Search

Although helicenes are promising molecules, the synthetic difficulty and tediousness have often been problems, and only small amounts of optically pure helicenes have been obtained by using chiral HPLC in most cases. Herein, aza[7]helicenes or closed‐aza[7]helicenes with (1R)‐menthyl substituents were selectively synthesized via the intramolecular Scholl reaction, and the diastereomeric pairs were separated by silica gel column chromatography. The optically pure helicenes were further transformed into the corresponding cyclic dimers, and the chiroptical properties were investigated. The rigid π‐frameworks of the dimers led to the high molar extinction coefficients and fluorescence quantum yields, while the twisted helicene moieties induced clear Cotton effects and CPL in the visible region, and the high CPL brightness (BCPL) was achieved. Furthermore, the cyclic dimers were found to have the macrocyclic cavity with the two NH groups suitable for the selective binding of a fluoride anion, which induced significantly redshifted fluorescence and CPL in the red region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although helicenes are promising molecules, the synthetic difficulty and tediousness have often been problems, and only small amounts of optically pure helicenes have been obtained by using chiral HPLC in most cases. Herein, aza[7]helicenes or closed‐aza[7]helicenes with (1R)‐menthyl substituents were selectively synthesized via the intramolecular Scholl reaction, and the diastereomeric pairs were separated by silica gel column chromatography. The optically pure helicenes were further transformed into the corresponding cyclic dimers, and the chiroptical properties were investigated. The rigid π‐frameworks of the dimers led to the high molar extinction coefficients and fluorescence quantum yields, while the twisted helicene moieties induced clear Cotton effects and CPL in the visible region, and the high CPL brightness (BCPL) was achieved. Furthermore, the cyclic dimers were found to have the macrocyclic cavity with the two NH groups suitable for the selective binding of a fluoride anion, which induced significantly redshifted fluorescence and CPL in the red region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral macrocyclesfeaturing sulfonamide and/or amide groups asanion-binding sites were synthesized. X-ray crystal structures andDFT calculations have shown that they adopt different conformationsthat may lead to unique binding behavior. Indeed, various anions couldbe sensed by their colorimetric and/or fluorescence signal output.The chiral macrocycles showed chiral recognition for chiral anions.Furthermore, a multisensor array with two or four chiral receptorsdiscriminated seven phosphate anions (AMP, ADP, ATP, CMP, GMP, Pi,and PPi) with 100% classification accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metalloporphyrins were immobilized on biogenous iron oxide (BIO) produced by iron-oxidizing bacteria, Leptothrix ochracea. These organic–inorganic hybrid materials were used as immobilized catalysts for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO2 under solvent-free conditions. ZnII porphyrin immobilized via four tetraalkylammonium bromide groups showed high catalytic activity and reusability at a catalyst loading of 0.1 mol%. The product was obtained in 99% yield after nine times reuse, and the substrate scope was broad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicyclic compounds with two contiguous tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters at bridgehead positions were synthesized by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed intramolecular crossed benzoin reactions of symmetrical compounds. This desymmetrization strategy was applied to asymmetric synthesis with chiral NHC organocatalysts. Transition-state models were proposed to explain the enantioselectivity. A tricyclic compound with three contiguous tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters was synthesized by a stepwise strategy. The molecular structure and absolute configuration of the (+)-enantiomer of this tricyclic compound were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) dyes are recognized to be new generation materials and have been actively