Chiral template molecules

Fig. 10. The relationship between a chiral template molecule and the polymeric matrix formed ia the presence of the template molecule.

In this work a new approach is desribed, which can help to understand ED over heterogeneous catalysts We also hope that this approach can be used to find new modifiers for enantioselective heterogeneous catalytic reactions. The basis for this approach is the steric shielding known in organic chemistry [7,8]. A chiral template molecule can induce shielding effect (SE) in such a way that it preferentially interacts with one of the prochiral sites of the substrate. If a substrate is preferentially shielded its further reaction can take place only fi"om its unshielded site resulting in ED. 

In 1990, Choudary [139] reported that titanium-pillared montmorillonites modified with tartrates are very selective solid catalysts for the Sharpless epoxidation, as well as for the oxidation of aromatic sulfides [140], Unfortunately, this research has not been reproduced by other authors. Therefore, a more classical strategy to modify different metal oxides with histidine was used by Moriguchi et al. [141], The catalyst showed a modest e.s. for the solvolysis of activated amino acid esters. Starting from these discoveries, Morihara et al. [142] created in 1993 the so-called molecular footprints on the surface of an Al-doped silica gel using an amino acid derivative as chiral template molecule. After removal of the template, the catalyst showed low but significant e.s. for the hydrolysis of a structurally related anhydride. On the same fines, Cativiela and coworkers [143] treated silica or alumina with diethylaluminum chloride and menthol. The resulting modified material catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and methacrolein with modest e.s. (30% e.e.). As mentioned in the Introduction, all these catalysts are not yet practically important but rather they demonstrate that amorphous metal oxides can be modified successfully. 

Copolymerization of a monomer having two styrene moieties attached to a chiral template molecule with a comonomer e.g., methyl methacrylate) gives copolymers with strong optical activity after removal of the template molecules. In this case styrene diads of an S,S configuration separated from other styrene diads by comonomeric units are responsible for the optical activity. 

Stationary phases with specific molecular recognition properties for D,L-enantiomers of peptides have been tailored using the molecular imprinting technique. A template molecule is added to suitable monomer(s), the system is polymerized, and the chiral template molecule is washed out [128]. 

Helical poly(TrMA) and its analogues can be used as chiral template molecules in molecular-imprint synthesis of a chiral cross-linked gel.58 The chirality of the helical polymer may be transferred to the cross-linked material. 

As an example for a one-dimensional property transfer, the preparation of optically active co-polymers using chiral template molecules is described. In this case, the optical activity in the polymer arises from the chirality of the configurational arrangement of the main chain (main chain chirality). Symmetry considerations show that there are several possible structures both for stereoregular homo- and for co-polymers in which this type of chirality can be expected [4]. 

The so-called imprinted polymers are obtained by polymerization of monomers in the presence of chiral template molecules [21]. The templates are washed out of the stationary phase after completion of the polymerization. After this treatment, the polymer is supposed to have a chiral surface. Due to low selectivities. 

Synthetic methods include the use of silanes bearing a chiral group for silylating the surface of the porous sol-gel silica, the use of such silanes as monomers or co-monomers in the polycondensation, the physical entrapment of chiral molecules, the imprinting of SG materials with chiral templates and the creation of chiral pores, and the induction of chirality in the matrix skeleton itself 48... 

ORMOSIL are chemical sponges they adsorb and concentrate reactants at their surface, thereby enhancing reaction rates and sensitivity (in sensing applications). ORMOSIL-imprinted materials with a suitable chiral template such as a surfactant or a protein selectively adsorb (and detect) external reactants. A remarkable example is provided by thin materials that are generally enantioselective, namely where the chirally imprinted cavities can discriminate between enantiomers of molecules not used in the imprinting process, and completely different from the imprinting ones. 

Since the synthesis of glycolipids involves the synthesis of both the lipid and the oligosaccharide portions, we shall also discuss that part of the recorded lipid synthetic work which has involved the use of carbohydrates. In fact, some of the first-recorded applications of carbohydrate molecules as chiral templates are to be found in the lipid field particularly with the use of 1,2 5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol [33] as a precursor of chiral glycerol derivatives for the synthesis of phospholipids and glycolipids based on glycerol and with the use of glucosamine derivatives for the synthesis of phytosphingosines [34] and since this area has not previously been reviewed, it will be treated with a more historical perspective. 

While technically simpler than the covalent approach, the self-assembly approach creates more heterogeneous sites and also requires templates with specific functional groups.8 Since sol-gel chemistry is aqueous based, H-bonding interactions are significantly weaker compared to the conventional organic polymerization methods. Often, hydrophobic effects and ionic interactions are utilized. A number of other examples of the noncovalent approach to imprinting in sol-gel-derived materials are provided in recent reviews.5 17 In the sections below, the focus will be on some of the newer aspects of small molecule imprinting in silica that involve the use of chiral templates... 

Chiral templates can be considered a subclass of chiral auxiliaries. Unlike auxiliaries that have the potential for recycle, the stereogenic center of a template is destroyed during its removal. Although this usually results in the formation of simple by-products that are simple to remove, the cost of the template s stereogenic center is transferred to the product molecule. Under certain circumstances, chiral templates can provide a cost-effective route to a chiral compound (Chapter 25). Usually, the development of a template is the first step in understanding a specific transformation and the knowledge gained is used to develop an auxiliary or catalyst system. 

Chiral auxiliaries can serve as a chiral template, and the structural motif can be incorporated into an active pharmaceutical. Although the chemistry of the chiral unit can be exploited, this is not a true application of an auxiliary as the unit becomes part of the final molecule. 

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