A Chiral Phosphorous Derivatizing Agent for the Determination of the Enantiomeric Excess of Chiral Alcohols, Amines by ^(31)P NMR

A chiral phosphorous derivatizing agent prepared from PCl3 and (S)-BINOL was described. It is used to determine the enantiomeric excess of chiral alcohols and amines by 31P NMR.

Facile Access to Chiral Alcohols with Pharmaceutical Relevance Using a Ketoreductase Newly Mined from Pichia guilliermondi

Chiral secondary alcohols with additional functional groups are frequently required as important and valuable synthons for pharmaceuticals, agricultural and other fine chemicals. With the advantages of environmentally benign reaction conditions, broad reaction scope, and high stereoselectivity, biocatalytic reduction of prochiral ketones of- fers significant potential in the synthesis of optically active alcohols. A CmCR homologous carbonyl reductase from Pichia guilliermondii NRRL Y-324 was successfully overexpressed. Substrate profile characterization revealed its broad substrate specificity, covering aryl ketones, aliphatic ketones and ketoesters. Furthermore, a variety of ketone substrates were asymmetrically reduced by the purified enzyme with an additionally NADPH regeneration system. The reduction system exhibited excellent enantioselectivity （~ 99% ee） in the reduction of all the aromatic ketones and ketoesters, except for 2-bromoacetophenone （93.5% ee）. Semi-preparative reduction of six ketones was achieved with high enantioselectivity （〉99% ee） and isolation yields （〉80%） within 12 h. This study provides a useful guidance for further application of this enzyme in the asymmetric synthesis of chiral alcohol enantiomers.

Novel Stereoselective Carbonyl Reductase from Kluyveromyces marxianus for Chiral Alcohols Synthesis

A novel nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate（NADPH）-dependent carbonyl reductase from Kluyverornyces marxianus（KmCR） was identified, which can convert various prochiral ketone esters and ketone substrates to their corresponding chiral alcohols. KmCR was over-expressed in E. coli BL21（DE3）, purified to homogeneity, and characterized. The purified enzyme exhibits the highest activity at 40℃ and pH=6.0. Based on the gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel eiectrophoresis（SDS-PAGE） analysis, the monomeric protein was determined to have a molecular weight of approximate 39000. Vmax and Km of KmCR are 4.28 μmol.min^-1·mg^-1 and 0.41 mmol/L for ketone ester substrate ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate（OPBE）, 3.09μmol.min^-1·mg^-1 and 1.21 mmol/L for cofactor NADPH, respectively. Cofactor recycle was achieved by co-expression of KmCR and glucose dehydrogenase（GDH） in E. coli. Recombinant E. coli harboring KmCR and GDH showed moderate asymmetric reduction activity towards various α- and β-ketoesters, diaryl ketone substrates. In an aqueous/butyl acetate biphasic system, the whole-cell biocatalyst was used to prepare ethyl （R）-2-hydroxy-4- phenylbutanoate[（R）-HPBE] in an e.e. of 99.5% with a space-time yield of 433.6 g.L-1.d-1 and a yield of 80.3% at 270 g/L OPBE.

Synthesis,Characterization and Structure of Chiral Amino Acids and Their Corresponding Amino Alcohols with Camphoric Backbone

Chiral amino acids and their corresponding amino alcohols bearing camphoric backbone were prepared from D-（＋）-camphoric imide and characterized by infrared, elemental analysis, ESI-MS, and NMR measurements. Among them, one intermediate （1S,3R）-3-amino-2,2,3- trimethyl cyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid hydrochloride 3 was structurally elucidated by X-ray diffraction techniques. Versatile intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions observed in its packing structure result in a two-dimensional framework.

Asymmetric hydrogenation of aromatic ketones using new chiral-bridged diphosphine/diamine-Ru(Ⅱ) complexes

A series of chiral secondary alcohols were easily prepared by means of asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral aromatic ketones using a new（（Rax）-BuP）/（R,R）-DPEN-Ru（Ⅱ） complex catalyst system.The hydrogenation of 2-methylacetophenone in n-butanol （t-BuOK/Ru =45.6/1,S/C = 500,20 atm.of H2,20℃,48 h） afforded（S）-1-（2＇-methylphenyl）ethanol in 92%ee and〉99% conversion.

