Stereoselective functionalisation of cis- and trans-2-ferrocenyl-3-pivaloyl-4-alkyl-1,3-oxazolidin-5-ones: asymmetric synthesis of (R)- and (S)-2-alkyl-2-aminopent-4-enoic acids and (2R,3S)-2-amino-2-methyl-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoic acid.

Treatment of a range of cis- and trans-2-ferrocenyl-3-pivaloyl-4-alkyl-1,3-oxazolidin-5-ones with LDA followed by the addition of allyl bromide promotes highly stereoselective allylation (>98% de) at the 4-position of the oxazolidinone ring anti to the stereodirecting 2-ferrocenyl group. Hydrolysis of the resultant 4,4-disubstituted oxazolidinones (>98% de) yields enantiomeric (R)- and (S)-2-alkyl-2-aminopent-4-enoic acids in high ee. Furthermore, the aldol reaction of the lithium enolate of cis-2-ferrocenyl-3-pivaloyl-4-methyl-1,3-oxazolidin-5-one with benzaldehyde followed by in situ O-protection affords O-protected aldol products in >98% de, with hydrolysis affording (2R,3S)-2-amino-2-methyl-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoic acid in >98% de.

Structural investigations of a lead(IV) tetraacetate-pyridine complex.

A 1 : 1 crystalline complex of lead(IV) tetraacetate and pyridine (LTA-py) has been prepared. The single-crystal X-ray structure, at 296 and 150 K, establishes the presence of a relatively short Pb-N bond (2.307 A) within an intriguing seven-coordinate lead inner sphere consisting of the pyridine ligand and two bidentate and two monodentate acetate ligands. The pyridine occupies a surprising amount of the available coordination space and has induced a dramatic change in coordination compared to the four chelating acetate ligands found in lead tetraacetate (LTA). Thermal measurements (TGA/DSC) indicate the de-coordination of pyridine and its loss from the solid between 360 and 380 K. (207)Pb CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy also demonstrates the existence of the Pb-N bond through observation of (1)J((207)Pb,(14)N)= 63 Hz and a (207)Pb-(14)N dipolar coupling constant, of 149 Hz. The solid-state (207)Pb NMR parameters are used to give insight into the coordination environment of Pb(iv) in LTA-py. In solution, ligand exchange is rapid on chemical shift and J-coupling time scales. A (207)Pb NMR study of the titration of an LTA solution by pyridine yields a stability constant for LTA-py of K = 1.5 M(-1) and predicts it to have a (207)Pb NMR chemical shift essentially identical to that observed by CP/MAS NMR in the solid state. This correlation between the solid state and solution indicates that the seven-coordinate LTA-py structure found in the crystalline state does persist in solution, and this could further explain why the addition of pyridine has such profound effects on lead(IV) carboxylate-mediated organic reactions. Simulations of exchange-broadened line shapes of (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra in the temperature regime above 280 K indicate local motion of the pyridine rings in the form of 180 degrees jumps (activation energy 72.5 kJ mol(-1)); these are first such ring flips reported for a coordinated pyridine ligand.

Asymmetric total synthesis of sperabillins B and D via lithium amide conjugate addition.

Diastereoselective conjugate addition of homochiral lithium (R)-N-allyl-N-alpha-methylbenzylamide to methyl (2E,5E)-hepatadienoate, followed by protecting group manipulation and subsequent iodocyclocarbamation allows a concise route to the core fragment, methyl (3R,5R,6R)-3,6-diamino-5-hydroxyheptanoate, of sperabillins B and D. Differentiation between the C-3 and C-6 primary amino groups of this core amino acid was readily achieved by treatment with acetone, giving the 5,6-isopropylidene and C-3-imine protected diamine, with subsequent regioselective acylation of the C-6-nitrogen facilitating the total synthesis of sperabillin D in 10.8% overall yield, and the first asymmetric synthesis of sperabillin B in 5.8% overall yield.

A crystallographic, EPR and theoretical study of the Jahn-Teller distortion in [CuTp2] (Tp- = tris[pyrazol-1-yl]hydridoborate).

