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An improved synthesis of a novel class of bidentate (P,N) ligands is presented, the structures of which are characterized by three distinct elements of chirality. The stereoselective installation of the elements of central chirality (at the benzylic carbon and the phosphorus atom) depends on the size of the phosphorus substituent. Thermal inversion of the phosphorus center has been studied experimentally and further correlated by DFT calculations. The potential of these ligands and the role of the phosphorus atom in the asymmetric α-arylation of aldehydes (Pd) and hydrogenation of allylic alcohols (Ir) have also been investigated., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The iridium-catalyzed diastereo- and regioselective isomerization of primary allylic alcohols using Crabtree's catalyst or sterically modified analogs is reported. The importance of the size of the substituents on either the substrates or the catalysts has been rationalized by linear free energy relationships.

An unusual palladium hydride complex has been shown to be a competent catalyst in the isomerization of a variety of terminal and internal epoxides. The reaction displayed broad scope and synthetic utility. Experimental and theoretical evidence are provided for an unprecedented hydride mechanism characterized by two distinct enantio-determining steps. These results hold promise for the development of an enantioselective variant of the reaction.

The present article summarizes the development of two novel and complementary catalytic methods to access alpha-chiral aldehydes. A C1-symmetric chiral (P,N) ligand with a structure derived from the ubiquitous binepine scaffold has been specifically designed for the Pd-catalyzed alpha-arylation of aldehydes to access indane derivatives with a well-defined quaternary stereocenter in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities. In addition, a dinuclear palladium hydride catalyst has been synthesized for the isomerization of terminal and trisubstituted epoxides into aldehydes and ketones respectively. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations pointed to an unprecedented 'epoxide-opening/hydride-transfer' sequence. The mechanism also features two distinct enantio-determining steps in the kinetic resolution of racemic epoxides.

Three-in-one: a short synthetic route readily gives access to a new class of chiral (P,N) ligands characterized by three distinct elements of chirality. These ligands are highly enantioselective in the challenging Pd-catalyzed intramolecular asymmetric α-arylation of α-branched aldehydes., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The catalytic asymmetric hydroboration of a variety of 1,1-disubstituted olefins has been achieved with excellent yields, perfect regioselectivity and in some cases, high levels of enantioselectivity using readily accessible iridium catalyst.

The present article describes the recent catalytic asymmetric methods developed in our group to access enantioenriched chiral aldehydes. We are generally aiming at developing complementary strategies based on either homogeneous organometallic catalysts or amino-catalysts and sometimes on a combination of both. Recent successes comprise a perfectly redox-economical iridium-catalyzed asymmetric isomerization of primary allylic alcohols under very mild conditions and the development of a transition metal-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov asymmetric hydroboration of 1,1-disubstituted olefins. The developments of these two processes along with preliminary mechanistic investigations are presented herein.

An improved generation of chiral cationic iridium catalysts for the asymmetric isomerization of primary allylic alcohols is disclosed. The design of these air-stable complexes relied on the preliminary mechanistic information available, and on Charton analyses using two preceding generations of iridium catalysts developed for this highly challenging transformation. Sterically unbiased chiral aldehydes that were not accessible previously have been obtained with high levels of enantioselectivity, thus validating the initial hypothesis regarding the selected ligand-design elements. A rationale for the high enantioselectivities achieved in most cases is also presented.

A second generation of chiral (P,N)-iridium catalysts--readily accessible from inexpensive L-serine--displays expanded scope for the asymmetric isomerization of primary allylic alcohols.

This article describes the situation of Department of Organic Chemistry in the year of the 450th anniversary of the University of Geneva.

Nothing to sm(Ir)k at: Under appropriate reaction conditions, iridium hydride catalysts promote the isomerization of primary allylic alcohols. The best catalysts, like (R)-1 (P green, O red, N blue, Ir yellow), deliver the desired chiral aldehydes with excellent enantioselectivity and good yields. Mechanistic hypotheses have been developed on the basis of preliminary investigations.

Anionic boron-bridged bisoxazolines (borabox ligands) have been synthesized and characterized in their protonated forms. The ligands are tuneable over a wide range, allowing either alkyl or aryl substituents at the oxazoline rings and the central bridging boron atom. The structural parameters of this new ligand type have been investigated by X-ray analyses of palladium and copper complexes. Electronic properties have been studied by (13)C NMR spectroscopy and by DFT calculations on palladium allyl complexes and compared to those of analogous bisoxazoline (box) complexes. Borabox complexes are more electron-rich at the metal center than their neutral box congeners, and as a consequence of the longer bonds between the bridging atom and the oxazoline rings, their bite angles are larger. Palladium(II) complexes bearing an unsubstituted allyl ligand and homoleptic copper(II) complexes each possess an almost flat chelate ring. NMR analysis of a (1,3-diphenylallyl)(borabox)palladium complex showed a 92:8 mixture of (syn,syn) and (anti,syn) allyl isomers, in contrast with a previously reported box analogue that existed exclusively in the (syn,syn) form. Comparison of the corresponding crystal structures revealed that the distance between the bisoxazoline and the allyl ligand in the borabox complex is shorter. In the copper-catalyzed allylic oxidation of cyclohexene and cyclopentene with tert-butyl perbenzoate, borabox ligands gave results similar-and in some cases superior-to those obtained with analogous box ligands.

