impact of Molecular Flexibility on Binding Strength and Self-Sorting of Chiral π-Surfaces

In this work, we have explored for the first time the influence of conformational flexibility of π-core on chiral self-sorting properties of perylene bisimides (PBIs) that are currently one of the most prominent classes of functional dyes. For this purpose, two series of chiral macrocyclic PBIs 3a-c and 4a-c comprising oligoethylene glycol bridges of different lengths at the 1,7 bay positions were synthesized and their atropo-enantiomers (P and M enantiomers) were resolved. Single crystal analysis of atropo-enantiomerically pure (P)-3a not only confirmed the structural integrity of the ethylene glycol bridged macrocycle but also illustrated the formation of π-stacked dimers with left-handed supramolecular helicity. Our detailed studies with the series of highly soluble chiral PBIs 4a-c by 1- and 2-D (1)H NMR techniques, and temperature- and concentration-dependent UV/vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed that in π-π-stacking dimerization of these PBIs chiral self-recognition (i.e., PP and MM homodimer formation) prevails over self-discrimination (i.e., PM heterodimer formation). Our studies clearly showed that with increasing conformational flexibility of PBI cores imparted by longer bridging units, the binding strength for the dimerization process increases, however, the efficiency for chiral self-recognition decreases. These results are rationalized in terms of an induced-fit mechanism facilitating more planarized π-scaffolds of PBIs containing longer bridging units upon π-π-stacking.