developed. Molecular recognition systems provide nice approaches to novel CPL materials, such as stimuli‐responsive switches and chemical sensing materials. CPL may be induced simply by mixing chiral or achiral, luminescent or nonluminescent host and guest; there are several combinations. Molecular recognition can potentially save time and effort to construct well‐ordered chiral structures with noncovalent attractive interactions as compared with the multi‐step synthesis of covalently bonded dyes. It is a challenging subject to engage molecular recognition events with CPL, and it is important and interesting to see how it is achieved. In fact, simple molecular recognition systems can even enable the fine adjustment of CPL performance and detailed conformational/configurational analysis of the excited state. Here we overview the recent achievements of simple host–guest complexes capable of exhibiting CPL, summarizing concisely the host/guest structures, CPL intensities, and characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-oxidizing bacteria, Leptothrix ochracea, produce biogenous iron oxide (BIO), while the heat treatment of BIO gives its magnetized material (m-BIO). In this study, they were chemically modified with silane coupling agents to give organic–inorganic hybrid materials, which were then used as immobilization supports for enzymes. BIO-M, which was prepared by modifying BIO with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, was found to be the best immobilization support. The immobilized lipases showed remarkably high catalytic activity; for example, Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) immobilized on BIO-M showed a turnover frequency of 33 000 h−1 for 1-phenylethanol (1a). m-BIO-M, which was prepared by modifying m-BIO with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, was also used as an immobilization support. Although the lipases immobilized on m-BIO-M showed lower catalytic activity than those immobilized on BIO-M, the former could be separated and reused easily by using a magnet. These immobilized enzymes could be recycled at least five times and are environmentally benign biocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The bioreduction of α,α-difluorinated ketones, ethyl 2,2-difluoro-3-oxobutanoate (2a) and 2,2-difluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione (2b), with cells of recombinant Escherichia coli overproducing SCR (Saccharomyces cerevisiae carbonyl reductase from bakers’ yeast) and GDH (glucose dehydrogenase from Bacillus megaterium) gave enantiomerically pure alcohols, ethyl (S)-2,2-difluoro-3-hydroxybutanoate ((S)-1a) and (S)-2,2-difluoro-3-hydroxy-1-phenyl-1-butanone ((S)-1b), respectively, in the presence of NADP+ and glucose in buffer. The reductions of 2a and 2b proceeded completely at the substrate concentrations of 0.4M (67g/L) and 1.0M (200g/L), respectively. The opposite enantiomers (R)-1a and (R)-1b were also produced by enzyme E039 (a mixture of carbonyl reductase and formate dehydrogenase) contained in Chiralscreen OH (Daicel Chemical Industries) in the presence of NADH and sodium formate in buffer. Enantiomerically pure (S)-1a was converted by organic synthetic methods into an α,α-difluorinated derivative of (R)-β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) in three steps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We derived a novel equation capable of predicting the degree of enantioselectivity in a catalytic reaction without any knowledge of the reaction mechanism and/or the transition-state structure, and tested the validity of this equation by changing substrates systematically in the lipase or oxazaborolidine-catalyzed reactions. A good correlation was observed between the predicted and observed E values, and the stereochemistry of the products could be predicted correctly in most cases (28 out of 30). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study on the chiral activity of macrocyclic receptor for chiral recognition and discrimination. The author reports that the chiral cavity could be tuned well by modifying the binaphthyl moiety, leading to an elaborate chiral recognition and discrimination in terms of differential free energy and chemical shift non-equivalence, respectively.

