Acyclic Twisted Amides

In this contribution, we provide a comprehensive overview of acyclic twisted amides, covering the literature since 1993 (the year of the first recognized report on acyclic twisted amides) through June 2020. The review focuses on classes of acyclic twisted amides and their key structural properties, such as amide bond twist and nitrogen pyramidalization, which are primarily responsible for disrupting nN to π*C═O conjugation. Through discussing acyclic twisted amides in comparison with the classic bridged lactams and conformationally restricted cyclic fused amides, the reader is provided with an overview of amidic distortion that results in novel conformational features of acyclic amides that can be exploited in various fields of chemistry ranging from organic synthesis and polymers to biochemistry and structural chemistry and the current position of acyclic twisted amides in modern chemistry.

Intramolecular cation-pi interaction in organic synthesis

Controlling molecular conformation is a significantly important issue in a wide variety of organic reactions because the ground state structure is significantly responsible for the transition one. As observed in enzymes and proteins, the cation-pi interaction plays a key role in the formation of the tertiary structure and the biochemical processes. Therefore, the cation-pi interaction would be a promising conformation-controlling tool not only in large molecules, but also in small molecules due to its stronger interaction force. This article describes the utility of the intramolecular cation-pi interaction in various organic syntheses with evidence for the existence of the cation-pi interactions.

Face-selective addition to a cation-pi complex of a pyridinium salt: synthesis of chiral 1,4-dihydropyridines

Selective shielding of one side of the pyridinium face by way of intramolecular cation-pi complex formation enabled nucleophiles to attack only from the non-shielded side, and consequently, chiral 1,4-dihydropyridines were produced stereoselectively with up to 99% de. The structure of the cation-pi complex was elucidated by 1H NMR studies and X-ray analysis.