Π-facial Selectivity Research Articles

Evidence of a Distinctive Enantioselective Binding Mode for the Photoinduced Radical Cyclization of α-Chloroamides in Ene-Reductases.

We demonstrate here through molecular simulations and mutational studies the origin of the enantioselectivity in the photoinduced radical cyclization of α-chloroacetamides catalyzed by ene-reductases, in particular the Gluconobacter oxidans ene-reductase and the Old Yellow Enzyme 1, which show opposite enantioselectivity. Our results reveal that neither the π-facial selectivity model nor a protein-induced selective stabilization of the transition states is able to explain the enantioselectivity of the radical cyclization in the studied flavoenzymes. We propose a new enantioinduction scenario according to which enantioselectivity is indeed controlled by transition-state stability; however, the relative stability of the prochiral transition states is not determined by direct interaction with the protein but is rather dependent on an inherent degree of freedom within the substrate itself. This intrinsic degree of freedom, distinct from the traditional π-facial exposure mode, can be controlled by the substrate conformational selection upon binding to the enzyme.

Steric and dispersion effect of chiral diphosphine ligand on copper-catalyzed enantioselective incorporation of CO2with styrene: a computational study

The π-facial selectivity in 1,2-hydrocuopration step is mainly controlled by ligand–substrate steric repulsion, while stereoselectivity of CO2insertion into the Cu–C bond is primarily determined by ligand–CO2dispersion stabilizing interactions.

π-Facial selectivity in the Diels-Alder reaction of glucosamine-based chiral furans and maleimides.

Furans derived from carbohydrate feedstocks are a versatile class of bio-renewable building blocks and have been used extensively to access 7-oxanorbornenes via Diels-Alder reactions. Due to their substitution patterns these furans typically have two different π-faces and therefore furnish racemates in [4 + 2]-cycloadditions. We report the use of an enantiopure glucosamine derived furan that under kinetic conditions predominantly affords the exo-product with a high π-face selectivity of 6.5 : 1. The structure of the product has been resolved unequivocally by X-ray crystallography, and a multi-gram synthesis (2.8 g, 58% yield) confirms the facile accessibility of this multifunctional enantiopure building block.

Engineered P450 Atom-Transfer Radical Cyclases are Bifunctional Biocatalysts: Reaction Mechanism and Origin of Enantioselectivity.

New-to-nature radical biocatalysis has recently emerged as a powerful strategy to tame fleeting open-shell intermediates for stereoselective transformations. In 2021, we introduced a novel metalloredox biocatalysis strategy that leverages the innate redox properties of the heme cofactor of P450 enzymes, furnishing new-to-nature atom-transfer radical cyclases (ATRCases) with excellent activity and stereoselectivity. Herein, we report a combined computational and experimental study to shed light on the mechanism and origins of enantioselectivity for this system. Molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations revealed an unexpected role of the key beneficial mutation I263Q. The glutamine residue serves as an essential hydrogen bond donor that engages with the carbonyl moiety of the substrate to promote bromine atom abstraction and enhance the enantioselectivity of radical cyclization. Therefore, the evolved ATRCase is a bifunctional biocatalyst, wherein the heme cofactor enables atom-transfer radical biocatalysis, while the hydrogen bond donor residue further enhances the activity and enantioselectivity. Unlike many enzymatic stereocontrol rationales based on a rigid substrate binding model, our computations demonstrate a high degree of rotational flexibility of the allyl moiety in an enzyme-substrate complex and succeeding intermediates. Therefore, the enantioselectivity is controlled by the radical cyclization transition states rather than the substrate orientation in ground-state complexes in the preceding steps. During radical cyclization, anchoring effects of the Q263 residue and steric interactions with the heme cofactor concurrently control the π-facial selectivity, allowing for highly enantioselective C-C bond formation. Our computational findings are corroborated by experiments with ATRCase mutants generated from site-directed mutagenesis.

Chiral α-Stereogenic Oxetanols and Azetidinols via Alcohol-Mediated Reductive Coupling of Allylic Acetates: Enantiotopic π-Facial Selection in Symmetric Ketone Addition.

Iridium-tol-BINAP-catalyzed reductive coupling of allylic acetates with oxetanones and azetidinones mediated by 2-propanol provides chiral α-stereogenic oxetanols and azetidinols. As illustrated in 50 examples, complex, nitrogen-rich substituents that incorporate the top 10 N-heterocycles found in FDA-approved drugs are tolerated. In addition to 2-propanol-mediated reductive couplings, oxetanols and azetidinols may serve dually as reductant and ketone proelectrophiles in redox-neutral C-C couplings via hydrogen auto-transfer, as demonstrated by the conversion of dihydro-1a and dihydro-1b to adducts 3a and 4a, respectively. The present method delivers hitherto inaccessible chiral oxetanols and azetidinols, which are important bioisosteres.

