Chemical Communications Blog

The synthesis of quaternary amino acids is an important challenge facing researchers in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. While there are a number of ways to transform tertiary amino acids into their quaternary counterparts, α-arylation of amino acids and their derivatives remains limited.

Now, in this HOT ChemComm article, Professor Jonathan Clayden and co-workers at the University of Manchester have revealed an elegant intramolecular arylation of tertiary amino acid derivates, which exploits the use of a urea linkage to connect the amino acid derivative—a nitrile or acid—and the aryl “electrophile”. During the course of the reaction, this N-aryl substituent migrates to the α-carbon of the amino acid moiety. This is followed by a cyclisation, leading to a heterocyclic hydantoin derivative. The reaction is mediated by strong base, and is thought to proceed via the metallated enolate.

Interestingly, the researchers found that the migration of the aryl ring was not influenced by its electronic properties, and that the transition-metal–free reaction could be applied successfully to a range of natural and unnatural tertiary amino acid substrates. If the tertiary amino acid nitrogen is protected with a PMB (p-methoxybenzyl) group, the resulting hydantoin product can subsequently be hydrolysed, affording the acyclic quaternary amino acid.

The reaction was monitored by in situ infrared spectroscopy (ReactIR) to identify the reaction intermediates and cast light on the mechanism of the arylation. Further details of the ReactIR analysis can be found in the electronic supplementary information. Ultimately, Clayden and his group hope to further develop this useful methodology to allow the enantioselective arylation of amino acids.

For more, check out this HOT ChemComm article in full:

Ruth E. Gilligan is a guest web-writer for ChemComm.  She has recently completed her PhD in the group of Prof. Matthew J. Gaunt at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the development and application of C–H functionalisation methodology.

The improvement of high energy density materials (HEDM) is an ongoing challenge. These materials are widely used in propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics, and researchers face the difficult task of optimising their explosive potential while ensuring their safety and ease of handling. Nitro-substituted methanide compounds are an important class of HEDM, but often suffer from thermal instability and impact sensitivity. This HOT ChemComm article addresses this challenge by highlighting the preparation and analysis of impact insensitive dinitromethanide salts.

Jean’ne Shreeve at the University of Idaho, working with Ling He at Sichuan University and co-workers at the US Naval Research Laboratory, proposed that by combining an oxygen-rich polynitromethanide anion (either a nitroform anion TNM, or a dinitromethanide anion DNM) with nitrogen-rich cations such as guanidinium, triazolium and tetrazolium anions, the resulting salt would exhibit high energetic properties as well as improved stability.

Using a range of guanidinium, triazolium and tetrazolium halides, the researchers prepared nine DNM salts and analysed their physicochemical properties. All of the salts displayed good thermal and detonation properties while being significantly less sensitive to impact than common explosives such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX).

Molecular structure and Packing diagram of DNM salt 3

Guanidinium–DNM salt 3, decomposing at 187 °C, displayed the best thermal stability among all other known DNM salts. X-ray crystallography revealed that this increased stability is due to its strongly hydrogen-bonded structure. Each guanidinium cation forms six hydrogen bonds with the NO₂ groups of four surrounding anions, creating a planar, layered packing structure.

Insights such as these will allow researchers to design HEDM with better thermal stability and less impact sensitivity, controlling their energetic potential yet ensuring greater safety and utility.

For more, check out the ChemComm article in full:
Impact insensitive dinitromethanide salts
Ling He, Guo-Hong Tao, Damon A. Parrish, and Jean’ne M. Shreeve
Chem. Commun., 2013, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C3CC46518G

Ruth E. Gilligan is a guest web-writer for ChemComm.  She has recently completed her PhD in the group of Prof. Matthew J. Gaunt at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the development and application of C–H functionalisation methodology.

An intriguing new method of transannular cyclopropanation has been reported by Prof. James Dowden‘s group at the University of Nottingham. This cyclopropanation, mediated by the presence of a trimethylsilyl group, allows the rapid formation of 4-azabicyclo(5.1.0)octenones (3) from simple starting materials. Divinyl beta-lactam (1) was elegantly formed via a Staudinger cycloaddition reaction beginning from 3-trimethylsilylpropenal, 4-methoxyaniline and crotonyl chloride. Next, researchers were able to transform 1 into dihydroazocinone (2) using a thermal Cope rearrangement.

The Dowden group discovered that if 2 was treated with TBAF or aqueous sodium hydroxide, 4-azabicyclo(5.1.0)octenone (3) could be formed. Interestingly, the reaction was dependent on the presence of the silicon group; when the trimethylsilyl group was replaced with an ester, no cyclopropanation occurred. The researchers proposed that the transannular cyclopropanation could be viewed as a Lewis-base–promoted Hosomi–Sakurai reaction proceeding via intramolecular 1,4-conjugate addition. 4-azabicyclo(5.1.0)octenones (3) are an unusual structural motif and it is hoped that this facile method for their construction may facilitate further examination of chemical space interactions.

Read this ‘HOT’ Chem Comm article today:

An unusual silicon mediated transannular cyclopropanation

Isopropyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxypropanoate (1) is an important compound for the study of self-disproportionation of enantiomers (SDE), in which an enantiomerically enriched mixture can be separated into enantiopure and racemic portions under achiral conditions. This remarkable separation is made possible by the differences in physicochemical properties of enantiopure and racemic substances. Research led by Professor Vadim A. Soloshonok at the University of the Basque Country has now shed light on the unusual properties of racemic crystals of 1.

True racemic crystals were obtained by sublimation of a mixture of (S)- and (R)- crystal conglomerates at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. Surprisingly, when these racemic crystals were analysed, the unit cell was not dimeric in nature as previously thought, but rather contained two distinct (S)- and (R)- enantiomers with no heterochiral H-bonding. The preference of 1 for homochiral intermolecular interactions may explain its extraordinary ability for SDE. Indeed, Soloshonok and co-workers showed that achiral chromatography could be used to obtain enantiopure 1 from an original sample with just 75% ee (see above).

For more, read this ‘HOT’ Chem Comm article today:

Unconventional preparation of racemic crystals of isopropyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxypropanoate and their unusual crystallographic structure: the ultimate preference for homochiral intermolecular interactions