Production of Chiral Aromatic Alcohol by Asymmetric Reduction with Vegetable Catalyst

Chiral aromatic alcohols are the key chiral building block for many important enantiopure pharmaceu-ticals. In this work,we studied asymmetric reduction of prochiral aromatic ketone to produce the corresponding chiral alcohol using vegetables as the biocatalyst. Acetophenone was chosen as the model substrate. The results in-dicate that acetophenone can be reduced to the corresponding chiral alcohols with high enantioselectivity by the chosen vegetables,i.e. apple(Malus pumila),carrot(Daucus carota),cucumber(Cucumis sativus),onion(Allium cepa),potato(Soanum tuberosum),radish(Raphanus sativus),and sweet potato(Ipomoea batatas) . In the reaction,R-1-phenylethanol is produced with apple,sweet potato and potato as the catalyst,while S-1-phenylethanol is the product with the other vegetables as the catalyst. In term of the enantioselectivity and reaction yield,carrot(D. ca-rota) is the best catalyst for this reaction. Furthermore,the reaction characteristics were studied in detail using car-rot(D. carota) as the biocatalyst. The effects of various factors on the reaction were investigated and the optimal reaction conditions were determined. Under the optimal reaction conditions(reaction time 50 h,substrate concen-tration 20 mmol·L-1,reaction temperature 35 °C and pH 7),95% of e.e.(to S-1-phenylethanol) and 85% chemical yield can be obtained. This work extends the biocatalyst for the asymmetric reduction reaction of prochiral aromatic ketones,and provides a novel potential route to produce enantiopure aromatic alcohols.

Boosting chiral carboxylic acid hydrogenation by tuning metal-MO_(x)-support interaction in Pt-ReO_(x)/TiO_(2) catalysts

Engineering the surface microenvironment by tuning the binary interactions between a supported metal with a secondary metal oxide(MO_(x))or support has been a common method for improving the catalytic performance of supported metal catalysts.However,few studies have investigated the ternary interactions among the metal,MO_(x),and support.Here,we report for the first time the formation of metal-MO_(x)-support interaction(MMSI)in reducible TiO_(2)-supported PtReO_(x) catalysts,affording 87% yield and 100% ee in the tandem hydrogenation of an aqueous chiral cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid into the corresponding diol;the catalytic activity is eight times higher than that obtained with non-reducible support counterparts in the same reaction via traditional batch synthesis with multiple steps and unfriendly reagents.Detailed experimental and computational studies suggest that the TiO_(2) crystalline phase-dependent density of the oxygen vacancies induces different Pt-ReO_(x)-TiO_(2) interactions,which dominate the electron transfer therein and tune the adsorption strength of the carbonyl moiety of the substrate/intermediate,thus promoting the hydrogenation activity and selectivity.In addition,the strong MMSI endows the optimal rutile TiO_(2) supported PtReO_(x) catalyst with an outstanding lifetime of 400 h in a fixed-bed reactor under acidic aqueous conditions and ensures efficient applications in the selective hydrogenation of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and functional carboxylic acids.This work provides a promising strategy for the development of efficient and stable supported catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of diverse C-O and C=O bonds.

Visible Light-Mediated Cobalt and Photoredox Dual-Catalyzed Asymmetric Reductive Coupling for Axially Chiral Secondary Alcohols

Secondary alcohols bearing both axial and central chirality comprise attractive biological activity and exhibit excellent chiral induction in asymmetric reactions.However,only very limited asymmetric catalytic approaches were developed for their synthesis.We herein describe visible light-mediated cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric reductive Grignard-type addition of aryl iodides with axially prochiral biaryl dialdehydes leading to the direct construction of axially chiral secondary alcohols.Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that efficient kinetic recognition of diastereomers might occur for axially prochiral dialdehydes to improve the stereoselectivity,which might open a new avenue for the challenging cascade construction of multiple chiral elements.This protocol features excellent enantio-and diastereoselectivity,green and mild conditions,simple operation,and broad substrate scope,providing a modular platform for the synthesis of secondary axially chiral alcohols.

Enantioselective Addition of Phenylacetylene to Ketones Catalyzed by Chiral Amino Alcohols

（S）-（1-Benzylpyrrolidin-2-yl）diphenylmethanol and cinchonine were evaluated as promotors in the asymmetric additions of phenylacetylene to ketones, in order to prepare chiral propargylic alcohols. Good yields （up to 89%） and moderate enantioselectivities （up to 77.9% ee） were achieved. Addition of Ti（OPr-i）4 can significantly improve the enantioselectivity of the reaction.

