Prochiral Substrates Research Articles

Asymmetric Proton Transfer Catalysis by Stereocomplementary Old Yellow Enzymes for C═C Bond Isomerization Reaction

Native and promiscuous catalytic activities of flavin-dependent Old Yellow Enzymes (OYEs) reported to date are initiated by the reduced flavin upon electron transfer. As a rare exception, the isomerization of a nonactivated C═C bond was shown to be hydride-independent with two nonstereoselective yeast OYEs. Here, we report the asymmetric isomerization of a prochiral model substrate, γ-methyl β,γ-butenolide, to the corresponding (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of the γ-methyl α,β-butenolide in up to >99% ee by two stereocomplementary OYEs of algal and fungal origin, respectively, which operate by asymmetric proton transfer. Mechanistic studies based on two newly solved crystal structures, along with soaking experiments and site-directed mutagenesis, support the crucial role of partially nonconserved tyrosine residues for the activity and stereoselectivity of both (R)- and (S)-isomerases. This study offers a unique view on the potential of flavoproteins in nonredox catalysis and provides hints for scouting olefin isomerases in likely stereodivergent classes of OYEs.

Stereoselective Iridium-N,P-Catalyzed Double Hydrogenation of Conjugated Enones to Saturated Alcohols.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral substrates such as ketones and olefins constitutes an important instrument for the construction of stereogenic centers, and a multitude of catalytic systems have been developed for this purpose. However, due to the different nature of the π-system, the hydrogenation of olefins and ketones is normally catalyzed by different metal complexes. Herein, a study on the effect of additives on the Ir-N,P-catalyzed hydrogenation of enones is described. The combination of benzamide and the development of a reactive catalyst unlocked a novel reactivity mode of Crabtree-type complexes toward C=O bond hydrogenation. The role of benzamide is suggested to extend the lifetime of the dihydridic iridium intermediate, which is prone to undergo irreversible trimerization, deactivating the catalyst. This unique reactivity is then coupled with C=C bond hydrogenation for the facile installation of two contiguous stereogenic centers in high yield and stereoselectivity (up to 99% ee, 99/1 d.r.) resulting in a highly stereoselective reduction of enones.

High coenzyme affinity chimeric amine dehydrogenase based on domain engineering

NADH-dependent phenylalanine amine dehydrogenase (F-AmDH) engineered from phenylalanine dehydrogenase (PheDH) catalyzes the synthesis of aromatic chiral amines from prochiral ketone substrates. However, its low coenzyme affinity and catalytic efficiency limit its industrial application. Here, we developed a chimeric amine dehydrogenase, cFLF-AmDH, based on the relative independence of the structure at the domain level, combined with a substrate-binding domain from F-AmDH and a high-affinity cofactor-binding domain from leucine amine dehydrogenase (L-AmDH). The kinetic parameters indicated that cFLF-AmDH showed a twofold improvement in affinity for NADH and a 4.4-fold increase in catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) compared with the parent F-AmDH. Meanwhile, cFLF-AmDH also showed higher thermal stability, with the half-life increased by 60% at 55 °C and a broader substrate spectrum, than the parent F-AmDH. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the constructed cFLF-AmDH had a more stable structure than the parent F-AmDH, thereby improving the affinity of the coenzyme. The reaction rate increased by 150% in the reductive amination reaction catalyzed by cFLF-AmDH. When the NAD+ concentration was 0.05 mM, the conversion rate was increased by 150%. These results suggest that the chimeric protein by domain shuffling from different domain donors not only increased the cofactor affinity and catalytic efficiency, but also changed the specificity and thermal stability. Our study highlights that domain engineering is another effective method for creating biodiversity with different catalytic properties.Graphical

Iridium-catalyzed enantioconvergent hydrogenation of trisubstituted olefins

Asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins constitutes a practical and efficient method to introduce chirality into prochiral substrates. However, the absolute majority of the developed methodologies is enantiodivergent and thus require isomerically pure olefins which is a considerable drawback since most olefination strategies produce (E/Z)-mixtures. Although some advances have been reported, a general enantioconvergent hydrogenation featuring a broad functional group tolerance remains elusive. Here, we report the development of a general iridium-catalyzed enantioconvergent hydrogenation of a broad range of functionalized trisubstituted olefins. The substitution pattern around the olefin is critical; whereas α-prochiral olefins can undergo an enantioconvergent hydrogenation, β-prochiral olefins react in an enantiodivergent manner. The presented methodology hydrogenates α-prochiral substrates with excellent control of enantioselection and high isolated yields. Most importantly, both isomerically pure alkenes as well as isomeric mixtures can be hydrogenated to yield the same major enantiomer in excellent enantiomeric excesses which is unusual in transition-metal catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenations.

