Racemic mixture resolution complexes

The first resolution of an octahedral complex into its enantiomers was achieved in 1911 by A. Werner, who got the Nobel Prize in 1913, with the complex [Co(ethylenediamine)(Cl)(NH3)] [10]. Obviously, resolution is to be considered only in the case of kinetically inert complexes whose enantiomers do not racemize quickly after separation. This is a very important remark since, as noted above, the interesting complexes are those containing exchangeable sites required for catalytic activity and thus more sensitive to racemization. We will not discuss here the very rare cases of spontaneous resolution during which a racemic mixture of complexes forms a conglomerate (the A and A enantiomers crystallize in separate crystals) [11,12]. 

For diene ligands which are prochiral, complexation results in the formation of a racemic mixture. Resolution of this racemic mixture has been accomplished via either classical methods102, chromatographic separation on chiral stationary phases103 or kinetic resolution104. For certain acyclic or cyclic dienes possessing a pendent chiral center(s)... 

Resolution of a complex even to a very small extent could demonstrate tiiat the original complex was a racemic mixture. Thus, complexes like [Co(dimethylglyoximo)2(NH3)Cl] were partly resolved on quartz powder. The spatial configuration of this complex was unknown. From file theoretical point of view it was expected that only the c/5-form of the complex should exhibit optical activity. In agreement with this expectation, resolution of the tris(dimethylglyoximo)cobaltate(lll) complex on quartz exhibited a poor but definite optical activity revealing the configuration of the complex to be cis rather than trans... 

A particular point of interest included in these hehcal complexes concerns the chirality. The heUcates obtained from the achiral strands are a racemic mixture of left- and right-handed double heUces (Fig. 34) (202). This special mode of recognition where homochiral supramolecular entities, as a consequence of homochiral self-recognition, result from racemic components is known as optical self-resolution (203). It appears in certain cases from racemic solutions or melts (spontaneous resolution) and is often quoted as one of the possible sources of optical resolution in the biological world. On the other hand, the more commonly found process of heterochiral self-recognition gives rise to a racemic supramolecular assembly of enantio pairs (204). 

Optically active thiiranes have been obtained by resolution of racemic mixtures by chiral tri-o-thymotide. The dextrorotatory thymotide prefers the (5,5)-enantiomer of 2,3-dimethylthiirane which forms a 2 1 host guest complex. A 30% enantiomeric excess of (5,5)-(—)-2,3-dimethylthiirane is obtained (80JA1157). 

Another route to enantiomcrically pure iron-acyl complexes depends on a resolution of diastereomeric substituted iron-alkyl complexes16,17. Reaction of enantiomerically pure chloromethyl menthyl ether (6) with the anion of 5 provides the menthyloxymethyl complex 7. Photolysis of 7 in the presence of triphenylphosphane induces migratory insertion of carbon monoxide to provide a racemic mixture of the diastereomeric phosphane-substituted menthyloxymethyl complexes (-)-(/ )-8 and ( + )-( )-8 which are resolved by fractional crystallization. Treatment of either diastereomer (—)-(/J)-8 or ( I )-(.V)-8 with gaseous hydrogen chloride (see also Houben-Weyl, Vol 13/9a, p437) affords the enantiomeric chloromethyl complexes (-)-(R)-9 or (+ )-(S)-9 without epimerization of the iron center. 

Racemic mixtures of sulfoxides have often been separated completely or partially into the enantiomers. Various resolution techniques have been used, but the most important method has been via diastereomeric salt formation. Recently, resolution via complex formation between sulfoxides and homochiral compounds has been demonstrated and will likely prove of increasing importance as a method of separating enantiomers. Preparative liquid chromatography on chiral columns may also prove increasingly important it already is very useful on an analytical scale for the determination of enantiomeric purity. 

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). 