[reaction: see text] Boron-bridged bisoxazoline (borabox) ligands have been used in the copper(II)-catalyzed benzoylation of pyridyl alcohols and 1,2-diols. Efficient kinetic resolution of 1,2-diols was achieved using both borabox and bisoxazoline (box) ligands. Borabox ligands induced high selectivities in the benzoylation of suitable pyridyl alcohols, where they outperformed bisoxazolines. In addition, highly enantioselective Cu(II)(borabox)-catalyzed benzoylation has been used for the synthesis of both enantiomers of a pyridyl alcohol.

The reaction of a [(PHOX)Ir(COD)](+) complex (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with dihydrogen was studied by NMR spectroscopy (PHOX = chiral phosphinooxazoline ligand). A single [(PHOX)Ir(H)(2)(COD)](+) isomer was formed as the primary product at -40 degrees C in THF. Subsequent reaction with H(2) at -40 to 0 degrees C led to a mixture of two diastereomeric [(PHOX)Ir(H)(2)(solvent)(2)](+) complexes with concomitant loss of cyclooctane. The stereochemistry of the three hydride complexes could be assigned from the NMR data. The structures and energies of the observed hydride complexes and the possible stereoisomers were calculated using density functional theory. The substantial energy differences (up to 39 kcal/mol) between the various stereoisomers demonstrate the strong influence of the chiral ligand. The observed stereoselective formation of dihydride complexes can be explained by steric effects of the PHOX ligand combined with a strong electronic influence of the coordinating N and P atoms, favoring addition of a hydride trans to the Ir-N bond.

The synthesis of a new class of chiral C(2)-symmetric tridentate N-donor ligands, a series of 2,5-bis(2-oxazolinylmethyl)pyrroles, was achieved in four steps starting from the known 2,5-bis(trimethylammoniomethyl)pyrrole diiodide (1). Reaction of 1 with NaCN in dimethyl sulfoxide gave 2,5-bis(cyanomethyl)pyrrole (2) cleanly, which was then cyclized with amino alcohols to give the 2,5-bis(2-oxazolinylmethyl)pyrroles 3 a-c (3 a: bis[2-(4,4'-dimethyl-5-hydrooxazolyl)methyl]pyrrole; 3 b: (S,S)-bis[2-(4-isopropyl-4,5-dihydrooxazolyl)methyl]pyrrole; 3 c: (S,S)-bis[2-(4-tertiobutyl-4,5-dihydrooxazolyl)methyl]pyrrole). Metallation of 3 a-c with one molar equivalent of tBuLi and their subsequent reaction with a stoichiometric amount of [PdCl(2)(cod)] (cod=cyclooctadiene) gave the palladium(II) complexes 4 a-c. Whereas the arrangement of the N-donor atoms in the crystallographically characterized complex 4 a is almost ideally square planar, all three heterocycles in the ligand are twisted out of the coordination plane, leading to a chiral conformation of the complex. Attempts to freeze out these two conformers in solution at 200 K (NMR) failed, and this suggests that the activation barrier for conformational racemization is significantly below 10 kcal mol(-1). The palladium-induced shift of two double bonds as well as the porphyrinogen/porphyrin-type oxidation of the complexes 4 a-c led to the planarization of the 2,5-bis(oxazolinylmethyl)pyrrolide ligands in the palladium(II) complexes 5 a-c, 6 b, and 6 c, and to the formation of rigid chiral C(2)-symmetric systems as shown by X-ray diffraction studies. The formation of the conjugated system of double bonds in this transformation is accompanied by the emergence of an intra-ligand chromophore. This is evident in the absorption spectrum of 6 c which displays an intense band with a maximum at 485 nm attributable to an intra-ligand pi*<--pi transition and a characteristic vibrational progression of nu approximately 1350 cm(-1). Complexes 4 b and 4 c were tested in the catalytic asymmetric Michael addition of ethyl 2-cyanopropionate to methyl vinylketone (catalyst loading: 1 mol %) and were found to give maximum ee values of 43 % (4 b) and 21 % (4 c) at low conversions.

The ligand 2,5-bis(oxazinyl)-3,4-diethylpyrrole (4) was obtained in three reaction steps from the known pyrrole derivative 3,4-diethylpyrrole-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (1) which was first coupled with 2 molar equiv of (S)-1-benzoxy-3-butylamine to give the corresponding diamide 2 using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 1-hydroxybenzitriazole as coupling reagents. Subsequent hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ether functions yielded the dialcohol 3 which was cyclized in high yield after methylsulfonation and treatment with an excess of NaOH giving the target compound 2,5-bis[2-((S)-5-methyloxazinyl)]-3,4-diethylpyrrole (4). Lithiation of 4 by reaction with 1 molar equivalent of nBuLi at -78 degrees C and addition of [PdCl(2)(COD)] to the lithium pyrrolide cleanly gave the palladium complex 5 which was fully characterized. Complex 5 is unstable in solution and dimerizes to give a mixture of two diastereomeric helical dinuclear complexes, 6a and 6b, which cocrystallized in a 1:1 ratio to give X-ray quality single crystals. Both isomers possess virtual molecular 2-fold symmetry (though no crystallographic rotational symmetry), the molecular C(2)-axis being orthogonal to the Pd...Pd vector.

