Linking conformational flexibility and kinetics: catalytic 1,4-type Friedel-Crafts reactions of phenols utilizing 1,3-diamine-tethered guanidine/bisthiourea organocatalysts.

Herein, we present details of our conformationally flexible, 1,3-diamine-tethered guanidine/bisthiourea organocatalysts for chemo-, regio-, and enantioselective 1,4-type Friedel-Crafts reactions of phenols. These organocatalysts show a unique stereo-discrimination governed by the differential activation entropy (ΔΔS(≠)), rather than by the differential activation enthalpy (ΔΔH(≠)). Extensive kinetic analyses using Eyring plots for a series of guanidine/bisthiourea organocatalysts revealed the key structural motif in the catalysts associated with a large magnitude of differential activation entropy (ΔΔS(≠)). A plausible guanidine-thiourea cooperative mechanism for the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction is proposed.