title: Ab initio approach to understanding the stereoselectivity of reactions between hydroxyalkyl azides and ketones.
abstract: A new stereoselective version of the Schmidt reaction has been discovered by Aubé and co-workers (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 7914-7922). Quantum chemical calculations reported in this paper were carried out to examine the observed diastereoselectivities. The azide attack step is found to be reversible, but a thermodynamic preference for the equatorial attack product is observed. The final stereoselectivity of the reaction is determined by the axial/equatorial ratio of the chiral substituent in the resulting intermediate. In the case of 2-R-hydroxypropyl azides, interesting axial/equatorial preferences are observed. In particular, the phenyl substituent shows a preference for the axial position resulting from a novel interaction with a N(2) cationic group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA.
authors.forename: N Deborah
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Hewlett
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aubé
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Radkiewicz-Poutsma
mesh_terms: D001386:Azides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D007659:Ketones / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D001386:Azides; D007659:Ketones