Asymmetric synthesis absolute

Another possible absolute synthesis is the irradiation in the solid state of an achiral compound that crystallizes in a chiral space group. This method has been demonstrated to be viable in a few cases and is an example of selectivity in solid-state photoreactions, due to the fact that bonds are broken and built in a strictly limited spatial environment. Unfortunately, however, very few compounds present these characteristics [14]. 

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Of further particular interest was that the crystallographic results on 2,5-DSP and poly-2,5-DSP had pointed out a very important future possibility that an absolute asymmetric synthesis could be achieved if any prochiral molecule, e.g. an unsymmetrical diolefin derivative, could be crystallized into a chiral crystal and if the reaction of the chiral crystal proceeded in the same manner as the 2,5-DSP crystal with retention of the crystal lattice (Wegner, 1972, 1973). Such types of absolute asymmetric synthesis with a high enantiomeric yield have now been performed by topochemical [2+2] photoreaction of unsymmetric diolefin crystals (Addadi etal., 1982 Hasegawa et al., 1990 Chung et al., 1991a,b). 

Along with the guidepost (Wegner, 1972, 1973) based on the crystal-to-crystal transition from 2,5-DSP to poly-2,5-DSP, absolute asymmetric synthesis has been achieved by the topochemical reaction of a chiral crystal of an achiral diolefin compound in the absence of any external chiral reagents. 

Topochemical [24-2] photoreactions of diolehn crystals has been reviewed. The reactions clearly depart from typical solution chemistry crystal-lattice control offers a unique synthetic route into photodegradable polymers, highly strained [24-2] paracyclophanes, stereoregular polymers, and absolute asymmetric synthesis. However, achieving the desired type of crystal... 

The asymmetric synthesis thus carried out is also known as partial asymmetric synthesis and to distinguish it from that where no optically active compound is used but in its place circularly polarized light is used, we use the term absolute asymmetric synthesis. 

Absolute asymmetric synthesis refers to the situation in which an asymmetric induction occurs in the absence of an externally imposed source of chirality [5]. Such reactions are invariably carried out in the crystalline state, where the asymmetric influence governing the enantioselectivity derives from the spontaneous crystallization of an achiral compound in a chiral space group. This phenomenon, which is analogous to the spontaneous crystallization of racemates as... 

Scheme 1 The first photochemical absolute asymmetric synthesis...

We describe highly enantioselective asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of chirality and asymmetric autocatalysis initiated by chiral triggers. Asymmetric autocatalysis correlates between the origin of chirality and the homochirality of organic compounds. We also describe spontaneous absolute asymmetric synthesis in combination with asymmetric autocatalysis. 

Spontaneous absolute asymmetric synthesis, that is the statistical formation of enantioenriched compounds from achiral reagents without the intervention of any chiral auxiliary, has been proposed as one of the origins of chirality. Without using... 

Spontaneous absolute asymmetric synthesis is described in the formation of enantiomerically enriched pyrimidyl alkanol from the reaction of pyrimidine-5-car-baldehyde and /-Pr2Zn without adding chiral substance in combination with asymmetric autocatalysis. The approximate stochastic distribution of the absolute conhgurations of the product pyrimidyl alkanol strongly suggests that the reaction is a spontaneous absolute asymmetric synthesis. 

Penzien, K. and G. M. J. Schmidt (1969). Reactions in chiral crystals - an absolute asymmetric synthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl, 8, 608. 

E. Stochastic Production of S- and /7-Enantiomers without Adding a Chiral Source by Asymmetric Autocatalysis Spontaneous Absolute Asymmetric Synthesis... 

In the absence of any chiral factors, the probability of the formation of S- and 77-enantiomers is 1 to 1. However, the numbers of the resulting two enantiomers are not exactly the same in almost all cases. Mislow197 described the inevitability of small enantiomeric enrichment in absolute asymmetric synthesis. According to the statistics, it is expected that a fluctuation in the ratio of the S- and 77-enantiomers becomes more and more likely as the numbers in the enantiomer mixture become smaller198. Thus, if the asymmetric autocatalysis is initiated without adding any chiral substance, small fluctuations of enantiomers produced in the initial stage could be enhanced by consecutive asymmetric autocatalytic reaction of pyrimidyl alkanol with amplification of chirality. 

If one could prepare 2-hydroxypropanenitrile from ethanal and hydrogen cyanide in the absence of any chiral reagent and produce an excess of one enantiomer over the other, this would constitute an absolute asymmetric synthesis—that is, creation of preferential chirality (optical activity) in a symmetrical environment from symmetrical reagents ... 

Keywords [2+2]photodimerization, absolute asymmetric synthesis, cyclobutane... 

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