One of the most active current areas of chemical research is centered on how to synthesize handed (chiral) compounds in a selective manner, rather than as mixtures of mirror-image forms (enantiomers) with different three-dimensional structures (stereochemistries). Nature points the way in this endeavor: different enantiomers of a given biomolecule can exhibit dramatically different biological activities, and enzymes have therefore evolved to catalyze reactions with exquisite selectivity for the formation of one enantiomeric form over the other. Drawing inspiration from these natural catalysts, chemists have developed a variety of synthetic small-molecule catalysts that can achieve levels of selectivity approaching, and in some cases matching, those observed in enzymatic reactions.

No abstract

need to be sulfonated in order to produce the stable polysemiquinone form of the polymer. Indeed, additional sulfonation and consequent protonation of amine nitrogen atoms would convert some of the -(NH)to -(NH2+)groups and hence destabilize the polymer by reducing the extent of its tr conjugation. The absorption maxima at 1080, 700, and 620 cm"1 in the FTIR spectrum of compound , are consistent with the presence9 of S03" groups attached to the aromatic rings. The absorption maxima at 820 and 870 cm"1 indicative of 1,2,4-trisubstitution of the rings are out-of-plane bending of aromatic hydrogens. These absorptions are not present in the 1,2-disubstituted emeraldine base (II), from which compound , was synthesized.

The discovery of the metal salen-catalyzed asymmetric ring-opening (ARO) of epoxides is chronicled. A screening approach was adopted for the identification of catalysts for the addition of TMSN(3) to meso-epoxides, and the chiral (salen)CrN(3) complex was identified as optimal. Kinetic and structural studies served to elucidate the mechanism of catalysis, which involves cooperative activation of both epoxide and azide by two different metal centers. Covalently linked bimetallic complexes were constructed on the basis of this insight, and shown to catalyze the ARO with identical enantioselectivity but 1-2 orders of magnitude greater reactivity than the monomeric analogues. Extraordinarily high selectivity is observed in the kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides using the (salen)CrN(3)/TMSN(3) system. A search for a practical method for the kinetic resolution reaction led to the discovery of highly enantiomer-selective hydrolytic ring-opening using the corresponding (salen)Co(III) catalyst. This system displays extraordinary substrate generality, and allows practical access to enantiopure terminal epoxides on both laboratory and industrial scales.

The hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of terminal epoxides catalyzed by chiral (salen)Co(III) complex 1 x OAc affords both recovered unreacted epoxide and 1,2-diol product in highly enantioenriched form. As such, the HKR provides general access to useful, highly enantioenriched chiral building blocks that are otherwise difficult to access, from inexpensive racemic materials. The reaction has several appealing features from a practical standpoint, including the use of H(2)O as a reactant and low loadings (0.2-2.0 mol %) of a recyclable, commercially available catalyst. In addition, the HKR displays extraordinary scope, as a wide assortment of sterically and electronically varied epoxides can be resolved to > or = 99% ee. The corresponding 1,2-diols were produced in good-to-high enantiomeric excess using 0.45 equiv of H(2)O. Useful and general protocols are provided for the isolation of highly enantioenriched epoxides and diols, as well as for catalyst recovery and recycling. Selectivity factors (k(rel)) were determined for the HKR reactions by measuring the product ee at ca. 20% conversion. In nearly all cases, k(rel) values for the HKR exceed 50, and in several cases are well in excess of 200.