Does the Configuration at the Metal Matter in Noyori-Ikariya Type Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysts?

Noyori–Ikariya type [(arene)RuCl(TsDPEN)] (TsDPEN, sulfonated diphenyl ethylenediamine) complexes are widely used C=O and C=N reduction catalysts that produce chiral alcohols and amines via a key ruthenium–hydride intermediate that determines the stereochemistry of the product. Whereas many details about the interactions of the pro-chiral substrate with the hydride complex and the nature of the hydrogen transfer from the latter to the former have been investigated over the past 25 years, the role of the stereochemical configuration at the stereogenic ruthenium center in the catalysis has not been elucidated so far. Using operando FlowNMR spectroscopy and nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy, we show the existence of two diastereomeric hydride complexes under reaction conditions, assign their absolute configurations in solution, and monitor their interconversion during transfer hydrogenation catalysis. Configurational analysis and multifunctional density functional theory (DFT) calculations show the λ-(R,R)SRu configured [(mesitylene)RuH(TsDPEN)] complex to be both thermodynamically and kinetically favored over its λ-(R,R)RRu isomer with the opposite configuration at the metal. Computational analysis of both diastereomeric catalytic manifolds show the major λ-(R,R)SRu configured [(mesitylene)RuH(TsDPEN)] complex to dominate asymmetric ketone reduction catalysis with the minor λ-(R,R)RRu [(mesitylene)RuH(TsDPEN)] stereoisomer being both less active and less enantioselective. These findings also hold true for a tethered catalyst derivative with a propyl linker between the arene and TsDPEN ligands and thus show enantioselective transfer hydrogenation catalysis with Noyori–Ikariya complexes to proceed via a lock-and-key mechanism.

Determining the enantioselectivity of asymmetric hydrogenation through parahydrogen-induced hyperpolarization.

Asymmetric hydrogenation plays an essential role for both academic research and industry to produce enantiomeric pure chiral molecules. Although nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is powerful in determining the yields of hydrogenation, it is still challenging to use NMR for chirality-related analysis. Herein, we applied parahydrogen-induced hyperpolarization (PHIP) NMR to determine the enantioselectivity of asymmetric hydrogenation and the absolute chirality of products. We hyperpolarized two types of unsaturated amino acid precursors, i.e., methyl-α-acetoamido cinnamate and (E)-ethyl 3-acetamidobut-2-enoate. Hydrogenation of prochiral substrates with parahydrogen gave temporary hyperpolarized diastereoisomers, which exhibit different PHIP patterns distinguishable in 1H NMR. After assigning the NMR peaks by density functional theory calculations, we simulated the PHIP patterns of all the possible temporary hyperpolarized diastereoisomers and unambiguously assigned the chirality of the products and the enantioselectivity of asymmetric hydrogenation. Our work demonstrates the application and potential of PHIP in revealing the mechanism of asymmetric hydrogenation.

Generation of Axially Chiral Fluoroallenes through a Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective β-Fluoride Elimination.

Herein we report the copper-catalyzed silylation of propargylic difluorides to generate axially chiral, tetrasubstituted monofluoroallenes in both good yields (27 examples >80%) and enantioselectivities (82-98% ee). Compared to previously reported synthetic routes to axially chiral allenes (ACAs) from prochiral substrates, a mechanistically distinct reaction has been developed: the enantiodiscrimination between enantiotopic fluorides to set an axial stereocenter. DFT calculations and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) suggest that β-fluoride elimination from an alkenyl copper intermediate likely proceeds through a syn-β-fluoride elimination pathway rather than an anti-elimination pathway. The effects of the C1-symmetric Josiphos-derived ligand on reactivity and enantioselectivity were investigated. Not only does this report showcase that alkenyl copper species (like their alkyl counterparts) can undergo β-fluoride elimination, but this elimination can be achieved in an enantioselective fashion.

Organosilanes in Metal-Catalyzed, Enantioselective Reductions

The growth and development of an extensive range of metals complexed with chiral ligands for the purpose of catalyzing a variety of reactions in an enantioselective manner has been impressive for its scope, chemical yields and high ee values. Chief among the classes of synthetic transformations has been that of the asymmetric reduction of prochiral substrates. These include the asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones, imines, unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, esters, nitriles and olefins, as well as a number of asymmetric coupling reactions. In concert with these efficient catalyst systems, organosilanes have the ability to carry out any number of organic reductions under a variety of conditions. In these reactions, which in reality are hydrosilylations (hydrosilylation and reduction are considered interchangeable herein) in which the initially resulting silylated product is hydrolyzed to the ultimate desired functionality, the ability to sterically and electronically alter the organosilane reductant can contribute to the overall success of the transformation. In this review, we present a thorough compilation of the literature covering the use of organosilanes in metal-catalyzed asymmetric reductions (hydrosilylations) and coupling reactions.

