Carbon, asymmetric

C, b.p. 156 C. The most important of the terpene hydrocarbons. It is found in most essential oils derived from the Coniferae, and is the main constituent of turpentine oil. Contains two asymmetric carbon atoms. The (- -)-form is easily obtained in a pure state by fractionation of Greek turpentine oil, of which it constitutes 95%. Pinene may be separated from turpentine oil in the form of its crystalline nitrosochloride, CioHigClNO, from which the ( + )-form may be recovered by boiling with aniline in alcoholic solution. When heated under pressure at 250-270 C, a-pinene is converted into dipentene. It can be reduced by hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to form... 

Figure C2.1.1. (a) Constitutional isomerism of poly (propylene). The upper chain has a regular constitution. The lower one contains a constitutional defect, (b) Configurational isomerism of poly(propylene). Depending on tire relative configurations of tire asymmetric carbons of two successive monomer units, tire corresponding dyad is eitlier meso or racemo.

Chiral Center. The chiral center, which is the chiral element most commonly met, is exemplified by an asymmetric carbon with a tetrahedral arrangement of ligands about the carbon. The ligands comprise four different atoms or groups. One ligand may be a lone pair of electrons another, a phantom atom of atomic number zero. This situation is encountered in sulfoxides or with a nitrogen atom. Lactic acid is an example of a molecule with an asymmetric (chiral) carbon. (See Fig. 1.13b.)... 

A simpler representation of molecules containing asymmetric carbon atoms is the Fischer projection, which is shown here for the same lactic acid configurations. A Fischer projection involves... 

When the asymmetric carbon atoms in a chiral compound are part of a ring, the isomerism is more complex than in acyclic compounds. A cyclic compound which has two different asymmetric carbons with different sets of substituent groups attached has a total of 2 = 4 optical isomers an enantiometric pair of cis isomers and an enantiometric pair of trans isomers. However, when the two asymmetric centers have the same set of substituent groups attached, the cis isomer is a meso compound and only the trans isomer is chiral. (See Fig. 1.15.)... 

Structures [VIII] and [IX] are not equivalent they would not superimpose if the extended chains were overlaid. The difference has to do with the stereochemical configuration at the asymmetric carbon atom. Note that the asymmetry is more accurately described as pseudoasymmetry, since two sections of chain are bonded to these centers. Except near chain ends, which we ignore for high polymers, these chains provide local symmetry in the neighborhood of the carbon under consideration. The designations D and L or R and S are used to distinguish these structures, even though true asymmetry is absent. 

Complications arising from other types of isomerism. Positional and geometrical isomerism, also described in Sec. 1.6, will be excluded for simplicity. In actual polymers these are not always so easily ignored. Polymerization of 1,2-disubstituted ethylenes. Since these introduce two different asymmetric carbons into the polymer backbone (second substituent Y), they have the potential to display ditacticity. Our attention to these is limited to the illustration of some terminology which is derived from carbohydrate nomenclature (structures [IX]-[XII]) ... 

In the early days following the discovery of chirality it was thought that only molecules of the type CWXYZ, multiply substituted methanes, were important in this respect and it was said that a molecule with an asymmetric carbon atom forms enantiomers. Nowadays, this definition is totally inadequate, for two reasons. The first is that the existence of enantiomers is not confined to molecules with a central carbon atom (it is not even confined to organic molecules), and the second is that, knowing what we do about the various possible elements of symmetry, the phrase asymmetric carbon atom has no real meaning. 

Propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, and tripropylene glycol all have several isomeric forms. Propylene glycol has one asymmetric carbon and thus there are two enantiomers (R)-I,2-propanediol and (3)-1,2-propanediol. 1,3-Propanediol is a stmctural isomer. Dipropylene glycol exists in three stmctural forms and since each stmctural isomer has two asymmetric carbons there are four possible stereochemical isomers per stmcture or a total of twelve isomers. These twelve consist of four enantiomer pairs and two meso- compounds. Tripropylene glycol has four stmctural isomers and each stmctural isomer has... 

