Using stereocartography for predicting efficacy of stereoinduction by chiral catalysts
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Published on: December 4, 2013
Kenny B Lipkowitz1, Taka Sakamoto, Jonathan Stack
1Department of Chemistry, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58105-5516, USA. kenny.lipkowitz@ndsu.nodak.edu
Abstract:
A computational method called stereocartography is used to examine regions around chiral catalysts that are most stereoinducing during Diels-Alder reactions. Geometries and atomic charges of catalysts are first generated quantum mechanically. The transition state of the reaction being catalyzed is then computed quantum mechanically and those enantiomeric transition states are used as probes to determine where around the catalyst stereoinduction is optimal. A description of how to treat catalysts with multiple conformations is given. In this article seven catalysts containing a variety of ligand motifs and metals were evaluated. The hypothesis that the region of maximum stereoinduction must be spatially coincident with the site of chemistry for a catalyst to be efficient is upheld.
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