Issue 24, 2024

Highly acidic N-triflylphosphoramides as chiral Brønsted acid catalysts: the effect of weak hydrogen bonds and multiple acceptors on complex structures and aggregation

Abstract

N-Triflylphosphoramides (NTPAs) represent an important catalyst class in asymmetric catalysis due to their multiple hydrogen bond acceptor sites and acidity, which is increased by several orders of magnitude compared to conventional chiral phosphoric acids (CPAs). Thus, NTPAs allow for several challenging transformations, which are not accessible with CPAs. However, detailed evidence on their hydrogen bonding situation, complex structures and aggregation is still lacking. Therefore, this study covers the hydrogen bonding behavior and structural features of binary NTPA/imine complexes compared to their CPA counterparts. Deviating from the single-well potential hydrogen bonds commonly observed in CPA/imine complexes, the NTPA/imine complexes exhibit a tautomeric equilibrium between two proton positions. Low-temperature NMR at 180 K supported by computer simulations indicates a OHN hydrogen bond between the phosphoramide oxygen and the imine, instead of the mostly proposed NHN H-bond. Furthermore, this study finds no evidence for the existence of dimeric NTPA/NTPA/imine complexes as previously suggested for CPA systems, both synthetically and through NMR studies.

Graphical abstract: Highly acidic N-triflylphosphoramides as chiral Brønsted acid catalysts: the effect of weak hydrogen bonds and multiple acceptors on complex structures and aggregation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
22 Mar 2024
Accepted
22 Apr 2024
First published
29 Apr 2024
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2024,15, 9104-9111

Highly acidic N-triflylphosphoramides as chiral Brønsted acid catalysts: the effect of weak hydrogen bonds and multiple acceptors on complex structures and aggregation

M. Hecht, P. Dullinger, W. Silva, D. Horinek and R. M. Gschwind, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 9104 DOI: 10.1039/D4SC01939C

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