Access to enantioenriched compounds bearing challenging tetrasubstituted stereocenters via kinetic resolution of auxiliary adjacent alcohols

Contemporary asymmetric catalysis faces huge challenges when prochiral substrates bear electronically and sterically unbiased substituents and when substrates show low reactivities. One of the inherent limitations of chiral catalysts and ligands is their incapability in recognizing prochiral substrates bearing similar groups. This has rendered many enantiopure substances bearing several similar substituents inaccessible. Here we report the rationale, scope, and applications of the strategy of kinetic resolution of auxiliary adjacent alcohols (KRA*) that can be used to solve the above troubles. Using this method, a large variety of optically enriched tertiary alcohols, epoxides, esters, ketones, hydroxy ketones, epoxy ketones, β-ketoesters, and tetrasubstituted methane analogs with two, three, and four spatially and electronically similar groups can be readily obtained (totally 96 examples). At the current stage, the strategy serves as the optimal solution that can complement the inability caused by direct asymmetric catalysis in getting chiral molecules with challenging fully substituted stereocenters.

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Intramolecular (Hetero)Michael Additions in Desymmetrization Processes

AbstractThe organocatalytic enantioselective desymmetrization reaction by means of an intramolecular (hetero)Michael addition is a useful strategy for the creation of complex carbo‐ and heterocycles with the generation of multiple stereocenters in a very simple manner. The intramolecular addition of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen nucleophiles to prochiral substrates bearing electronically deficient olefins takes place in the presence of organocatalysts, such as chiral primary and secondary amines, NHCs, ureas, thioureas, and BINOL phosphoric acid derivatives, reaching high levels of diastereo‐ and enantioselectivity. The main bottleneck of this methodology is the design and synthesis of the starting materials, which compromises its application. To date, the majority of examples are related to the use of 1,4‐cyclohexanedione derivatives.

Enantioselective Functionalization of Prochiral Cyclobutanones and Cyclobutenones

AbstractEnantioselective synthesis of cyclobutane derivatives is still a challenging topic in asymmetric synthesis. [2+2] Cycloaddition and skeleton rearrangement are two primary strategies to this end. Recently, functionalization of cyclobutanones and cyclobutenones, which are readily available via [2+2] cycloadditions as prochiral substrates, has emerged as a powerful tool to access versatile four-membered ring compounds. Herein, we summarize some recent advances in these areas from our and other groups.1 Introduction2 Enantioselective Functionalization of Cyclobutanones2.1 Chiral Lithium Amide Approach2.2 Enamine Approach3 Enantioselective Functionalization of Cyclobutenones4 Conclusion

Chiral Tridentate Ligands in Transition Metal-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation.

Asymmetric hydrogenation (AH) of double bonds has been one of the most effective methods for the preparation of chiral molecules and for the synthesis of important chiral building blocks. In the past 60 years, noble metals with bidentate ligands have shown marvelous reactivity and enantioselectivity in asymmetric hydrogenation of a series of prochiral substrates. In recent years, developing chiral tridentate ligands has played an increasingly important role in AH. With modular frameworks and a variety of functionalities on the side arms, chiral tridentate ligand complexes enable both reactivities and stereoselectivities. Although great achievements have been made for noble metal catalysts with chiral tridentate ligands since the 1990s, the design of chiral tridentate ligands for earth abundant metal catalysts has still been in high demand. This review summarizes the development of chiral tridentate ligands for homogeneous asymmetric hydrogenation. The philosophy of ligand design and the reaction mechanisms are highlighted and discussed as well.

Kinetics of enzyme-catalysed desymmetrisation of prochiral substrates: product enantiomeric excess is not always constant.

The kinetics of enzymatic desymmetrisation were analysed for the most common kinetic mechanisms: ternary complex ordered (prochiral ketone reduction); ping-pong second (ketone amination, diol esterification, desymmetrisation in the second half reaction); ping-pong first (diol ester hydrolysis) and ping-pong both (prochiral diacids). For plausible values of enzyme kinetic parameters, the product enantiomeric excess (ee) can decline substantially as the reaction proceeds to high conversion. For example, an ee of 0.95 at the start of the reaction can decline to less than 0.5 at 95% of equilibrium conversion, but for different enzyme properties it will remain almost unchanged. For most mechanisms a single function of multiple enzyme rate constants (which can be termed ee decline parameter, eeDP) accounts for the major effect on the tendency for the ee to decline. For some mechanisms, the concentrations or ratios of the starting materials have an important influence on the fall in ee. For the application of enzymatic desymmetrisation it is important to study if and how the product ee declines at high conversion.