Any of the four monomer residues can be arranged in a polymer chain in either head-to-head, head-to-tail, or tail-to-tail configurations. Each of the two head-to-tail vinyl forms can exist as syndiotactic or isotactic stmctures because of the presence of an asymmetric carbon atom (marked with an asterisk) in the monomer unit. Of course, the random mix of syndiotactic and isotactic, ie, atactic stmctures also exists. Of these possible stmctures, only... 

The asterisk signifies an asymmetric carbon. AH of the amino acids, except glycine, have two optically active isomers designated D- or L-. Isoleucine and threonine also have centers of asymmetry at their P-carbon atoms (1,10). Protein amino acids are of the L-a-form (1,10) as illustrated in Table 1. 

In the propylene polymer the pendent methyl group is attached to an asymmetric carbon atom. 

In the esterification of organic acids with alcohols, it has been shown that in most cases under acid catalysis, the union is between acyl and alkoxy groups. Acid hydrolysis of acetoxysuccinic acid gives malic acid with retention of configuration at the asymmetric carbon atom (11) ... 

As with polybut-l-ene and many other vinyl monomers that contain an asymmetric carbon, isotactic, syndiotactic and atactic stmctures may be drawn. Using co-ordination catalysts such as mixtures of cobalt chlorides, aluminium alkyls, pyridine and water high-1,2 (high vinyl) polymers may be obtained. One product marketed by the Japan Synthetic Rubber Company (JSR 1,2 PBD) is 91% 1,2, and 51-66% of the 1,2 units are in the syndiotactic state. The molecular mass is said to be several hundred thousand and the ratio MJM is in the range 1.7-2.6. 

Compounds in which one or more carbon atoms have four nonidentical substituents are the largest class of chiral molecules. Carbon atoms with four nonidentical ligands are referred to as asymmetric carbon atoms because the molecular environment at such a carbon atom possesses no element of symmetry. Asymmetric carbons are a specific example of a stereogenic center. A stereogenic center is any structural feature that gives rise to chirality in a molecule. 2-Butanol is an example of a chiral molecule and exists as two nonsuperimposable mirror images. Carbon-2 is a stereogenic center. 

There are a number of important kinds of stereogenic centers besides asymmetric carbon atoms. One example is furnished by sulfoxides with nonidentical substituents on sulfur. Sulfoxides are pyramidal and maintain dieir configuration at room temperature. Unsymmetrical sulfoxides are therefore chiral and exist as enantiomers. Sulfonium salts with three nonidentical ligands are also chiral as a result of their pyramidal shape. Some examples of chiral derivatives of sulfur are given in Scheme 2.1. 

The reason that the third stereoisomer is achiral is that the substituents on the two asymmetric carbons are located with respect to each other in such a way that a molecular plane of symmetry exists. Compounds that incorporate asymmetric atoms but are nevertheless achiral are called meso forms. This situation occurs whenever pairs of stereogenic centers are disposed in the molecule in such a way as to create a plane of symmetry. A... 

Similarly, the two faces at a trigonal earbon in a molecule containing a stereogenic center are diastereotopie. Both ehiral and achiral reactants can distinguish between these diastereotopie faces. Many examples of diastereotopie transformations of sueh eompounds are known. One of the cases that has been examined elosely is addition reactions at a trigonal center adjacent to an asymmetric carbon. Particular attention has been given to the case of nucleophilie addition to carbonyl groups. 

LELOBINE AND LOBININE GROUPS. These include the minor alkaloids of lobelia isolated from factory residues accumulated during the manufacture of lobeline. Their isolation and separation involve complicated processes of fractionation for which the original paper should be consulted. Their inter-relationships (Table A, p. 23 and general formula, I, p. 24) are similar to those among members of the lobeline group, but the effect of the presence of three or more asymmetric carbon atoms is more evident, thus there are already known six forms of the basic dihydric alcohol, lelobaiiidine. 

