10.1007/s11172-007-0047-7
The research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of nonracemic menthyl phosphorylacetates, which are derivatives of phosphorylacetic acids containing the menthoxy fragment at the phosphorus atom or at the carbonyl group. These compounds are of interest due to their potential high biological activity, as they are analogs of biogenic compounds. The study aims to prepare enantiopure biologically active organophosphorus compounds and determine their configurations. The experiments involved the reaction of diethyl menthyl phosphite or di-O,O-menthyl phenylphosphonite with menthyl chloroacetate, requiring the presence of catalytic amounts of zinc chloride and resulting in the formation of products with the menthoxy substituent intact. The configurations of the enantiomerically pure compounds were established using X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy. Analyses used in the study included mass spectrometry, 1H NMR spectroscopy, and 31P NMR spectroscopy to confirm the presence of the menthyl fragment in the products and to determine the ratios of diastereomers produced. The research also utilized multidimensional NMR spectroscopy for the determination of the relative configuration of liquid or dissolved compounds.