Bifunctional macrocycles 1–4 and diamide 5 were designed and synthesized. NMR studies demonstrated that, among them, receptor 1 functions as the best chiral solvating agent (shift reagent), which is effective for a wide range of chiral compounds having a carboxylic acid, oxazolidinone, carbonate, lactone, alcohol, sulfoxide, sulfoximine, sulfinamide, isocyanate, or epoxide functionality. The addition of only 5 mol % (69 μg, 0.15 mM) of 1 splits the enantiomeric signals of sulfoxide 13. The excellent performance of 1 as a chiral solvating agent, such as versatility, signal sharpness, high splitting ability, high sensitivity, wide detection window, and synthetic accessibility, is reported. NMR studies revealed that the principal binding site of 1 is the two amide NH groups of the lower segment and that the additional binding site is the pyridyl nitrogen. The V-shaped arrangement of the two 2,6-diacylaminopyridine moieties as constructed in 1 was found to be much more effective for binding a variety of compounds than the parallel alignment of the two binding motifs as constructed in 4. The NO2 group in 1 enhanced not only the binding ability but also the degree of enantioselectivity. Unexpectedly, the comparisons between 1 and 3 enabled us to find the importance of the relative orientation of the binaphthyl moiety; the orthogonal disposition of the binaphthyl moiety in 1 most effectively brings about the differential ring-current effect on the chiral guest molecule bound, which leads to the high degree of chiral discrimination in NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The gene encoding a versatile biocatalyst that shows high enantioselectivity for a variety of ketones, SCR (Saccharomyces cerevisiae carbonyl reductase), has been identified, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Two types of expression systems with high NADPH-regenerating capacities have been constructed. One is the tandem system, where the genes encoding SCR and GDH (glucose dehydrogenase) are located in the same plasmid, and the other is the two-plasmid system, where each of the SCR and GDH genes is located in separate plasmids that can coexist in one E. coli cell. Asymmetric reduction of ketones with the recombinant E. coli cells gave synthetically useful 20 alcohols, 11 of which were enantiomerically pure. The productivity of one of these products was as high as 41g/L. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The gene encoding a versatile biocatalyst that shows high enantioselectivity for a variety of ketones, SCR (Saccharomyces cerevisiae carbonyl reductase), has been identified, cloned, and expressed in E. coli. Recombinant E. coli co-producing SCR and GDH (glucose dehydrogenase) is an easy-to-use, synthetically useful biocatalyst, and 8 out of the 16 alcohols obtained had enantiomeric purities of >98% ee. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolutions of 1,1-diphenyl-2-propanol were performed at high temperatures up to 120°C. Burkholderia cepacia lipase immobilized on porous ceramic particles, lipase PS-C II (Amano Enzyme Inc.), gave an enantiopure product at 40–120°C, with the highest conversion (39%) at 80–90°C. The mechanism of high enantioselectivity retained even at 120°C is also described briefly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lipases and subtilisins are versatile enzymes capable of showing high enantioselectivity and broad substrate specificity simultaneously. The transition-state models previously proposed to rationalize this important feature were intensively examined from kinetic and thermodynamic viewpoints. Kinetic measurements reaffirmed that chiral discrimination originates from the transition state and that the enantioselectivity results from the reduced activity of the enzymes for the slower-reacting enantiomer, but not from the enhanced activity for the faster-reacting enantiomer relative to a reference alcohol, cyclopentanol. The larger substituent of the slower-reacting enantiomers interacts repulsively with the protein in the transition state, and even the larger substituent of the faster-reacting enantiomers interacts unfavorably to some degree with the protein. A number of thermodynamic parameters, ΔΔH‡ and ΔΔS‡, for the subtilisin-catalyzed acylations of secondary alcohols were determined. A linear compensation effect was found between the ΔΔH‡ and ΔΔS‡ values. As the ΔΔH‡ value becomes negatively large, the ΔΔS‡ value also becomes negatively large. This observation is explained in terms of the transition-state model. Because the widely accepted concepts such as the lock-and-key mechanism and the induced-fit mechanism cannot account for the peculiar behavior of these enzymes toward unnatural substrates, a new category, the non-lock-and-key mechanism, has been proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It has been demonstrated that lipase is useful not only for kinetic resolution but also for the rapid determination of absolute configurations. We have previously proposed a mechanism represented by transition-state models to rationalize the enantioselectivity in the lipase- and subtilisin-catalyzed kinetic resolutions of secondary alcohols. The mechanism indicates that the enzyme-catalyzed reactions can be used as a tool for determining the absolute stereochemistry of secondary alcohols. In order to increase reliability, the enzymatic method was combined with Mosher''s method using MTPA, to give a protocol which is named the double-confirmation method. The absolute configurations of six 1-substituted ethanols were determined consistently by this new procedure. The enzymatic method is quick, easy, economical, and reliable. An interesting similarity in conformation between the transition-state models and MTPA esters is also described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the transition state conformation in hydrolase-catalyzed enantioselective transesterifications. Synthesis of porphyrin; Derivation of the lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols; Use of transition-state models for chemoenzymatic synthesis.

