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Updated: Oct 11, 2026

Preparation of Contiguous Bisaziridines for Regioselective Ring-Opening Reactions
Published on: July 28, 2022
Practical and highly enantioselective ring opening of cyclic meso-anhydrides mediated by cinchona alkaloids
C Bolm1, I Schiffers, C L Dinter
1Institut für Organische Chemie der RWTH Aachen, Prof. -Pirlet-Strasse 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany. carsten.bolm@oc.rwth-aachen.de
Abstract:
The cinchona alkaloid-mediated opening of prochiral cyclic anhydrides in the presence of methanol leading to optically active hemiesters is described. Very structurally diverse anhydrides are converted into their corresponding methyl monoesters, and either enantiomer can be obtained with up to 99% ee by using quinine or quinidine as directing additive. After the reaction, the alkaloids can be recovered almost quantitatively and reused without loss of enantioselectivity. Additionally, a catalytic protocol which permits the substoichiometric use of quinidine in the presence of easily accessible pentamethylpiperidine (pempidine) is presented.
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