D-Pantolactone and L-pantolactone are used as chiral intermediates in chemical synthesis, whereas pantoic acid is used as a vitamin B2 complex. All can be obtained from racemic mixtures by consecutive enzymatic hydrolysis and extraction. Subsequently, the desired hydrolysed enantiomer is lactonized, extracted and crystallized (Figure 4.6). The nondesired enantiomer is reracemized and recycled into the plug-flow reactor [33,34]. Herewith, a conversion of 90-95% is reached, meaning that the resolution of racemic mixtures is an alternative to a possible chiral synthesis. The applied y-lactonase from Fusarium oxysporum in the form of resting whole cells immobilized in calcium alginate beads retains more than 90% of its initial activity even after 180 days of continuous use. The biotransformation yielding D-pantolactone in a fixed-bed reactor skips several steps here that are necessary in the chemical resolution. Hence, the illustrated process carried out by Fuji Chemical Industries Co., Ltd is an elegant way for resolution of racemic mixtures. 

Resolution of a racemic mixture is still a valuable method involving fractional crystallization [113], chiral stationary phase column chromatography [114] and kinetic resolutions. Katsuki and co-workers demonstrated the kinetic resolution of racemic allenes by way of enantiomer-differentiating catalytic oxidation (Scheme 4.73) [115]. Treatment of racemic allenes 283 with 1 equiv. of PhIO and 2 mol% of a chiral (sale-n)manganese(III) complex 284 in the presence of 4-phenylpyridine N-oxide resulted... 

Carbonylative kinetic resolution of a racemic mixture of trans-2,3-epoxybutane was also investigated by using the enantiomerically pure cobalt complex [(J ,J )-salcy]Al(thf)2 [Co(CO)4] (4) [28]. The carbonylation of the substrate at 30 °C for 4h (49% conversion) gave the corresponding cis-/3-lactone in 44% enantiomeric excess, and the relative ratio (kre ) of the rate constants for the consumption of the two enantiomers was estimated to be 3.8, whereas at 0 °C, kte = 4.1 (Scheme 6). This successful kinetic resolution reaction supports the proposed mechanism where cationic chiral Lewis acid coordinates and activates an epoxide. 

Dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) is an attractive protocol for the production of enantiopure compounds from racemic mixtures [45]. The concept of DKR is illustrated in Scheme 5.13. In many cases, DKRs are accomplished by the combination of enzymatic resolution and transition-metal-catalyzed racemization based on hydrogen transfer. Thus, the use of Cp Ir complexes as catalysts for racemization in DKR can be anticipated. 

The crystal structure of five members of the ferrioxamine family has been determined ferrioxamine Di , ferrioxamine E °, desferrioxamine E , the retro-isomer of fer-richrome E and ferrioxamine B . While all of the Fe(III)-ferrioxamine structures (Table 2) crystallize as racemic mixtures of A- and A-cis isomers , the configuration of the binary ferrioxamine-B in EhuD complex (2.0 A resolution) is A-C-trans,cis, indicating that the interaction between ferrioxamine-B and FhuD is enantioselective, and also exhibils geomelric seleclivily. 

In contrast to the installation of the nucleobase via nucleophilic substimtion of a suitable leaving group on the isoxazolidinyl cycloadduct, Colacino et al. (51) and Sindona and co-workers (52,53) prepared isoxazolidinyl nucleosides using vinyl nucleobases as the dipolarophile (Scheme 1.5). In Sindona s work, while a three-component reaction of hydroxylamine, formaldehyde, and 20 afforded a complex mixture of cycloadducts and byproducts, the known dipole 21 reacted with N-9-vinyladenine (20) in benzene at reflux to afford a racemic mixture of adduct 22 and its enantiomer (45%). The ester function was then used to effect a resolution by pig... 

Apart from their obvious utility in separating mixtures of cations,68 crown ethers have found much use in organic synthesis (see the discussion on p. 363). Chiral crown ethers have been used for the resolution of racemic mixtures (p. 121). Although crown ethers are most frequently used to complex cations, amines, phenols, and other neutral molecules have also been complexed69 (see p. 133 for the complexing of anions).70... 

Biaryl 133 was converted into 135 via a [5]helicene-analogous monocarbene chromium complex 134. Compound 135 was used for the resolution of the racemic mixture (Scheme 36) <2005EJ01541>. 

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