Planar racemization

The SnI reactions do not proceed at bridgehead carbons in [2.2.1] bicyclic systems (p. 397) because planar carbocations cannot form at these carbons. However, carbanions not stabilized by resonance are probably not planar SeI reactions should readily occur with this type of substrate. This is the case. Indeed, the question of carbanion stracture is intimately tied into the problem of the stereochemistry of the SeI reaction. If a carbanion is planar, racemization should occur. If it is pyramidal and can hold its structure, the result should be retention of configuration. On the other hand, even a pyramidal carbanion will give racemization if it cannot hold its structure, that is, if there is pyramidal inversion as with amines (p. 129). Unfortunately, the only carbanions that can be studied easily are those stabilized by resonance, which makes them planar, as expected (p. 233). For simple alkyl carbanions, the main approach to determining structure has been to study the stereochemistry of SeI reactions rather than the other way around. What is found is almost always racemization. Whether this is caused by planar carbanions or by oscillating pyramidal carbanions is not known. In either case, racemization occurs whenever a carbanion is completely free or is symmetrically solvated. 

Incorporation of stereogenic centers into cyclic structures produces special stereochemical circumstances. Except in the case of cyclopropane, the lowest-eneigy conformation of the tings is not planar. Most cyclohexane derivatives adopt a chair conformation. For example, the two conformers of cis-l,2-dimethylcyclohexane are both chiral. However, the two conformers are enantiomeric so the conformational change leads to racemization. Because the barrier to this conformational change is low (lOkcal/mol), the two enantiomers arc rapidly interconverted. 

Whereas the barrier for pyramidal inversion is low for second-row elements, the heavier elements have much higher barriers to inversion. The preferred bonding angle at trivalent phosphorus and sulfur is about 100°, and thus a greater distortion is required to reach a planar transition state. Typical barriers for trisubstituted phosphines are BOSS kcal/mol, whereas for sulfoxides the barriers are about 35-45 kcal/mol. Many phosphines and sulfoxides have been isolated in enantiomerically enriched form, and they undergo racemization by pyramidal inversion only at high temperature. ... 

Stereochemical analysis can add detail to the mechanistic picture of the Sj l substitution reaction. The ionization mechanism results in foimation of a caibocation intermediate which is planar because of its hybridization. If the caibocation is sufficiently long-lived under the reaction conditions to diffirse away from the leaving group, it becomes symmetrically solvated and gives racemic product. If this condition is not met, the solvation is dissymmetric, and product with net retention or inversion of configuration may be obtained, even though an achiral caibocation is formed. The extent of inversion or retention depends upon the details of the system. Examples of this effect will be discussed in later sections of the chapter. 

There have been many studies aimed at deducing the geometiy of radical sites by examining the stereochemistry of radical reactions. The most direct kind of study involves the generation of a radical at a carbon which is a stereogenic center. A planar or rapidly inverting radical would lead to racemization, whereas a rigid pyramidal structure should... 

To understand why a racemic product results from the reaction of T120 wjtl 1-butene, think about the reaction mechanism. 1-Butene is first protonaled tc yield an intermediate secondary (2°) carbocation. Since the trivalent carbon i sp2-hybridized and planar, the cation has no chirality centers, has a plane o symmetry, and is achiral. As a result, it can react with H20 equally well fron either the top or the bottom. Reaction from the top leads to (S)-2-butano through transition state 1 (TS 1) in Figure 9.15, and reaction from the bottorr leads to R product through TS 2. The two transition states are mirror images. The] therefore have identical energies, form at identical rates, and are equally likeb to occur. 

Because an S jl reaction occurs through a carbocation intermediate, its stereochemical outcome is different from that of an S 2 reaction. Carbocations, as we ve seen, are planar, sp2-hybndized, and achiral. Thus, if we carry out an S jl reaction on one enantiomer of a chiral reactant and go through an achiral carbocation intermediate, the product must be optically inactive (Section 9.10). The symmetrical intermediate carbocation can react with a nucleophile equally well from either side, leading to a racemic, 50 50 mixture of enantiomers (Figure 11.10). 

The chiral information of stereogenic centers in the allyl moiety of the precursor is destroyed on deprotonation. While an i/3-bound ion pair with a planar carbon frame is a chiral compound, usually rapid racemization takes place by intra- or intermolecular migration of the cation from one face to the opposite one. The sole exceptions known at present are secondary 2-alkenyl carbamates with X = dialkylaminocarbonyloxy21, in which the cation is tied by the chelating ligand, see Section 1.3.3.3.1.2. 

Due to the inherent unsymmetric arene substitution pattern the benzannulation reaction creates a plane of chirality in the resulting tricarbonyl chromium complex, and - under achiral conditions - produces a racemic mixture of arene Cr(CO)3 complexes. Since the resolution of planar chiral arene chromium complexes can be rather tedious, diastereoselective benzannulation approaches towards optically pure planar chiral products appear highly attractive. This strategy requires the incorporation of chiral information into the starting materials which may be based on one of three options a stereogenic element can be introduced in the alkyne side chain, in the carbene carbon side chain or - most general and most attractive - in the heteroatom carbene side chain (Scheme 20). 