Focuses on the purification of an dihydromicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-dependent reductase, which shows reducing activity for 1-chloro-2-hexanone from bakers' yeast. Procedure of the asymmetric reduction of several cabonyl compounds using purified reductase; What the reductase showed; Determination of the kinetic parameters of the reductase.

Studies the effect of the acyl group of acylating agents on the enantioselectivity in the Pseudomonas cepacia lipase-catalyzed acylations of racemic alcohols. Preparative kinetic resolutions; Stereochemical role of the acyl moiety in the enantiomer-differentiating step; Solvent effect.

Describes the mechanism of induced circular dichroism (CD) of amino acid ester-porphyrin supramolecular systems. Complexation of amino acid derivatives by porphyrin; Calculations of the rotational strength of a porphyrin-amino acid ester complex; Coupling between the magnetic transition moment and the electric transition dipole moment.

Describes the design and synthesis of a trifunctional chiral porphyrin. C2 as a chiral recognition host for amino acid esters; Regiospecific coupling between differently functionalized dypyrromethane units; Formation of a chiral recognition pocket; Determination of the binding constants in CHCL3; Synthesis of reference porphyrins.

Chiral diporphyrin receptor 1, which has a macrocyclic cavity to sandwich aromatic guest molecules viadouble π–π stacking interactions, enabled the naked-eye detection of an aromatic explosive as well as chiral discrimination in NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic activity and enantioselectivity of lipase toward poor substrates bearing bulky substituents on both sides have been dramatically improved by rational design; the Evalue for a poor substrate was increased from 5 (wild-type enzyme) to >200 (I287F/I290A double mutant) with an acceleration of the reaction rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

D2‐symmetric (R)‐binaphthyl‐bridged pyrenophanes containing thioether bonds were synthesized. The pyrenophanes exhibited the temperature‐induced sign inversion of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) while maintaining the emission wavelength and reversibility. The Δglum value reached 0.02, and the FL quenching by heat was negligible. The sign inversion of CPL originates from the inversion of intramolecular excimer chirality associated with excitation dynamics. The two pyrenes form a kinetically trapped left‐handed twist excimer at low temperatures, while they form a thermodynamically favored right‐handed twist excimer at high temperatures. The thioether linkers can impart flexibility suitable for the inversion of chirality of the excimers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Directly linked carbazole-based core-modified diporphyrin D2 and fused diporphyrin F2 were synthesized. These diporphyrins showed significant electronic interactions and conjugation allowing for redshifted near infrared (NIR) absorption and small HOMO–LUMO gaps as confirmed by NIR absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, and DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Bifunctional Porphyrin Catalysts for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates from Epoxides and C02: Structural Optimization and Mechanistic Study" in the September 2014 issue is presented.