Schiff-base Amino Alcohol-zinc Complex for Enantioselective Addition of Phenylacetylene to Aromatic Ketones

A complete study of the asymmetric addition of phenylacetylene to ketones catalyzed by Schiff-base amino alcohol-Zn complex is reported in this article. The Schiff-base amino alcohols were easily prepared from amino acids in three steps. When the amount of ligand was 1%（molar fraction）, an e.e. value up to 94% was obtained. A series of practical chiral ligands were applied in the enantioselective addition of phenylacetylene to ketones without adding another stronger Lewis acid except zinc.

Preparation of Multilayered 1,2-Ethylene-silica Nanotubes Through a Dual-templating Approach

Multilayered 1,2-ethylene-silica nanotubes were prepared with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide（CTAB） as a template and（S）-β-citronellol（CN） as a co-structure-directing agent.For a better understanding of the formation of this structure,the CN/CTAB molar ratio in the reaction mixtures was tuned.With increasing the CN/CTAB molar ratio,a hexagonal to lamellar phase trasformation was observed;and the morphologies of 1,2-ethylene-silica changed from rod to vesicle and then to tubular structure.CN droplets were proposed as the templates for the nanotubes.The obtained samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction,nitrogen sorption,field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of (2S,2'S,4'R)-2-(1-Hydroxy-1-ethylpropyl)-1-[(1'-p-tosyl-4'-hydroxypyrrolidin-2'-yl)methyl]pyrrolidine

The title compound （2S,2＇S,4＇R）-2-（1-hydroxy-1-ethylpropyl）-1-[（1＇-p-tosyl-4＇- hydroxypyrolidin-2＇-yl）methyl]pyrrolidine synthesized by using （2S,4R）-4-hydroxy-L-proline and L-proline as the main materials was characterized through IR, ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and HRMS spectra as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. There is one equivalent ethanol involved in the crystal （C23H40N2O5S, Mr = 456.63）. The crystal belongs to the triclinic system, space group P1, a = 6.5628（13）, b = 8.4228（17）, c = 11.957（2）°A, α= 80.54（3）,β= 83.19（3）, γ= 89.89（3）°, V= 647.3（2） °A^3, Z = 1, D, = 1.171 g/cm^3, λ（MoKα） = 0.71073°A,β = 0.158 mm^-1, F（000） = 248, the final R = 0.0465 and wR = 0.1336 for 1769 observed reflections with I〉 2σ（I）. The adjacent molecules of compound 5 are linked through intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed by the secondary hydroxy group of one molecule with the tertiary hydroxy group of another one, and the molecular chains are further linked by ethanol through two kinds of hydrogen bonds with two molecules from different chains respectively to form a supramolecular structure.

New strategies for asymmetric photocatalysis: asymmetric organocatalytic/photoredox relay catalysis for efficient synthesis of polycyclic compounds containing vicinal amino alcohols

An asymmetric catalytic strategy in photocatalysis utilizing a chirality-induced approach through an organocatalytic/photoredox relay catalysis strategy is successfully achieved for the rapid construction of polycyclic compounds containing vicinal amino alcohols in a one-pot protocol. This methodology facilitates the efficient synthesis of diverse substituted polycyclic tetrahydroquinoline and benzofuran-derived vicinal amino alcohols, each containing five consecutive chiral centers, with high yields,excellent diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities(up to 95% yield, >20:1 dr and 98% ee), under mild reaction conditions driven by sequential bifunctional squaramide organocatalyst-catalyzed [4+2] annulation and photocatalyst-catalyzed ketyl radical addition cyclization reaction process. Furthermore, investigations into the stereoselectivity mechanism and high-resolution mass spectrometry(HRMS) experiments on free radical trapping have provided evidence for elucidating the detailed mechanism of chirality-induced processes and chiral intermediate conversions in this procedure.

Pinacol coupling going in a photocatalytic asymmetric manner:construction of chiral vicinal amino alcohols

Vicinal amino alcohols are a class of important motifs in pharmaceuticals,natural products as well as wide application in asymmetric catalysis（Scheme 1（a））.It is no doubt that development of efficient methods to access them has been a prominent research topic in the past decades.