Enantioselective Formation of Quaternary Centers by Allylic Alkylation with First-Row Transition-Metal Catalysts.

Asymmetric allylic alkylation mediated by transition metals provides an efficient strategy to form quaternary stereogenic centers. While this transformation is dominated by the use of second- and third-row transition metals (e.g., Pd, Rh, and Ir), recent developments have revealed the potential of first-row transition metals, which provide not only a less expensive and potentially equally efficient alternative but also new mechanistic possibilities. This review summarizes examples for the assembly of quaternary stereocenters using prochiral allylic substrates and hard, achiral nucleophiles in the presence of copper complexes and highlights the complementary approaches with soft, prochiral nucleophiles catalyzed by chiral cobalt and nickel complexes.

Non-heme perferryl intermediates: Effect of spin state on the epoxidation enantioselectivity

• Chiral non-heme iron complexes catalyze epoxidation of olefins with H 2 O 2 in up to 96 % ee . • The active oxoiron(V) intermediates have been detected by EPR spectroscopy. • The Fe V =O intermediates adopt either low-spin ( S = 1/2) or high-spin ( S = 3/2) ground state. • The spin state is governed by the electron-donating ability of p -substituents at the pyridine rings. • The high-spin Fe V =O intermediates are more enantioselective than their low-spin counterparts. The catalyst systems Fe 2 (PDP NR1R2 ) 2 /H 2 O 2 /RCOOH (PDP = N , N′ -bis(pyridyl-2-methyl)-( S , S )-2,2′-bipyrrolidine, NR 1 R 2 = NMe 2 , NEt 2 , NMe i Pr or N(CH 2 ) 4 at the para -position in the pyridine rings, RCOOH = acetic or 2-ethylhexanoic acid) generate the high-spin ( S = 3/2) oxoiron(V) oxidizing intermediates with proposed structure [(PDP NR1R2 )Fe V =O(OC(O)R)] 2+ and the EPR spectrum g 1 , = 4.30, g 2 = 3.69, g 3 = 1.96. In contrast, the catalyst systems Fe 2 (PDP Me2OMe ) 2 /H 2 O 2 /RCOOH and Fe 2 (PDP MeOCH2CF3 ) 2 /H 2 O 2 /RCOOH, based on similar iron complexes, containing 3,5-Me 2 -4-OMe and 3-Me-4-OCH 2 CF 3 substituents at the pyridine rings, generate the low-spin ( S = 1/2) oxoiron(V) intermediates with characteristic EPR spectrum g 1 = 2.07, g 2 = 2.01, g 3 = 1.96. Both high and low-spin intermediates directly epoxidize cyclohexene, with the low-spin species being much more reactive than the high-spin congeners; the corresponding second-order rate constants have been evaluated. Crucially, the catalyst systems exhibiting the high-spin oxidizing intermediates demonstrate higher enantioselectivity in the epoxidation of prochiral olefinic substrates, compared with the catalyst systems featuring the low-spin intermediates. This enhanced enantioselectivity is explained in terms of attenuated reactivity of the high-spin intermediates, leading to more product-like transition state with tighter substrate-catalyst interactions.

Enzymatic strategies for asymmetric synthesis.

Enzymes, at the turn of the 21st century, are gaining a momentum. Especially in the field of synthetic organic chemistry, a broad variety of biocatalysts are being applied in an increasing number of processes running at up to industrial scale. In addition to the advantages of employing enzymes under environmentally friendly reaction conditions, synthetic chemists are recognizing the value of enzymes connected to the exquisite selectivity of these natural (or engineered) catalysts. The use of hydrolases in enantioselective protocols paved the way to the application of enzymes in asymmetric synthesis, in particular in the context of biocatalytic (dynamic) kinetic resolutions. After two decades of impressive development, the field is now mature to propose a panel of catalytically diverse enzymes for (i) stereoselective reactions with prochiral compounds, such as double bond reduction and bond forming reactions, (ii) formal enantioselective replacement of one of two enantiotopic groups of prochiral substrates, as well as (iii) atroposelective reactions with noncentrally chiral compounds. In this review, the major enzymatic strategies broadly applicable in the asymmetric synthesis of optically pure chiral compounds are presented, with a focus on the reactions developed within the past decade.