(R,R,R)-Quaternaphthyls possessing eight and six pyrenes (compounds 4 and 3) displayed intense excimer-CPL. The glum values in solution and in the solid state were +0.034–0.037 and +0.0053–0.0056, respectively. The glum values of 3 and 4 were indistinguishable, indicating that the pyrenes of 3 and 4 assumed the same conformation, even in excited states. The intense CPL was caused by conformationally rigid pyrenes arranged via the cumulative steric effects along the quaternaphthyl axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annulation reactions of the butadiyne-bridged carbazole dimer 1 produced carbazole-based chalcogenaisophlorins 2-4, which were transformed into the corresponding palladium complexes 2Pd-4Pd. The structures were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Metallation fixed the structures which displayed weak antiaromatic character derived from the 20p isophlorin framework. These complexes showed weak near-infrared (NIR) absorption typical for antiaromatic porphyrinoids in solution. In addition, 2Pd and 3Pd showed relatively strong solid-state NIR absorption. X-ray diffraction analyses of 2Pd and 3Pd revealed trimeric and dimeric stacked layered structures, respectively, and DFT calculations suggest that the solid-state NIR absorption is ascribed to intermolecular charge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bifunctional ZnII porphyrin catalysts bearing tributylammonium bromide groups at the meta positions of the meso-phenyl groups showed high catalytic activity for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO2. Herein, several substituents with different electronic properties were introduced at the para positions. Introduction of electron-donating groups decreased the catalytic activity, whereas the introduction of electron-withdrawing groups increased the activity. The substituents modulated the Lewis acidity of the zinc center, which was confirmed by binding constant experiments. The bifunctional catalyst bearing cyano groups showed the highest catalytic activity with a turnover frequency of up to 42 000 h−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly active Mg-porphyrin catalyst for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and CO2 under solvent-free conditions showing a TON of up to 103000 is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BPh3 catalyzes the N‐methylation of secondary amines and the C‐methylenation (methylene‐bridge formation between aromatic rings) of N,N‐dimethylanilines or 1‐methylindoles in the presence of CO2 and PhSiH3; these reactions proceed at 30–40 °C under solvent‐free conditions. In contrast, B(C6F5)3 shows little or no activity. 11B NMR spectra suggested the generation of [HBPh3]−. The detailed mechanism of the BPh3‐catalyzed N‐methylation of N‐methylaniline (1) with CO2 and PhSiH3 was studied by using DFT calculations. BPh3 promotes the conversion of two substrates (N‐methylaniline and CO2) into a zwitterionic carbamate to give three‐component species [Ph(Me)(H)N+CO2−⋅⋅⋅BPh3]. The carbamate and BPh3 act as the nucleophile and Lewis acid, respectively, for the activation of PhSiH3 to generate [HBPh3]−, which is used to produce key CO2‐derived species, such as silyl formate and bis(silyl)acetal, essential for the N‐methylation of 1. DFT calculations also suggested other mechanisms involving water for the generation of [HBPh3]− species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of D2‐symmetric macrocycles composed of alternately linked pyrene and binaphthyl moieties (binaphthyl‐bridged pyrenophanes) have been synthesized. Among them, a pyrenophane possessing ether linkers at the 2,7‐positions of the pyrenes exhibited intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with a |glum| value of 0.053. This value is by far the highest for excimers and was not sensitive to temperature, solvent, or concentration. The CPL originated from a twisting pyrene excimer, with the (R)‐binaphthyl moieties producing a left‐handed twist excimer, which exhibited (−)‐CPL. The electric and magnetic transition dipole moments are perfectly parallel, which is the best relationship for strong CPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of D2‐symmetric macrocycles composed of alternately linked pyrene and binaphthyl moieties (binaphthyl‐bridged pyrenophanes) have been synthesized. Among them, a pyrenophane possessing ether linkers at the 2,7‐positions of the pyrenes exhibited intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with a |glum| value of 0.053. This value is by far the highest for excimers and was not sensitive to temperature, solvent, or concentration. The CPL originated from a twisting pyrene excimer, with the (R)‐binaphthyl moieties producing a left‐handed twist excimer, which exhibited (−)‐CPL. The electric and magnetic transition dipole moments are perfectly parallel, which is the best relationship for strong CPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BPh3 catalyzed the N-methylation of secondary amines and the C-methylenation (methylene-bridge formation between aromatic rings) of N,N-dimethylanilines or 1-methylindoles in the presence of CO2 (1 atm) and PhSiH3 without solvent at 30–40 °C. A cascade reaction from 1-methyl-2-oxindole to 3,3′-methylenebis(1-methylindole) via 1-methylindole also proceeded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RutheniumII complexes bearing three axially chiral bipyridyl ligands were synthesized as a new family of chiral complex dyes, and Δ‐(S)‐ and Λ‐(S)‐diastereomers were obtained. The X‐ray crystal structure analyses, spectroscopy, and DFT calculations suggested that all the bipyridyls maintained chirality in both the ground and excited states, and the Δ‐(S)‐ and Λ‐(S)‐isomers are the matched (more relaxed) and mismatched (more constrained) pairs, respectively. The mismatched Λ‐(S)‐isomer exhibited red circularly polarized phosphorescence (CPP) both in solution and in the solid state. The solution state CPP is the most intense of ruthenium complexes, while the solid state CPP is the first example of them. It is supposed that, for the Λ‐(S)‐isomer, the six cumulative CH/π interactions suppress further distortion in the T1 state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Iron oxide produced by iron-oxidizing bacteria, Leptothrix ochracea, (biogenous iron oxide: BIO) was used as a support for immobilized palladium catalysts with organic cross-linkers. Palladium immobilized on BIO bearing imidazolium chloride delivered the desired biaryl products in sufficient yields in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions under solvent-free conditions and could be reused several times without significant loss of catalytic activity. It is shown that BIO can be exploited as a useful support for immobilization of palladium and the BIO-immobilized palladium catalyst effectively promotes the solvent-free Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Synthetically useful cyanohydrin acetates, ArCH(OAc)CN (Ar=C6H5, 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl, 4-Me–C6H4, 4-Cl–C6H4, 4-F–C6H4, 4-CF3–C6H4), were successfully synthesized in high enantiomeric purities (79–93% ee) via the lipase-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of cyanohydrins synthesized in situ from the corresponding aldehydes and acetone cyanohydrin. The combined use of silica-supported BTAH (benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide) and porous ceramic-immobilized lipase under the optimized reaction conditions enabled the remarkable acceleration of the enantioselective DKR reactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Taft's substituent constant of the pentafluorophenyl group (σ*(C6F5)) was reestimated to be 1.50 by correlation between IR spectral data (vC-O) and σ* constants for a series of esters (involving the pentafluorobenzyl group) of 3-phenyipropanoic acid and butanoic acid. The possibility of the disturbance of the correlation by the intramolecular &phi-φ interaction between C6F5 and C6H5 groups in pentafiuorobenzyl 3-phenyipropanoate was excluded by ab initio and DFT calculations of the stable conformations and their carbonyl frequencies. The reestimated σ*(C6F5) value was used for calculation of the pKa value of pentafluorobenzyl alcohol [14.5 (or 14.3)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbazole‐based aza[7]helicenes and hetero[9]helicenes were successfully obtained via the intramolecular Scholl reaction of 3,6‐bis(biphenyl‐2‐yl)carbazole congeners, while the reaction of 3,6‐bis(naphthylphenyl)‐appended carbazole gave a triple helicene via an unexpected simultaneous double aryl rearrangement. DFT calculations suggested that the rearrangement proceeded via an arenium cation intermediate. In addition, the reaction of methoxy‐appended substrate gave an azahepta[8]circulene via the concurrent C−C bond formation. These helical dyes showed circularly polarized luminescence. The azahepta[8]circulene was further transformed into deeply saddle‐distorted dibenzodiaza[8]circulenes as the first example of its solution‐based synthesis and unambiguous structural determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The one-step C-methylenation of anilines and indoles with CO2 and phenylsilane was catalyzed by a pentanuclear ZnII complex to give diarylmethanes via geminal C–H and C–C bond formation. It is proposed that the zinc–hydride complex generated in situ is a catalytically active species and that bis(silyl)acetal is a key intermediate. When aniline was used as a substrate, both the C-methylenation and N-methylation proceeded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a method to improve protein thermostability, "loop-walking method". Three consecutive positions in 12 loops of Burkholderia cepacia lipase were subjected to random mutagenesis to make 12 libraries. Screening