Enantioselective Iridium-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Dienes with Oxetanones and N-Acyl-Azetidinones Mediated by 2-Propanol.

Cyclometallated iridium-PhanePhos complexes generated in situ from [Ir(cod)Cl]2 and (R)-PhanePhos catalyze 2-propanol-mediated reductive couplings of 2-substituted dienes with oxetanone and N-acyl-azetidinones to form branched homoallylic oxetanols and azetidinols with excellent control of regio- and enantioselectivity without C-C cleavage of the strained ring via enantiotopic π-facial selection of transient allyliridium nucleophiles. This work represents the first systematic study of enantioselective additions to symmetric ketones.

π-Facial Stereoselectivity in Acyl Nitroso Cycloadditions to 5,5-Unsymmetrically Substituted Cyclopentadienes: Computational Exploration of Origins of Selectivity and the Role of Substituent Conformations on Selectivity.

The π-facial selectivity of Diels-Alder cycloadditions of 5-monosubstituted cyclopentadienes is known experimentally and has been extensively studied computationally. Previous studies on 5-monosubstituted cyclopentadienes by the Burnell and Houk groups showed that facial selectivity arises principally from hyperconjugative aromaticity or antiaromaticity of polar groups that cause distortion of the cyclopentadiene; steric effects of nonpolar groups can also be important. We have now explored the stereoselective cycloaddition of 5,5-unsymmetrically substituted cyclopentadienes to an acyl nitroso dienophile reported by Kan and co-workers. Computational studies with M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) indicate that the stereoselectivity in the cycloadditions of 5,5-unsymmetrically substituted cyclopentadienes is not just a simple combination of effects found for monosubstituted counterparts. Substituent conformations and diene-dienophile steric and electronic interaction effects all influence stereoselectivity. Predictions are made about several as-yet-unstudied cyclopentadiene cycloadditions.

Ligand Conformational Flexibility Enables Enantioselective Tertiary C-B Bond Formation in the Phosphonate-Directed Catalytic Asymmetric Alkene Hydroboration.

Conformationally flexible ancillary ligands have been widely used in transition metal catalysis. However, the benefits of using flexible ligands are often not well understood. We performed density functional theory (DFT) and experimental studies to elucidate the mechanisms and the roles of conformationally flexible α,α,α',α'-tetraaryldioxolane-4,5-dimethanol (TADDOL)-derived ligands on the reactivity and selectivity in the Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydroboration (CAHB) of alkenes. DFT calculations and deuterium labeling studies both indicated that the most favorable reaction pathway involves an unusual tertiary C-B bond reductive elimination to give high levels of regio- and enantioselectivities. Here, the asymmetric construction of the fully substituted carbon center is promoted by the flexibility of the TADDOL backbone, which leads to two ligand conformations with distinct steric environments in different steps of the catalytic cycle. A pseudo-chair ligand conformation is preferred in the rate-determining tertiary benzylic C-B reductive elimination. The less hindered steric environment with this conformation allows the benzylic group to bind to the Rh center in an η3 fashion, which stabilizes the C-B reductive elimination transition state. On the other hand, a pseudo-boat ligand conformation is involved in the selectivity-determining alkene migratory insertion step, where the more anisotropic steric environment leads to greater ligand-substrate steric interactions to control the π-facial selectivity. Thus, using a conformationally flexible ligand is beneficial for enhancing both reactivity and enantioselectivity by controlling ligand-substrate interactions in two different elementary steps.

Highly Selective and Catalytic Generation of Acyclic Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters via Functionalization of 1,3-Dienes with CO2.

The catalytic asymmetric functionalization of readily available 1,3-dienes is highly important, but current examples are mostly limited to the construction of tertiary chiral centers. The asymmetric generation of acyclic products containing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters from substituted 1,3-dienes represents a more challenging, but highly desirable, synthetic process for which there are very few examples. Herein, we report the highly selective copper-catalyzed generation of chiral all-carbon acyclic quaternary stereocenters via functionalization of 1,3-dienes with CO2. A variety of readily available 1,1-disubstituted 1,3-dienes, as well as a 1,3,5-triene, undergo reductive hydroxymethylation with high chemo-, regio-, E/Z-, and enantioselectivities. The reported method features good functional group tolerance, is readily scaled up to at least 5 mmol of starting diene, and generates chiral products that are useful building blocks for further derivatization. Systemic mechanistic investigations using density functional theory calculations were performed and provided the first theoretical investigation for an asymmetric transformation involving CO2. These computational results indicate that the 1,2-hydrocupration of 1,3-diene proceeds with high π-facial selectivity to generate an (S)-allylcopper intermediate, which further induces the chirality of the quaternary carbon center in the final product. The 1,4-addition of an internal allylcopper complex, which differs from previous reports involving terminal allylmetallic intermediates, to CO2 kinetically determines the E/Z- and regioselectivity. The rapid reduction of a copper carboxylate intermediate to the corresponding silyl-ether in the presence of Me(MeO)2SiH provides the exergonic impetus and leads to chemoselective hydroxymethylation rather than carboxylation. These results provide new insights for guiding further development of asymmetric C-C bond formations with CO2.