Reaction of pyrrole-2,5-biscarbonitrile (1) with an excess of (S)- or (R)-valinol in boiling chlorobenzene selectively yielded the two enantiomeric bis(oxazolinyl)pyrroles (S,S)-bis[2-(4,4'-diisopropyl-4,5-dihydrooxazolyl)]pyrrole ("S,S-iproxpH", 2 a) and (R,R)-bis[2-(4,4'-diisopropyl-4,5-dihydrooxazolyl)]pyrrole ("R,R-iproxpH", 2 b), respectively. Lithiation of 2 a and 2 b at -78 degrees C and reaction with an equimolar amount of [PdCl(2)(cod)] (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene) gave the helical dinuclear palladium complexes (M)-[PdCl(S,S-iproxp)](2) (3 a) and (P)-[PdCl(S,S-iproxp)](2) (3 b) as well as (P)-[PdCl(R,R-iproxp)](2) (4 a) and (M)-[PdCl(R,R-iproxp)](2) (4 b). Reaction of a 1:1 mixture of lithiated 2 a and 2 b with an equimolar amount of [PdCl(2)(cod)] gave a mixture of the homochiral complexes 3 a,b and 4 a,b along with the racemic mixture of the heterochiral complex [Pd(2)Cl(2)(S,S-iproxp)(R,R-iproxp)] (5). The double helical structure as well as the absolute configuration of these neutral dinuclear palladium complexes was confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies of all five complexes. One of the oxazolyl units and the anionic pyrrolide occupy two coordination sites in an approximately square-planar ligand arrangement at the Pd centers whereas the second oxazolyl ring is twisted out of this plane and binds to the second metal center. The heterochiral complex 5 does not possess any element of molecular symmetry. The P-helical complexes 3 b and 4 a display a positive CD at 310 nm and a weaker negative CD at 350 nm, while the compounds possessing M-helicity have the corresponding mirror image CD spectra. Complexes 3 a and 4 a have an additional weak long wavelength CD feature between 380 and 420 nm which is absent in the spectra of 3 b and 4 b. Upon heating a solution of 3 b, interconversion to the diastereomer of opposite helicity 3 a sets in, for which a first-order rate law with respect to the concentration of the complex was established; activation parameters: DeltaH( not equal )=68 kJ mol(-1), DeltaS( not equal )=-99 J mol(-1) K(-1). A cross-over experiment monitored by (1)H NMR spectroscopy also gave the racemate of the mixed-ligand complex 5: (P)-[Pd(2)Cl(2)(S,S-iproxp)(R,R-iproxp)] and (M)-[Pd(2)Cl(2)(S,S-iproxp)(R,R-iproxp)] indicating an intermolecular exchange involving mononuclear [PdCl(iproxp)] complex fragments.

Unlabelled: The aim of ALPHA (1976-1982) was to realize an action of cardiovascular prevention in a professional population, by combining a) an education of the general population and b) an individual managing of the high risk people. The "Study" (S) population originated from Lyon; the "Reference" (R) population originated from two smaller cities. There was no randomization. The plan of the study included: A baseline cross study, dealing respectively with 9,598 and 9,558 subjects in S and R; The educational intervention, aiming chiefly at reducing caloric and sodium intakes, and at increasing the potassium intake; The evaluation was done after five years, by re-examining the subjects seen at the baseline study and still present in the enterprises. Mainly because of the economic crisis, the re-examination rates were only about 45%., Results: at the baseline, BP's were not significantly different: 137/77 S vs 132/75 R for men, and 129/74 S vs 126/73 R for women. The final comparisons about primary prevention of hypertension were computed after adjustment for age and sex, after exclusion of the subjects who were hypertensive at baseline. The knowledges about hygiene were significantly but moderately better in S. The urinary Na/K and Na/Creatinine ratios did not differ significantly. The alcohol intake was lower in S (p less than 0.001). The incidence of HT was greater in S (p less than 0.001). The means of the individual variations of systolic and diastolic BP were computed: the adjusted differences S-R were respectively + 1.53 and 2.19 mmHg for systolic and diastolic (p less than 0.001 for both)., Conclusion: the feasibility of the intervention was moderate. The failure to demonstrate any prevention of HT might indicate that the hypothesis was wrong, and/or that the methodology was inadequate.

The authors report the observation of one patient in whom the first administration of chemotherapy with fluoro-5 uracil has induced a severe but reversible cardiogenic shock. The latter was preceded by a prolonged, constrictive thoracic pain without myocardial infarction constitution. The cardiac toxicity of fluoro-5 uracil has been well described in the form of anginal pains receding with the discontinuation of the treatment. However, the possible occurrence of arrhythmias, of collapse and even sudden deaths leads the authors to suggest the daily clinical and electrical observation of the patients treated with fluoro-5 uractil.