Novel chiral multidentate P3N4-type ligand for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones

Novel chiral multidentate P3N4-type ligand has been synthesized and characterized by NMR and HRMS.Using i-PrOH as solvent and hydrogen source, asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of various ketones was investigated. The catalyst generated in situ from chiral multidentate aminophosphine ligand（R,R,R,R）-3 and IrCl（CO）（PPh3）2exhibited highly catalytic activity and excellent enantioselectivity under mild conditions, achieving the corresponding chiral alcohols with up to 99% yield and 99% ee.

Isolation of microbe for asymmetric reduction of prochiral aromatic ketone and its reaction characters

The favorable microbes for the asymmetric reduction of prochiral aromatic ketones was isolated from soil using acetophenone as the sole carbon source,when the asymmetric reduction of acetophenone(ACP)to chiral a-phenethyl alcohol(PEA)was chosen as the model reaction.Two microbe strains with excellent catalytic activity were obtained.They were Geotrichum candidum and Pichia pastoris identified by bacteria identification.The product of the asymmetric reduction of ACP catalyzed by Pichia pastoris was mainly R-PEA and that by Geotrichum candidum was mainly S-PEA.The yield and enantiomeric excesses(e.e.)could respectively reach 75%and 90%for Pichia pastoris,and 80%and 70%for Geotrichum candidum,much higher than those catalyzed by baker’s yeast.

Graft of Chiral Amino Alcohol onto Poly（menthyl vinyl ketone） and the Grafted Polymer＇s Inducement to the Asymmetric Addition of Phenylacetylene to Aromatic Ketone

A new kind of optically active polymer bearing chiral amino alcohol was prepared by means of graft. The resulting grafted polymer was obtained as follows. First, the carbonyl of optically active helical poly（menthyl vinyl ketone）（poly-MVK） was reduced to hydroxyl group with lithium aluminum hydride as a reductant to yield poly（1-menthyl-2-propen-1-ol）（poly-MPO）. Second, the hydroxyl group of poly-MPO reacted with epichlorohydrin to yield methyloxirane-loading poly-MPO[（poly-MPO）-MO]. Third, the（poly-MPO）-MO reacted with amine to pro- duce optically active polymer bearing chiral amino alcohol[（poly-MPO）-APO]. The （poly-MPO）-APO was applied to the asymmetric addition of phenylacetylene to aromatic ketone. Good enantioselectivities were achieved and the catalyst could be recovered and reused 5 times with unchanged enantioselectivity and slightly decreased activity.

Enantioselective Alkylation of Aldehydes with Organoborons Enabled by Nickel/N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis

Transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric alkylation of aldehydes represents a straightforward strategy for the synthesis of chiral secondary alcohols.However,efficient methods using organoborons as coupling reagents are rare.Herein,we report a highly enantioselective nickel-catalyzed alkylation reaction of aldehydes,using readily available alkylborons as nucleophiles.A wide variety of chiral secondary alcohols were prepared from commercially available aldehydes with high yields.The key to the excellent enantioselectivity and chemoselectivity was the employment of a bulky C2-symmetric chiral NHC ligand.This protocol features excellent enantiocontrol,mild conditions,and good functional group compatibility.

Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation of Heterocyclic Diaryl Ketones:Facile Access to Key Intermediate of Baloxavir

Transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation has been proven to be a powerful approach for the synthesis of chiral alcohols.Herein,a highly efficient and enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of dibenzoheptaheterocyclic ketones catalyzed by an arene-tethered TsDPEN-based Rh(ll)catalyst has been successfully developed,and a variety of dibenzoheptaheterocyclic ketones were reduced by a 1/1 mixture of formic acid and DBU(1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene)with high yields and enantioselectivities.With this method,the asymmetric reduction of 7,8-difluorodibenzo[b,e]thiepin-11(6H)-one has been realized,providing the key intermediate of baloxavir marboxil with>99% yield and>99% ee at a substrate/catalyst molar ratio of 1000.

Magnetic wrinkled organosilica-based metal-enzyme integrated catalysts for enhanced chemoenzymatic catalysis

Core-shell structured magnetic wrinkled organosilica-based metal-enzyme integrated catalysts were synthesized,and their catalytic performances were studied in the chemoenzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of chiral amines in an organic solvent,as well as in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral alcohols in water.Structureperformance studies revealed the important influence of their tunable structure and composition on the optimization of activity,stability,and recyclability in chemoenzymatic catalysis.