Organometallic aldehydes can be reduced enantioselectively with dehydrogenases. For example, optically active organometallic compounds having planar chiralities were obtained by biocatalytic reduction of racemic aldehydes with yeast [22c,d] or HLADH [22e] as shown in Figure 8.29. 

Like the kinetic evidence, the stereochemical evidence for the SnI mechanism is less clear-cut than it is for the Sn2 mechanism. If there is a free carbocation, it is planar (p. 224), and the nucleophile should attack with equal facility from either side of the plane, resulting in complete racemization. Although many first-order substitutions do give complete racemization, many others do not. Typically there is 5-20% inversion, though in a few cases, a small amount of retention of configuration has been found. These and other results have led to the conclusion that in many SnI reactions at least some of the products are not formed from free carbocations but rather from ion pairs. According to this concept," SnI reactions proceed in this manner ... 

In this scheme, RS and SR represent enantiomers, and so on, and 5 represents some fraction. The following are the possibilities (1) Direct attack by SH on RX gives SR (complete inversion) in a straight Sn2 process. (2) If the intimate ion pair R X is formed, the solvent can attack at this stage. This can lead to total inversion if Reaction A does not take place or to a combination of inversion and racemization if there is competition between A and B. (3) If the solvent-separated ion pair is formed, SH can attack here. The stereochemistry is not maintained as tightly and more racemization (perhaps total) is expected. (4) Finally, if free R" " is formed, it is planar, and attack by SH gives complete racemization. 

However, even planar carbanions need not give racemization. Cram found that retention and even inversion can occur in the alkoxide cleavage reaction (12-39) ... 

Both the alkyl and the acyl have two asymmetric centers the iron and the )3-carbon. Accordingly, each composition exists as a pair of racemic mixtures. When the two diastereomeric racemic mixtures of the acyl are separately subjected to the decarbonylation in Eq. (54), only partial (<50%) epimerization is observed by NMR spectroscopy. This indicates that in the reactive intermediate, presumably three-coordinate CpFe(PPh3)COCH2-CH(Me)Ph, the iron substantially retains its asymmetry, and is therefore not planar. 

For example, let s look at the stereochemistry of SnI reactions. We already saw that Sn2 reactions proceed via inversion of configuration. But SnI reactions are very different. Recall that a carbocation is sp hybridized, so its geometry is trigonal planar. When the nucleophile attacks, there is no preference as to which side it can attack, and we get both possible configurations in equal amounts. Half of the molecules would have one configuration and the other half would have the other configuration. We learned before that this is called a racemic mixture. Notice that we can explain the stereochemical outcome of this reaction by understanding the nature of the carbocation intermediate that is formed. 

In 1996, Fu et al. reported the S3mthesis of the planar chiral heterocycles 64, formally DMAP fused with a ferrocene core [82]. While the original synthesis provided racemic 64a in only 2% overall yield requiring a subsequent resolution by preparative HPLC on a chiral stationary phase, a recently improved synthesis furnished the racemic complexes 64 in 32-40% yield over seven steps. A subsequent resolution with di-p-toluoyltartaric or dibenzoyltartaric acid gave access to the enantiomers with >99% ee (28 14% yield for each isomer in this step) [83]. 

Enantioenriched alcohols and amines are valuable building blocks for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. While some of them are available from nature s chiral pool , the large majority is accessible only by asymmetric synthesis or resolution of a racemic mixture. Similarly to DMAP, 64b is readily acylated by acetic anhydride to form a positively charged planar chiral acylpyridinium species [64b-Ac] (Fig. 43). The latter preferentially reacts with one enantiomer of a racemic alcohol by acyl-transfer thereby regenerating the free catalyst. For this type of reaction, the CsPhs-derivatives 64b/d have been found superior. 

Liang J, Ruble JC, Fu GC (1998) Dynamic kinetic resolutions catalyzed by a planar-chiral derivative of DMAP enantioselective synthesis of protected a-amino acids from racemic azlactones. J Org Chem 63 3154—3155... 

The racemization of the phosphine (118) has been followed by optical rotation. The lack of a solvent effect indicates that there is little change in dipole moment in the formation of the planar transition state. Circular dichroism has been used to study the interactions of nucleotides with proteins and DNA with a histone. Faraday effects have been reviewed. Refraction studies on chloro-amino-phosphines, fluoro-amino-phosphines, and some chalcogenides are reported. 

In the base-catalyzed H/D exchange of the four-membered cyclic sulfone 85, the rate of exchange is slightly higher than that of racemization and the carbanion formed was also considered to be planar . ... 

Racemic amino acids have been resolved via stereoselective coordination to the square planar chiral matrix complex (178).584 The bisamidobispyridyl ligand (179) forms a square planar Ni11 complex with considerable tetrahedral twist due to repulsion of the ortho protons of the pyridyl rings.585... 

Thermolysis of 1-phenyl-3,4-dimethylphosphole in alcoholic solvents in the presence of NiCl2 leads to the synthesis of the racemic biphospholene complex (222).653,654 Upon reaction of the bromo derivative with AgBF4, the meso and racemic diastereomers of (223) are formed, which can be separated by fractional crystallization.655 In both (222) and (223) the coordination sphere is slightly distorted from square planar. 

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