Crystals of the title compound (1) contain two independent, centrosymmetric half-molecules per asymmetric unit. While both of these show Jahn-Teller elongated six-coordinate geometries, the lengths of the elongated Cu-N bonds in the two molecules differ by 0.117(2) A at 30 K. The structure of one of these molecules (molecule A) does not vary with temperature below 350 K. The other molecule (molecule B) shows Cu-N bond lengths that are temperature-dependent between 225 and 375 K, but do not vary further at lower temperature. This indicates a fluxional axis of Jahn-Teller elongation in this molecule at these higher temperatures. Consideration of the thermal parameters in these structures implies that the fluxionality in molecule B is frozen out near 150 K. This conclusion is supported by a Q-band powder EPR study. The d-d transition energies of molecules A and B have been calculated by several density function (DF) methods, including a time-dependent DF calculation. The crystallographic data have been reproduced using the vibronic coupling model of Burgi and Hitchman. This has shown that the different fluxionality regimes for molecules A and B are not a consequence of their different static molecular structures, but rather reflect their different local environments in the crystal.

Self-assembled polynuclear clusters derived from some flexible polydentate dihydrazide ligands.

Polynuclear manganese(II), cobalt(II)/(III), iron(II)/(III) and nickel(II) complexes of a group of flexible polydentate dihydrazone ligands, based on pyridine-2,6-dipicolinic (A), oxalic (B) and malonic (C) subunits are described. Structural details are reported for the linear dinuclear complexes [Ni2(2poap)2(H2O)2](NO3)4 . 2CH3OH . 2.5H2O (1), [Mn2(pttp)(NO3)2(CH3OH)2(H2O)2](NO3)2 . H2O (2) and [Mn2(mapttp)2(NO3)2(H2O)2](NO3)2 . 10H2O (3), a square tetranuclear complex [Co4(pttp)4]Br6 . 9H2O (4), a tetranuclear tetrahedral complex [Ni4(pttp)6](BF4)6F2 . 14H2O (7), and a mixed spin state tetranuclear Ni(II) complex [(2pyoap)2Ni4(CH3OH)4] . 1.5CH3OH (10), with a diamond-like arrangement of metal ions. The paramagnetic metal centers are well separated in each case, leading to weak antiferromagnetic coupling or non-existent spin exchange.

Syntheses of the Uranium Complexes [U{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2){N(SiMe(3))(SiMe(2)CH(2)B(C(6)F(5))(3))}] and [U{C(Ph)(NSiMe(3))(2)}(2){&mgr;(3)-BH(4)}(2)]. Determination of Hydrogen Positions by Single-Crystal X-ray and Neutron Diffraction.

The complex [U{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(2){N(SiMe(3))(SiMe(2)CH(2)B(C(6)F(5))(3))}] (1) is formed in the reaction between the hydride complex [U{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(3)(H)] and B(C(6)F(5))(3), and H(2) is evolved. The X-ray [C(36)H(53)BF(15)N(3)Si(6)U.3.5C(6)D(6), triclinic, space group P&onemacr;, Z = 2, 90 K, a = 14.065(1) Å, b = 14.496(1) Å, c = 18.759(1) Å, alpha = 82.898(1) degrees, beta = 74.415(1) degrees, gamma = 62.919(1) degrees ] and neutron structure [C(36)H(53)BF(15)N(3)Si(6)U.3.5C(6)D(6), triclinic, space group P&onemacr;, Z = 2, 20 K, a = 13.993(1) Å, b = 14.484(1) Å, c = 18.720(1) Å, alpha = 82.810(1) degrees, beta = 74.200(1) degrees, gamma = 63.054(1)E] of compound 1, which crystallizes with 3.5 molecules of C(6)D(6) per asymmetric unit, show the electron deficiency of the uranium atom to be effectively compensated by the formation of multicenter bonds between U and three Si-CH(2) units of the amido ligands. The reaction of the uranium complex [U{C(Ph)(NSiMe(3))(2)}(2)(Cl)(2)] with [Na(BH(4))] gives the complex [U{C(Ph)(NSiMe(3))(2)}(2){&mgr;(3)-BH(4)}(2)] (2). The X-ray structure of 2 [C(26)H(54)B(2)N(4)Si(4)U, monoclinic, space group C2/c, Z = 4, 90 K, a = 21.613(1) Å, b = 9.233(1) Å, c = 18.132(1) Å, beta = 98.804(1) degrees ] proves unequivocally the &mgr;(3) coordination of the BH(4) moieties. In both single-crystal X-ray structure determinations, all hydrogen and deuterium atoms could be located and isotropically refined, including those which are directly coordinated to the uranium. The reliability of the refined hydrogen and deuterium positions for compound 1 is confirmed by comparison of the X-ray and neutron structure determinations. The ability to locate the hydrogen and deuterium positions in these uranium compounds by single-crystal X-ray diffraction is due to good crystal quality, the measurement of data at low temperature, and the use of image plate technology for data collection.