Spiranes, chiral forms

Molecules that do not possess an asymmetric center may still have nonsuperimposable mirror images and exist as enantiomers. These molecules contain a chiral plane or chiral axis and are dissymmetric with respect to either that plane or axis. The structures of the enantiomers of the sedative-hypnotic methaqualone are presented in Fig. 4. In this molecule there is a chiral axis between the nitrogen atom (N-1) and phenyl ring (C-1). The dissymmetry of the two forms of the molecule is a result of hindered rotation around this axis, which is due to steric interactions between methyl groups (M-1 and M-2). Other axially dissymmetric molecules include allene, biaryls, alkylidenecyclohexanes, and spiranes. Planar dissymmetric molecules are exemplified by molecules such as tra s-cycloalkenes. 

In this reaction the spirane can be formed but its stereostructure was unknown. The spirane molecule can be chiral only in that case when the two five-membered rings are perpendicular to each other. Optical rotation of the spirane received in this reaction confirmed the structure of the supposed spirane Thus, over Ni-/-quartz catalyst, spirane 3 with assg = -0.066°,... 

The property of chirality is determined by molecular topology, and there are many molecules that are chiral even though they do not possess an asymmetrically substituted atom. Examples include certain allenes, spiranes, alkylidenecyclo-alkanes, and biaryls as well as other specific examples. Some specific molecules that have been isolated in optically active form are given in Scheme 2.2. The configuration of these molecules is established by subrules in the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog convention. We will not describe these here. Discussion of these rules can be found in Ref. 1. 

Compounds containing nitrogen atom that are capable of forming four bonds and having different substituents may be optically active. In such compounds, there is a certain analogy to a chiral tetrahedral carbon atom. This type of compounds includes ammonium salts, amine oxides, and spiranes where nitrogen atom is a central one (Figure 2.26). 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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