Enantiotopic bonds

In this example addition to the double bond of an alkene converted an achiral mol ecule to a chiral one The general term for a structural feature the alteration of which introduces a chirality center m a molecule is prochiral A chirality center is introduced when the double bond of propene reacts with a peroxy acid The double bond is a prochi ral structural unit and we speak of the top and bottom faces of the double bond as prochiral faces Because attack at one prochiral face gives the enantiomer of the com pound formed by attack at the other face we classify the relationship between the two faces as enantiotopic... 

Whatever happens at one enantiotopic face of the double bond of as or trans 2 butene hap pens at the same rate at the other resultrng mail mrxture of R) and (S) 2 bromobutane... 

The double bond m 2 methyl(methylene)cyclohexane is prochiral The two faces however are not enantiotopic as they were for the alkenes we discussed m Section 7 9 In those earlier examples when addition to the double bond created a new chirality cen ter attack at one face gave one enantiomer attack at the other gave the other enantiomer In the case of 2 methyl(methylene)cyclohexane which already has one chirality center attack at opposite faces of the double bond gives two products that are diastereomers of each other Prochiral faces of this type are called diastereotopic... 

Since carbohthiations usually proceed as syn additions, 458 is expected to be formed first. Due to the configurationally labile benzylic centre it epimerizes to the trani-substitu-ted chelate complex epi-45S. The substitution of epi-458 is assumed to occur with inversion at the benzylic centre. Sterically more demanding reagents (t-BuLi) or the well-stabilized benzyllithium do not add. The reaction works with the same efficiency when other complexing cinnamyl derivatives, such as ethers and primary, secondary, or tertiary amines, are used as substrates . A substoichiometric amount (5 mol%) of (—)-sparteine (11) serves equally well. The appropriate (Z)-cinnamyl derivatives give rise to ewf-459, since the opposite enantiotopic face of the double bond is attacked . 

This representation fits into the more general treatment of prochirality and prostereoisomerism (42, 50-52). Using the infinite chain model the + and — bonds must be considered enantiotopic (53) because they are related by a mirror plane perpendicular to the chain axis and passing through every tertiary carbon atom. 

The opposite case is also worthy of consideration. cis-2,3>Epoxybutane is a meso compound but the two halves of the molecule, and particularly the two O—CH(CH3) bonds, are not equivalent but enantiotopic. Ring opening polymerization occurring selectively on one of the bonds converts the R, S) monomer into a succession of monomer units (R, / )—(/ , R)— and so on, or —(5, S)—(S, S)— and so on. A chiral initiator can effect an enantiotopic differentiation (281) and thus give rise to an optically active polymer with an excess of (R, R) or (S, S) units (81, 82). 

Asymmetric synthesis starts with a prochiral compound. This is a compound which is not chiral, but can be converted into a chiral compound by a chiral (bio) catalyst. Subsequently, two types of prochiral compounds can be distinguished The first one has a stereoheterotopic face (which usually is a double bond) to which an addition reaction takes place. An example is the conversion of the prochiral compound propene into 1,2-epoxypropane (which has two enantiomers, of which one may be preferentially formed using an enantioselective catalyst). The second type of prochiral compound has two so-called enantiotopic atoms or groups. If one of these is converted, the compound becomes chiral. Meso-compounds belong to this class. Figure 10.5 and 10.6 show some examples of the different types of asymmetric catalysis with prochiral compounds. 

Asymmetric bond disconnection is less frequently employed than asymmetric bond formation for the synthesis of chiral, nonracemic compounds. The substrates for these transformations contain either enantiotopic (diastereotopic) hydrogen atoms or enantiotopic (diastereotopic) functional groups. In some cases the classification of a given transformation of such a substrate as asymmetric bond disconnection or bond formation is somewhat arbitrary. Thus, enantiotopic and diastereotopic group differentiation is also described at appropriate places in various sections but more specifically in part B of this volume. 

Both the ally lie alcohol and tert-hutyX hydroperoxide are achiral, but the product epoxide is formed in high optical purity. This is possible because the catalyst, titanium tetraiso-propoxide, forms a chiral (possibly dimeric [36]) complex with resolved diethyl tartrate [(+)-DET] which binds the two achiral reagents together in the reactive complex. The two enantiotopic faces of the allylic double bond become diastereotopic in the chiral complex and react at different rates with the tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Many other examples may be found in recent reviews [31, 37-39]. 

In principle, the enantiotopic protons of bromochloromethane will be anisochronous in a chiral solvent. However, it requires a fair degree of association to make the chemical shift difference visible. This requirement may be satisfied in hydrogen-bonding solvents ... 

In an oxidative addition, Pd(0) complex 22 with BINAP as a ligand accepts alkenyl triflate It. The resulting Pd complex 23 is cationic, since the triflate anion is bound only loosely to the palladium and dissociates from the complex.1 Syn insertion of one of the two enantiotopic double bonds of the cyclopentadienc into the alkenyl-Pd bond of complex 23 leads firs to q -allyl-Pd complex 24. This is in rapid equilibrium with t 3-allyl-Pd complex 25. Neither 24 nor 25 contains a p-H atom in a yn relationship to palladium. Moreover, internal rotation is impossible in the con form a-tionaily fixed ring system. For this reason there is no possibility of a subsequent p-hydride elimination that would once again release the palladium catalyst. In a normal Heck reaction (see discussion) the catalytic cycle would be broken at this point. 

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