Axially chiral 2-(2-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)benzoic acid (TBBA) was employed as a chiral derivatizing agent for determining the absolute α-configuration of primary amines and secondary alcohols via ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy. The method utilizes the trifluoromethyl group as a sensor, detecting the shielding effects induced by individual alcohol or amine substituents. This approach was tested on 46 alcohols and amines, demonstrating greater efficiency compared to the standard MTPA method.

Axially chiral 2-(2-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-1-yl)benzoic acid (TBBA) was used as a chiral derivatizing agent to evaluate the limits of absolute configuration assignment for β-chiral aminoalcohols. Seven Boc-aminoalcohols and eight variously N-substituted (S)-phenylglycinols were prepared, and their TBBA esters were analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. Diverse substitution at the β-position was employed to demonstrate the effect of structure on the general conformational model and reliability of the absolute configuration assignment. It was concluded that hydrogen bond formation and steric hindrance were the main factors affecting the correct assignment for Boc-aminoalcohols.

The synthesis, in particular the industrial production, of pharmaceuticals requires a broad arsenal of synthetic reactions capable of selectively forming specific structural motifs and assembling smaller building blocks into complex molecules. The Chan–Evans–Lam cross-coupling reaction, which forms a bond between a N-nucleophile and an aryl group from a boronic acid, catalysed by copper salts, is a typical example of this synthetic route. Considering the toxicity of copper and the stringent regulatory limits for its residues in final pharmaceutical products, a heterogeneous catalytic approach offers a viable alternative for this transformation. In this work, we present a simply and reproducibly synthesized catalyst based on copper nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide (Cu-rGO), with high efficiency in a model Chan–Lam reaction involving benzimidazole and aniline derivatives with substituted boronic acids.