Resolution and chiroptical properties of the neurotoxin 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (TaClo) and related compounds: quantum chemical CD calculations and X-ray diffraction analysis

Separation and stereochemical attribution of the two enantiomers of the neurotoxin 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline (TaClo) has been achieved by applying chromatography on a chiral phase HPLC column in hyphenation with circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy (LC-CD coupling). Assignment of the absolute configuration of TaClo and its N-methyl analog has been achieved by quantum chemical CD calculations and has finally been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of the two enantiomers of N-formyl-TaClo as obtained in enantiomerically pure form by crystallization.