allowed us to identify L7 as a hot-spot loop having an impact on thermostability, and the P233G/L234E/V235M mutant was found from 214 variants in the L7 library. Although a more excellent mutant might be discovered by screening all the 8000 P233X/L234X/V235X mutants, it was difficult to assay all of them. We therefore employed machine learning. Using thermostability data of the 214 mutants, a computational discrimination model was constructed to predict thermostability potentials. Among 7786 combinations ranked in silico, 20 promising candidates were selected and assayed. The P233D/L234P/V235S mutant retained 66% activity after heat treatment at 60 °C for 30 min, which was higher than those of the wild-type enzyme (5%) and the P233G/L234E/V235M mutant (35%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of axially chiral 1,1′‐binaphthyls with trialkylsiloxy (OSiR3) groups were synthesized. Among them, 1 a–c possessing OSiR3 groups at the 7,7′‐positions and methyl groups at the 2,2′‐positions were liquids at room temperature, and the neat liquids showed circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) (R=Bu; Φfl,liquid=0.21, |glum,liquid|=1.6×10−3). The |glum,liquid| value is the highest of pure liquids. These compounds remained liquid over a broad range of temperatures, down to −50 °C. Time‐dependent DFT calculations indicated that in the excited state, the binaphthyls adopt a transoid conformation with a small angle between the electric and magnetic transition dipole moments (θμ,m=77°), which is a key factor in their CPL activity. The best binaphthyl dihedral angle in the excited state is approximately 110°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of axially chiral 1,1′‐binaphthyls with trialkylsiloxy (OSiR3) groups were synthesized. Among them, 1 a–c possessing OSiR3 groups at the 7,7′‐positions and methyl groups at the 2,2′‐positions were liquids at room temperature, and the neat liquids showed circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) (R=Bu; Φfl,liquid=0.21, |glum,liquid|=1.6×10−3). The |glum,liquid| value is the highest of pure liquids. These compounds remained liquid over a broad range of temperatures, down to −50 °C. Time‐dependent DFT calculations indicated that in the excited state, the binaphthyls adopt a transoid conformation with a small angle between the electric and magnetic transition dipole moments (θμ,m=77°), which is a key factor in their CPL activity. The best binaphthyl dihedral angle in the excited state is approximately 110°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of carbazolyl‐appended Schiff bases were readily synthesized from 1‐formylcarbazoles and aniline derivatives. Boron complexation of the resulting ligands allowed for facile preparation of new carbazole‐based BODIPY analogues showing solid‐state fluorescence. Furthermore, some dyes were converted into chiral compounds through the Et2AlCl‐mediated incorporation of a binaphthyl unit. The chiral dyes showed aggregation‐induced fluorescence and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with the ΦF and glum of up to 0.22 and −3.5×10−3, respectively, in the solid state. The solid‐state fluorescence and CPL were well characterized by the crystal packing analyses and DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) was used as a C1 source to prepare silyl formates, formamides, and aldehydes. Tetrabutylammonium acetate (TBAA) catalyzed the solvent-free N-formylation of amines with CO2 and hydrosilane to give formamides including Weinreb formamide, Me(MeO)NCHO, which was successively converted into aldehydes by one-pot reactions with Grignard reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical carbazole‐based BODIPY analogues were readily synthesized via aza[7]helicenes. The structures of azahelicene‐incorporated BF2 dyes were elucidated by x‐ray diffraction analysis. DFT calculations revealed that the π‐conjugated system expanded from the helicene moiety to the BODIPY framework. The azahelicene‐fused boron complexes showed the Cotton effects and the circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in the visible region. Furthermore, an axially chiral binaphthyl group was attached to the helically chiral dyes, which enhanced the chiroptical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical carbazole‐based BODIPY analogues were readily synthesized via aza[7]helicenes. The structures of azahelicene‐incorporated BF2 dyes were elucidated by x‐ray diffraction analysis. DFT calculations revealed that the π‐conjugated system expanded from the helicene moiety to the BODIPY framework. The azahelicene‐fused boron complexes showed the Cotton effects and the circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in the visible region. Furthermore, an axially chiral binaphthyl group was attached to the helically chiral dyes, which enhanced the chiroptical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]