by Yeung Kwan Wing. / Thesis submitted in: 2002. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-73). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Contents --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.ii / Abstract --- p.iii / Abbreviation --- p.v / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1-1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1-2 --- Sharpless Epoxidation --- p.2 / Chapter 1-3 --- Mn-Salen Complexes for Epoxidation --- p.4 / Chapter 1-4 --- Oxaziridinium Salts --- p.6 / Chapter 1-5 --- Dioxiranes --- p.7 / Chapter 1-6 --- Asymmetric Epoxidation by Dioxirane --- p.11 / Chapter 2. --- Results and Discussion --- p.28 / Chapter 2-1 --- C-Glycoside Ulose Catalyst derived from L-arabinose --- p.28 / Chapter 2-2 --- Dioxirane epoxidation catalyzed by L-arabino-4-uloses --- p.30 / Chapter 3. --- Experimental Section --- p.51 / Chapter 4. --- References --- p.68 / Chapter 5. --- Appendix --- p.74

The research described in this thesis focuses on the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral olefins using N, P – chelated iridium catalysts. This catalytic system is tolerant to a wide range of substrates and performs better than the well-known ruthenium- and rhodium-catalytic systems for substrates devoid of coordinating groups in proximity of the olefin. Low catalytic loadings (often <1 %) and the high atom efficiency of this reaction make it a synthetically useful method of chiral molecule synthesis. The primary aim of this thesis was to develop new catalysts that rapidly and efficiently hydrogenate a broad range of alkenes asymmetrically. Papers I and II describe the synthesis and evaluation of new, highly efficient, chiral N, P – ligated iridium complexes. These catalysts were obtained in relatively few steps, while leaving open possibilities to modify and fine-tune their structure. Their versatility is ideally suited to both industrial uses and to equip any catalyst box. Paper III deals with a common problem of defluorination of vinylic fluorides during the hydrogenation. The catalyst designed in that work performs well for several substrates giving very low defluorination rates making it a good starting point for further improvements to cover a broader scope of vinyl fluorides. The structures of the catalysts from papers I and III also offers an easy approach to attach the catalyst ligands to a solid support. Paper IV explores hydrogenation of vinyl boronates, which gives synthetically interesting borane compounds with high enantioselectivities. Taking into account the rich chemistry of organic boranes, these compounds are very important. Paper V deals with hydrogenation of diphenylvinylphosphine oxides and vinyl phosphonates, another important classes of substrates that give chiral phosphorous containing compounds of interest in many fields of chemistry: such as medicinal chemistry and organocatalysis. In papers VI and VII we explore the Birch reaction as a source of prochiral olefins. By combining asymmetric hydrogenation with it, we obtain a powerful method to create chiral compounds with excellent enantioselectivities that are next to impossible to make by other routes. The products of the asymmetric hydrogenation are further modified by other well-known transformation to create other induced stereogenic centres.

Maritime conflict in the next decade or three, when it happens, will not be the full-blown war that our carriers and strategic submarines are designed for. Instead, it will be economic warfare through the interdiction of maritime trade, harassment of naval vessels as rising nations attempt to expand their sphere of influence, and development of cheap (or uncounterable) technologies that keep potential adversaries or rivals at bay. All of this will take place in blue-water environments as access to the littorals is effectively denied by these new technologies. As it stands, the United States is inadequately prepared to face this possibility. This paper will examine how and why this strategy will arise, identify the most likely locations and actors, and explore how these scenario are likely to play out. Additionally, this paper will examine potential remedies that the United States (or other interested powers) could undertake to reduce the impact of these strategies, perhaps even avoiding their occurrence altogether.