Origins of Contrasteric π-Facial Selectivity in Epoxidations of Encumbered Tetrahydropyridines by a Bifunctional Peracid

The origins of contrasteric diastereoselectivity in the epoxidation of encumbered tetrahydropyridines have been elucidated via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A strong energetic preference for OH···N hydrogen bonding was found for epoxidation transition states of the unsubstituted tetrahydropyridine. For hexasubstituted tetrahydropyridines, the diastereofacial selectivity is dictated by both the strong OH···N hydrogen bonding and the conformational preference of the tetrahydropyridine substrate.

π-Facial Selectivities in Hydride Reductions of Hindered Endocyclic Iminium Ions.

The origins of π-facial selectivities in the borohydride reduction of endocyclic iminium ions have been elucidated by density functional theory calculations. In reductions of conjugated ("thermodynamic") iminium ions, the π-facial preference of the hydride attack was found to be due to torsional steering. Attack at the favored π-face leads to a lower-energy "half-chair"-like conformation of the tetrahydropyridine product, whereas attack at the other π-face results in an unfavorable "twist-boat" conformation. In reductions of nonconjugated ("kinetic") iminium ions, torsional distinction is small between the top- and bottom-face attacks, and the π-facial selectivity of the hydride approach is primarily due to steric hindrance.

H-Bonding Mediated Asymmetric Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction in the Formal Synthesis of (+)-Aplykurodinone-1.

An asymmetric formal total synthesis of (+)-aplykurodinone-1 was achieved using a route, in which hydrogen bonding serves as a stereochemical control element governing the π-facial selectivity of intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction of an enone tethered 2-pyrone. In the IMDA process, the configuration at a stereogenic, hydroxyl bearing an α-carbon in the enone dienophile is conveyed in a highly effective manner through intramolecular hydrogen bonding with the enone carbonyl oxygen. The tricyclic lactone, generated in this process, was successfully converted to a late stage intermediate in Danishefsky's synthesis of aplykurodinone-1.

Hyperconjugative Aromaticity and Antiaromaticity Control the Reactivities and π-Facial Stereoselectivities of 5-Substituted Cyclopentadiene Diels-Alder Cycloadditions.

The reactivities and π-facial stereoselectivities of Diels-Alder reactions of 5-substituted cyclopentadienes were studied using density functional theory. Burnell and co-workers previously showed that the π-facial selectivities result from the energies required to distort the reactants into the transition state geometries. We have discovered the origins of these distortions. C5-X σ-donors predistort the cyclopentadiene into an envelope conformation that maximizes the stabilizing hyperconjugative interaction between the C5-X σ-bond and the diene π-system. This envelope conformation geometrically resembles the anti transition state. To minimize the destabilizing effect of negative hyperconjugation, C5-X σ-acceptors predistort in the opposite direction toward an envelope geometry that resembles the syn transition state. We now show how hyperconjugative effects of the C5-X substituent influence the stereoselectivities and have developed a unified model rationalizing the stereoselectivities and reactivities of 5-substituted cyclopentadiene Diels-Alder reactions.

Origin of π-Facial Stereoselectivity in Thiophene 1-Oxide Cycloadditions.

We report a DFT computational study (M06-2X) of π-facial selectivity in the Diels-Alder reactions of thiophene 1-oxide. The preference for the syn cycloaddition arises because the ground state geometry of thiophene 1-oxide is predistorted into an envelope conformation that resembles the syn transition state geometry. The syn distortion occurs to minimize the effect of hyperconjugative antiaromaticity in the thiophene 1-oxide, arising from overlap of the σ*SO with the π-system. The syn selectivity follows through to the product structure that is stabilized by a π-σ*SO interaction, related to the 7-norbornenyl ion stability.