Tropic acid crystallises in prisms and melts at 117°. It contains an asymmetric carbon atom and can be resolved into d- and Z-forms, which, according to King, melt at 128-9°, and have [ajj, + 81-6° and — 81-2° (HjO) respectively. 

Several of these cocaine substitutes contain asymmetric carbon atoms, and King has sho-wn that in the case of benzamine (III) there is no difference in the anaesthetic action of the d- and Z- forms, but that the Z-fonn is twice as toxic as the [Pg.111]

Although lupinine is thus a comparatively simple alkaloid its detailed chemistry has been difficult to unravel owing (a) to the presence in its molecule of two asymmetric carbon atoms as asterisked in (XI), and (6) the possibility of cis-trans isomerism in certain of its proximate (ieriva-tives. Winterfeld and Holschneider have pointed out that a further complexity arises from the presence in natural Z-lupinine of a structural isomeride, aZZolupinine for which formula (XII) is suggested. They also quote Kreig s observation that by the action of sodium on a benzene solution of Z-lupinine (m.p. 68-9° [ajo — 23-52°), the latter is converted... 

Stereoisomerism in the Cinchona Bases It was at first common practice to number the four asymmetric carbon atoms indicated in the general formula (I), 1, 2, 3 and 4, but this is now replaced by the more general system introduced by Rabe, who suggested the name ruban for (HI), which can be regarded as the parent substance of the natural cinchona alkaloids, and rubatoxan (IV) for that of the quinicines (quinatoxines). The formifiae, with notation, for ruban (III) and rubatoxan (IV) are shown below, and the general formula (I) for cinchona bases has been numbered in accordance with that scheme. 

On this basis cinchonine and einchonidine are named 3-vinylruban-9-ol, quinine and quinidine become 6 -methoxy-3-vinylruban-9-ol, cinchoninone is 3-vinylruban-9-one and quinieine is 6 -methoxy-3-vinylrubatoxan-9-one. The four asymmetric carbon atoms become 3, 4, 8 and 9 respectively. 

Br. CHa. CHa. CHa. CH(NHa). CH(CHa). CHa. CHjBr HBr. which on treatment with dilute alkali gives di-heliotridane (II). As the latter contains two asymmetric carbon atoms, two diastereoisomeric racemates might be produced in this reaction but only one was formed. It had density and refractive index in general agreement with those recorded for Z-heliotridane, as were also the melting points of characteristic derivatives. Density Df °0-902, refractive index wf, 1-4638 (<. with Adams and Rogers,3i Df ° 0-935, iijf° 1-4641), picrate, m.p. 234-6° (literature 232-6°), picrolonate, m.p. 162-3°, aurichloride, m.p. 200-1° (Konovalova and Orekhov give for these two constants 152-3° and 199-200° respectively). 

Under sonication conditions, the reaction of perfluoroalkyl bromides or iodides with zinc can be used to effect a variety of functionalization reactions [39, 40, 41, 42] (equation 30) Interestingly, the ultrasound promoted asymmetric induction with the perfluoroalkyl group on the asymmetric carbon was achieved by the reaction of perfluoroalkyl halides with optically active enamines in the presence of zinc powder and a catalytic amount of dichlorobisftc-cyclopenta-dienyl)titanium [42] (equation 31)... 

The ( (inversion of active tartaric acid into the inactive forms is known. s nwe mi Million, Aw< according to Winther is effected by the uiU uhangc ol the gi-oujis round each asymmetric carbon atom successively so that p.art of the active acid is fiisl con-wiled into luesotiut.nit acid, uliidi then passes into the laevo ariety,... 

FIGURE 7.2 The structure and stereochemical relationships of D-aldoses having three to six carbons. The configuration in each case is determined by the highest numbered asymmetric carbon (shown in gray). In each row, the new asymmetric carbon is shown in red. 

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