La síntesi de sulfòxids quirals ha estat investigada teòricament considerant dos dels mètodes més avançats: l'oxidació asimètrica de sulfurs amb peròxid d'hidrogen catalitzada per vanadi i el mètode DAG. El mecanisme d'aquestes reaccions va ser explorat a nivell DFT (teoria del funcional de la densitat) en sistemes models. L'origen de l'enantioselectivitat en els sistemes reals va ser investigat emprant mètodes híbrids QM/MM (mecànica quàntica/mecànica molecular). L'estudi DFT sobre la sulfoxidació asimètrica catalitzada per vanadi va revelar que aquest procés segueix un mecanisme de transferencia directa d'oxigen en que el substrat s'oxida en una única etapa concertada. El catalitzador és un complex de vanadi(+V) en que l'oxidant es coordina al metall en mode hidroperoxo. Aquest complex catalitza el procés d'oxidació reduint la barrera energètica de 40.4 a 26.7 kcal/mol. L'estudi QM/MM del sistema real va demostrar que existiexen dos diastereòmers del catalitzador, etiquetats com a A i B, que catalitzen l'oxidació induint enantioselectivitats oposades. La coexistencia d'A i B en solució va permetre racionalitzar l'influència de l'estructura del lligand quiral sobre l'enantioselectivitat. L'estudi DFT del mètode DAG va revelar que la resolució cinètica dinàmica implicada en aquesta reacció segueix un mecanisme d'addició/eliminació. L'etapa clau és l'addició en que l'alcohol reacciona directament amb el clorur de sulfinil. Aquest procés implica un transferència d'hidrogen que és assistida per una base. La trimetilamina redueix la barrera d'aquest procés desde 26.8 a 12.2 kcal/mol. La base també catalitza la racemització del clorur de sulfinil reduint la barrera de la seva inversió piramidal desde 63.4 a 22.3 kcal/mol. La subsititució inicial del clor per la base va ser descartada. L'estudi QM/MM del sistem real confirmà que l'enantioselectivitat d'aquest procés es pot invertir amb facilitat emprant diferents bases no quirals, com la piridina o la colidina, tal com va ser observat experimentalment. El nostre estudi revelà que el paper estèric de la base és fonamental quan la piridina es canvia per colidina. Aquest canvi de base implica una inversió de la distribució quiral del volum estèric al voltant del sofre que provoca el canvi en el sentit de l'enantioselectivitat. / The synthesis of chiral sulfoxides has been theoretically investigated considering two of the most advanced methods: the vanadium-catalyzed asymmetric oxidation of sulfides with hydrogen peroxide and the DAG method. The mechanism of these reactions was explored at a DFT (Density Functional Theory) level on model systems. The origin of enantioselectivity in the real systems was explored applying hybrid QM/MM (Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics) methods. The DFT study on the vanadium-catalyzed asymmetric sulfoxidation revealed that this process follows a direct oxygen transfer mechanism in which the substrate is oxidized in a single concerted step. The catalyst is a oxo complex of vanadium(+V) with the oxidant coordinated to the metal as a hydroperoxo ligand. This complex catalyzes the oxidation process reducing the energy barrier from 40.4 to 26.7 kcal/mol. The QM/MM study on the real system showed that there are two possible diastereomers of the catalyst, labeled as A and B, that catalyze the oxidation inducing opposite enantioselectivities. The coexistence of A and B in solution explains the influence of the chiral ligand structure upon enantioselectivity. The DFT study on the DAG method revealed that the dynamic kinetic resolution involved in this transformation follows an addition/elimination mechanism. The key step is the addition in which the alcohol reacts directly with the sulfinyl chloride. This process implies a hydrogen transfer assisted by the base. Triethylamine reduces the barrier of this process from 26.8 to 12.2 kcal/mol. The base also catalyzes the racemization of the sulfinyl chloride reducing the barrier of its pyramidal inversion from 63.4 to 22.3 kcal/mol. The substitution of chlorine by the base was discarded. The QM/MM study of the real system confirmed that the enantioselectivity of this reaction can be easily reversed using different non chiral bases, like pyridine or collidine, as experimentally observed. Our study showed that the steric role of the base becomes critical when pyridine is replaced by collidine. This modification of the base implies an inversion of the chiral distribution of steric bulk around sufur that induces the reversal of enantioselectivity.

No description available.

La catálisis es un campo de la ciencia que explora soluciones a los problemas ambientales como la contaminación, la eliminación de los residuos generados en el proceso de síntesis de materiales o la regeneración de los recursos naturales. En la presente Tesis, hemos reportado un estudio de cálculos DFT para la σ activación del enlace NH de amoníaco considerando las especies μ3-alquilidinos de titanio utilizando el complejo modelo [{Ti(η5-C5H5)(μ-O)}3(μ3-CH)]. Posteriormente, con el fin de analizar la hidroformilación asimétrica de estireno catalizada por complejos Rh-Binaphos, se han combinando estudios basados en la aproximación de la determinación del estado de transición y un análisis cualitativo a través de un descriptor molecular recién definido (volumen de distancia ponderada, VW). Usando nuestro conocimiento mecanicista anterior, hemos presentado un estudio QSPR para predecir la actividad y la enantioselectividad de la hidroformilación de estireno catalizada por complejos Rh-difosfinas. También, hemos desarrollado una nueva metodología 3D-QSSR para predecir la enantioselectividad basada en la cuantificación de la representación de diagramas por cuadrantes y aplicándola en el ciclopropanación asimétrica de alquenos catalizadas por complejos de cobre. / Catalysis is a field of science that explores solutions to environmental problems such as pollution, elimination of waste generated in the process of materials synthesis or regeneration of natural resources. In the present Thesis, we have reported a DFT study on the N-H σ-bond activation of ammonia by the µ3-alkylidyne titanium species using the [{Ti(η5-C5H5)(µ-O)}3(µ3-CH)] model complex. Afterwards, we have combined the TS-based approach and qualitative analysis through a newly defined molecular descriptor (distance-weighted volume, VW), in order to analyze the asymmetric hydroformylation of styrene catalyzed by Rh-binaphos complexes. Using our previous mechanistic knowledge, we have presented a QSPR study to predict the activity and the enantioselectivity in the hydroformylation of styrene catalyzed by Rh-diphosphane complexes. We have also developed a new methodology to predict enantioselectivity based on the quantitative quadrant-diagram representation of the catalysts and 3D-QSSR modeling; and we have applied it in the asymmetric cyclopropanation of alkenes catalyzed by copper complexes.

