Lattice inclusion compounds chiral structures

Figure 17 The hydrogen-bonded supramolecular synthon present in all helical tubulate inclusion compounds formed by diol 11 (and its family of hosts). The molecules hydrogen bond together O-H O-H O-H to form the threefold screw axis structure illustrated. Identical arrangements subtended by the second diol hydroxy groups give rise to the chiral tubular lattice structure shown in Figure 16. Hydrogen atoms are omitted for clarity.

Crystallisation of racemic 15 from either chloroform or 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroe-thane yields achiral inclusion compounds that contain both host enantiomers. In contrast, when 15 is crystallised from tetrahydrofuran (THF), a mixture of (+)- and (—)- crystals is produced in space group /J2 2 2 [40], Once again, chirality arises from the lattice structure rather than from self-resolution of the host enantiomers. 

Several prominent types of host molecule, such as the steroidal bile acids and the cyclodextrins, are chiral natural products that are available as pure enantiomers. Chemical modification of these parent compounds provides an easy route to the preparation of large numbers of further homochiral substances. Since all these materials are present as one pure enantiomer, it automatically follows that their crystalline inclusion compounds must have chiral lattice structures. It is not currently possible to investigate racemic versions of these compounds, but the examples discussed previously in this chapter indicate that very different behaviour could result. 

Scheme 8. Enantioselective Photoreactions in TADDOL Inclusion Compounds with a Cou-marin, a Methacryl Anilide, and an Oxocyclohexenyl-carboxamide. In the first case, the packing of the coumarin molecules in the mixed crystal is such that the double bonds are predisposed for the (2+2) cycloaddition. In the second example, a photochemical electrocychc reaction is followed by a sigmatropic H shift. The third reaction is an intramolecular (2+2) cycloaddition with dia- and enantioselective formation of three new stereogenic centers. There are several more reactions of this type, described in the literature [54], and the Toda group has determined the crystal structures of a number of inclusion compounds to show the correlation between the crystal packing and the configuration of the photoproducts. EMastereoselective solid-phase reactions of chiral guests in TADDOL-host lattices have also been described by the...

The question that emerges at the climax of this survey relates to the possibility of using crystalline inclusion phenomena for optical resolutions of molecular species. Can this be done effectively with suitably designed host compounds The definitely positive answer to this question has elegantly been demonstrated by Toda 20) as well as by other investigators (see Ch. 2 of Vol. 140). An optically active host compound will always form a chiral lattice. Therefore, when an inclusion type structure is induced, one enantiomer of the guest moiety should be included selectively within the asymmetric environment. 

Achiral objects can be assembled into chiral solid-state structures, and this is frequently the case for urea 1 when it encloses guests. Other compounds adopt a chiral conformation in solution and therefore may ultimately produce either chiral or achiral host structures. On the other hand, thiourea 2 forms an inclusion lattice that is achiral. This arrangement is nonetheless very effective in enclosing guest molecules. 

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