Axially Chiral Trifluoromethylbenzimidazolylbenzoic Acid: A Chiral Derivatizing Agent for α-Chiral Primary Amines and Secondary Alcohols To Determine the Absolute Configuration

Racemic 2-(2-trifluoromethyl)-1H-benzo[d]-imidazol-1-yl)benzoic acid (TBBA) was synthesized in three steps from 1-fluoro-2-nitrobenzene. Target (P)- and (M)-TBBA atropisomers were stable with a racemization barrier above 30 kcal/mol. As a chiral derivatizing agent, TBBA showed much higher differences in chemical shifts (Delta delta(PM)) than the conventional Mosher's acid.