Cocatalyzed reactions using Brønsted acids and chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes to yield highly enantioselective products have been reported recently in many journals. The development of new chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes is a competitive field among synthetic chemist. In a recent study we found that conjugated trienes could be cyclized using Brønsted acids and chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes. The synthesis of novel chiral N-heterocyclic carbene precursors, and the precursors to novel conjugated trienes are reported herein.

In this paper, we study on the stock indexes return¡¦s dependence structure of the U.S. versus other G5 members during the 2008 subprime mortgage financial crisis. The sample series are weekly returns of the MSCI stock price indexes from 2003 to 2011. The model structure is combined with marginal model and copula model. We model the marginal distributions of our returns using the univariate skewed Student t AR¡]1¡^-GARCH model of Hansen¡]1994¡^, and we model the time-varying copula of Patton¡]2006¡^to measure the dependence structure between stock indexes returns. By analyzing the time series behavior of the dynamic copula parameters, we find that,¡]1¡^the dependence of stock indexes returns increased significantly between U.S. and other G5 members in early subprime mortgage financial crisis, which means the dependence structure has contagion effect.¡]2¡^Except the dependence structure between U.S. and Japan, the other dependence structure between U.S. and other G5 members in later subprime mortgage financial crisis have the phenomenon of interdependence, and their average tail dependence increased significantly.¡]3¡^By the above, international portfolio constructed by correlation coefficient will failed to diversify the downside risk and the systematic risk will be increased in financial crisis period, which is similar with the 2008 subprime mortgage financial crisis. Therefore, the construction of an international portfolio must consider the asymmetric dependence structure between the stock indexes returns.

With the possibility of imitation, we discuss the pricing strategy of an inventor and the piracy-deterrence policy of a government. When inventor and imitator have asymmetric manufacturing costs, piracy may not be deterred by the government. When the inventor¡¦s cost of production is low enough, the inventor always stays in the market and the piracy only occurs if the social welfare is enhanced by the competition. When the inventor¡¦s cost of production is high, a monopoly market emerges and the identity of the monopolist, which can be the inventor or the imitator, is determined by the government through the piracy-deterrence policy such that the social welfare is maximized.

Asymmetric hydrogenation as a general route to polypropionates has been explored for allylic alcohols, acids, and derivatives, which has led to the generation of 2,4-dimethylated hexane derivatives. Quantitative yields in most cases and enantioselectivities greater than 98% were obtained. A remarkable stereofacial inversion was observed when an ester or acid was present in the allylic position instead of an alcohol or alcohol derivative. This led to the construction of all four diastereomers of the hexanol series from a single enantiomer of hydrogenation catalyst. Also described are an attempted synthesis of (-)-lardolure, a formal synthesis of the methyl ester portion of the preen gland extract from the domestic goose Anser anser, and a total synthesis of an extract from the fungi A. cruciatus. The synthesis of these compounds demonstrated shortcomings of the known catalyst system showing enantioselectivities for polymethylated compounds was high, while diastereoselectivity was low. Methodology to develop new N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts was developed using the cyanide coupling of aldimines to generate electronically tunable 1,3,4,5-tetraaryl complexes, and X-ray, IR, and calculations were used to elucidate their electronic characteristics. These studies indicate that the 4,5-positions have as great an influence on the metal-ligand bond as the 1,3-positions. In addition, they are among the most electron-donating 2- metalated N-heterocyclic carbenes found thus far. An intrinsic relationship between catalytic activity and electron donating ability was found in transfer hydrogenations.