Thomas Theissmann

Asymmetric Brønsted acid catalysis in aqueous solution

A biologically inspired reaction design leads to the development of the first highly enantioselective Bronsted acid catalysed reaction in aqueous solution.

The twinned crystal structure of diiodo­bis(triphenyl­phosphine)palladium(II) dichloro­methane disolvate at 173 K

The structure of the title compound, [PdI2(C18H15P)2]·2CH2Cl2, has previously been reported by Debaerdemaeker, Kutoglu, Schmid & Weber [Acta Cryst. (1973), B29, 1283–1288] at room temperature. We report the structure determination of this compound from a twinned crystal at 173 (2) K. The Pd atom is located on a centre of inversion and has square-planar coordination geometry.

(4R)-4-(Biphenyl-4-yl)-7-chloro-1,2,3,4-tetra­hydro­quinoline

The title compound, C21H18ClN, was synthesized by an enantioselective Brønsted acid-catalysed transfer hydrogenation reaction. The six-membered heterocycle adopts a half-chair conformation. It has the biphenyl residue in an axial position. The two rings of the biphenyl residue are almost coplanar [dihedral angle = 2.65 (9)°]. The crystal packing is stabilized by N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, which connect the molecules into chains running along the a axis.