An improved chiroporphyrin shift reagent for the enantiomeric assay of amino acid derivatives by 1H NMR spectroscopy: evaluation of iodorhodium(III) tetramethylchiroporphyrin
1 H NMR spectroscopic studies of amino ester complexation indicate that iodorhodium(III) tetramethylchiroporphyrin RhI(TMCP) has a single axial site available for the coordination of amine groups, and that it retains its iodo ligand trans to the coordinated amine. This conclusion is confirmed by the X-ray structure of the 1:1 adduct of n-propylamine with RhI(TMCP). This stoichiometry of amine binding makes RhI(TMCP) a superior chiral derivatizing agent relative to CoCl ( TMCP ), which gives 1:2 adducts. It may have a strong impact in the utilization of RhI(TMCP) for the enantiomeric assay of amino acid mixtures by 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Axial exchange of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of aspartic acid dimethyl ester on RhI(TMCP) is moderately slow, and equilibrium is reached in a few minutes without kinetic resolution.