Simultaneous freezing of chirality and in-out conformation of a macropentacyclic cryptand by protonation.

Compound 1, a cryptand-derived macropentacycle, is a flexible molecule that encompasses many conformations (symmetrical, unsymmetrical, and chiral ones) depending on the observation temperature (VT 1H NMR). Selective monoprotonation of this molecule leads to a totally unsymmetrical, rigidly chiral species in solution (1H NMR). Helical chirality and in-out conformation of monoprotonated 1 are observed in the solid state by X-ray diffraction analysis, as well as the proton location. The latter is bound to the endo bridgehead nitrogen atom and involved in hydrogen-bonding interactions with the three closest sulfurs. Significant induction of chirality is triggered by reaction of 1 with the optically active (R)-(-)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diylphosphoric acid. It proceeds with a maximum 24% diastereomeric excess, as shown by the splitting, in the 62:38 intensity ratio, of several 1H NMR signals. These correspond to the two indistinguishable diastereomeric ion pairs: (Lambda-[1-H])((R)-(-)-BNP) and (Delta-[1-H])((R)-(-)-BNP).