Characterization of β-Amino Ester Enolates as Hexamers via ⁶Li NMR Spectroscopy

Low-temperature 6Li NMR spectroscopic studies on a chiral β-amino ester enolate reveal a complex mixture of homo- and heterochiral aggregates. Subsequent warming of the samples led to rapid intra-aggregate exchange, resulting in four distinct resonances consistent with an ensemble of hexamers. An implicit fit of the aggregate populations to the Boltzmann distribution provided the free energy differences and equilibrium constants. An X-ray crystal structure obtained from the racemic enolate is consistent with the predominant aggregate in solution.