Inverting the Enantiopreference of Nitrilase-Catalyzed Desymmetric Hydrolysis of Prochiral Dinitriles by Reshaping the Binding Pocket with a Mirror-Image Strategy.

A mirror-image strategy, that is, symmetry analysis of the substrate-binding pocket, was applied to identify two key amino acid residues W170 and V198 that possibly modulate the enantiopreference of a nitrilase from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 towards 3-isobutyl glutaronitrile (1 a). Exchange of these two residues resulted in the enantiopreference inversion (S, 90 % ee to R, 47 % ee). By further reshaping the substrate-binding pocket via routine site-saturation and combinatorial mutagenesis, variant E8 with higher activity and stereoselectivity (99 % ee, R) was obtained. The mutant enzyme was applied in the preparation of optically pure (R)-3-isobutyl-4-cyanobutanoic acid ((R)-2 a) and showed similar stereopreference inversion towards a series of 3-substituted glutaronitriles. This study may offer a general strategy to switch the stereopreference of other nitrilases and other enzymes toward the desymmetric reactions of prochiral substrates with two identical reactive functional groups.

Inverting the Enantiopreference of Nitrilase‐Catalyzed Desymmetric Hydrolysis of Prochiral Dinitriles by Reshaping the Binding Pocket with a Mirror‐Image Strategy

AbstractA mirror‐image strategy, that is, symmetry analysis of the substrate‐binding pocket, was applied to identify two key amino acid residues W170 and V198 that possibly modulate the enantiopreference of a nitrilase from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 towards 3‐isobutyl glutaronitrile (1 a). Exchange of these two residues resulted in the enantiopreference inversion (S, 90 % ee to R, 47 % ee). By further reshaping the substrate‐binding pocket via routine site‐saturation and combinatorial mutagenesis, variant E8 with higher activity and stereoselectivity (99 % ee, R) was obtained. The mutant enzyme was applied in the preparation of optically pure (R)‐3‐isobutyl‐4‐cyanobutanoic acid ((R)‐2 a) and showed similar stereopreference inversion towards a series of 3‐substituted glutaronitriles. This study may offer a general strategy to switch the stereopreference of other nitrilases and other enzymes toward the desymmetric reactions of prochiral substrates with two identical reactive functional groups.

Construction of an Asymmetric Porphyrinic Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework through Ionic Postchiral Modification.

Herein, one kind of neutral chiral zirconium metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF) was reported from the porphyrinic MOF (PMOF) family with a metallolinker (MnIII-porphyrin) as the achiral polytopic linker [free base tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin] and chiral anions. Achiral Zr-MOF was chiralized through the exchange of primitive anions with new chiral organic anions (postsynthetic exchange). This chiral functional porphyrinic MOF (CPMOF) was characterized by several techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, 1H NMR, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. In the resulting structure, there are two active metal sites as Lewis acid centers (Zr and Mn) and chiral species as Brønsted acid sites along with their cooperation as nucleophiles. This CPMOF shows considerable bimodal porosity with high surface area and stability. Additionally, its ability was investigated in asymmetric catalyses of prochiral substrates. Interactions between framework chiral species and prochiral substrates have large impacts on the catalytic ability and chirality induction. This chiral catalyst proceeded asymmetric epoxidation and CO2 fixation reactions at lower pressure with high enantioselectivity due to Lewis acids and chiral auxiliary nucleophiles without significant loss of activity up to the sixth step of consecutive cycles of reusability. Observations revealed that chiralization of Zr-MOF could happen by a succinct strategy that can be a convenient method to design chiral MOFs.

Chiral Phosphoric Acid: A Powerful Organocatalyst for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Heterocycles with Chiral Atropisomerism

AbstractThe past two decades have witnessed unprecedented development and advancement of chiral phosphoric acid catalysis. Therefore, it is not surprising that the attempts to synthesize enantioenriched axially chiral compounds via chiral phosphoric acid catalysis have achieved fruitful results in recent years although this area of research is still in its infancy. A number of structurally important heterocycles with chiral atropisomerism have been successfully designed and prepared by chiral phosphoric acid promoted transformations involving diverse strategies: including direct coupling, de novo formation of a heterocyclic ring and functionalization of prochiral or racemic substrates. In this minireview, we would like to highlight the advances in the field of atropisomeric heterocycles construction enabled by chiral phosphoric acid catalysis. In addition, this Minireview is organized based on the different types of atropisomeric heterocyclic frameworks generated covering quinoline, pyrrole, indole, benzimidazole, quinazolinone, isoindolinone, urazole, pyrazole and so on. We hope that this Minireview will motivate continuous interest on chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed atroposelective reactions.