Solvent- and temperature-controlled inversion of π-facial selectivity in the 1,2-cycloaddition of singlet oxygen to hydroxyphenyl-substituted cyclohexadihydrofurans

Singlet-oxygenation of 3-hydroxyphenyl-substituted dihydrofurans fused with a cyclohexane 1a−c exclusively gave the corresponding syn/anti-stereoisomeric mixtures of dioxetanes 2a−c. The syn/anti-π-facial selectivity in the 1,2-cycloaddition of singlet oxygen (1O2) was found to be remarkably sensitive to the solvent as well as the reaction temperature. In fact, the solvent effect was so conspicuous that inversion of the syn/anti-π-facial selectivity was observed in different solvents, such as chloroform and toluene. An LSER (linear solvation energy relationships) analysis suggested that the Lewis-acidity/basicity and HBD (hydrogen-bond donor)/HBA (hydrogen-bond acceptor) ability as well as dipolarity/polarizability of the solvent played an important role in this change in syn/anti-π-facial selectivity. An investigation of the temperature-dependency of the singlet-oxygenation suggested that the syn/anti-π-facial-selective 1,2-cycloaddition of 1O2 to 1 was a conformationally-(entropy-) controlled process.

High π-Facial and exo-Selectivity for the Intramolecular Diels-Alder Cycloaddition of Dodeca-3,9,11-trien-5-one Precursors to 2-epi-Symbioimine and Related Compounds.

An unconstrained exocyclic stereogenic center and a removable trimethylsilyl group are combined to induce high π-facial selectivity and near-exclusive exo-selectivity in the intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition of dodeca-3,9,11-trien-5-ones. This strategy provides direct access to polysubstituted trans-1-decalones related to the symbioimines in good yield and acceptable diastereoselectivity.

Asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure fluorinated cyclopropyl carbohydrate analogues

Abstract A simple and convenient method for the synthesis of cyclopropanes substituted with carbohydrate analogues is described. The addition of trifluoromethyl diazo compounds to 5-(R)-hydroxypyridazin-3-one derivative of d -(+)-galactose proceeded in almost quantitative yields and high syn -selectivity. The observed π-facial selectivity is determined by the configuration at C-5. The exo -selectivity was complete in all the cases. Steric interactions and electronic factors seem to be the main ones responsible for the observed exo selectivity and π-facial selectivity of reactions with trifluoromethyl diazo compounds.

Synthesis of C3-substituted enantiopure 2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)-furans: the sulfoxide group as a chiral inductor for furan dienes as precursors of a wide variety of chiral intermediates

(−)-(1R,2S,5R)-Menthyl (SS)-p-toluenesulfinate and its enantiomer are a common source for a chiral sulfoxide group in organic synthesis, by means of nucleophilic substitution. The replacement of the menthyloxy group, with complete inversion of configuration at the sulfur center of the chiral sulfoxide, allows the inclusion of this organic function into numerous substrates, with defined stereochemistry and high enantiomeric purity. Nine C3-substituted, enantiomerically pure, 2-sulfinylfurans were prepared by this synthetic methodology with moderate to high yields. These enantiopure C3-substituted 2-sulfinylfurans can be used as chiral dienes for [4+3] cycloaddition reactions and in other chemical transformations, in which π-facial selectivity should be induced in order to obtain enantioselective reactions.

Asymmetric construction of substituted pyrrolidines via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and chiral acrylates derived from biomass

The first application of chiral auxiliaries synthesized from levoglucosenone (a biomass-derived anhydrosugar) in asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of azomethine ylides is herein reported. The corresponding pyrrolidinic cores were obtained in excellent levels of regio and stereocontrol, good to excellent π-facial selectivities, and could be isolated enantiomerically pure by column chromatography. Unexpected NMR observations coupled with DFT calculations allowed the stereochemical assignment of the synthesized adducts. The stereochemical assignment performed in silico was further unambiguously validated by structural X-ray diffraction analysis.

Probing the role of solvation in predicting the π-facial selectivity of 5-Fluoro-2-methyleneadamantane with per-acid: A case study

Many qualitative, semi-quantitative and transition state models have been developed to rationalize and predict the π-face selectivity of various nucleophilic, electrophilic and radical organic reactions. However, there are cases where such models and theories are unable to explain the face selectivity. 5-Fluoro-2-methyleneadamantane (I) represents one such case to understand the stereoinduction with per-acid, where much discussed orbital and electrostatic models fail to explain the observed stereoselectivity. This work is focused with the rationalization and prediction of stereoselective electrophilic addition of per-acid to I using quantum chemical and molecular dynamics studies. The importance of solvent in controlling the π-face selectivity of I is reported employing ab initio and DFT studies. We have also presented here the effect of distortional asymmetry in the π-face of 5-Fluoro-2-methyleneadamantane (I) in solvent, which leads to predict the correct observed stereoselectivity. The ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations attribute the asymmetric distortions in the ground state of I, which can be a constituent of the bulk transitional state differential for this reaction. The sterically unbiased olefins 4-substituted 9-methylenenorsnoutanes (II) and 5,6-cis,exo-disubstituted bicyclic[2.2.2]oct-2-enes (III) have also been studied as reference in the present study.