Synthesis of hindered chiral guanidine bases starting from (S)-(N,N-dialkyl-aminomethyl)pyrrolidines and BrCN

An efficient method for the preparation of hindered chiral guanidines using cyanogen bromide is described. The reaction between BrCN and vicinal diamines derived from (S)-2-(N,N-dialkyl-aminomethyl)-pyrrolidines provides chiral substituted cyanamides. The cyanamide derivatives reacted with secondary amines in hexafluoroisopropanol at reflux to form chiral hindered guanidines, which were isolated in good to excellent yields (70–96%). The chiral guanidines were prepared in an effort to design sophisticated chiral guanidine catalysts for asymmetric synthesis.     

Synthesis of C2-symmetrical chiral diamines: diastereoselective addition to bis(1,3-oxazolidinyl)alkanes with Grignard reagents

Asymmetric syntheses of C₂-symmetrical chiral 1,4- and 1,5-diamines with stereogenic centers adjacent to the nitrogen atom have been accomplished. Chiral diamines were prepared by diastereoselective alkylations of bisoxazolidine, which was derived from (R)-phenylglycinol. Methyl and phenyl Grignard reagents were employed as alkylating reagents. In addition, tertiary chiral diamines were readily converted to primary diamines in high yield.     

Convenient access to sterically hindered C2 chiral 2,2,5,5-tetraphenyltetrahydrofuran-3,4-diols: intramolecular selective 1,4-cyclocondensation of (2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutanetetraols

Sterically hindered C₂ chiral (3R,4R)- and (3S,4S)-2,2,5,5-tetraphenyltetrahydrofuran-3,4-diols have been conveniently prepared in a very high yield via heterogeneous intramolecular selective 1,4-cyclocondensation of (2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutanetetraol in concentrated hydrohalic acids, respectively. Preliminary examination of additives for the Barbas–List reaction showed that in certain cases, the hindered C₂ chiral tetrahydrofuran-3,4-diols were better chiral auxiliaries than enantiopure (R)- and (S)-1,1′-bi-2-naphthols.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 5-(1-hydroxyalkyl)-5-methyl-5H-furan-2-ones

The reactivity of 5-methyl-4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-5H-furan-2-one with aldehydes and with acyl chlorides followed by reduction was studied. The aldol condensation gave predominantly the anti aldol product when the acylation-reduction sequence led exclusively to the syn product. The use of a chiral pyrrolidine, (S)-2-methoxymethylpyrrolidine (SMP), allowed the synthesis of enantio-enriched compounds, the acylation-reduction leading to the (R,R) addition product.     

Concise asymmetric synthesis of (R)-(+)-tanikolide

A highly stereoselective total synthesis of (R)-(+)-tanikolide, a δ-lactonic marine natural product, was accomplished in seven steps from easily available starting materials with a 51% overall yield. An asymmetric synthesis of an α-hydroxy aldehyde having a stereogenic quaternary center, by the use of (S)-2-(anilinomethyl)pyrrolidine as a chiral auxiliary, was employed in a key step.     

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylation and complex formation involving P,N-bidentate derivatives of (S)-2-(anilinomethyl)pyrrolidine

P,N-Bidentate (S)-2-(anilinomethyl)pyrrolidine derivatives and their complexes with rhodium(i) and palladium(ii) were synthesized. It was demonstrated that these compounds can be used in the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylation for the synthesis of chiral methyl 2-phenyl-2-(2-phenyl-o-carboranyl-1)pent-4-enoate.     

Synthesis of three novel chiral diamines derived from (S)-proline and their evaluation as precursors of diazaborolidines for the catalytic borane-mediated enantioselective reduction of prochiral ketones

A series of chiral diazaborolidine catalysts are readily prepared in situ at 75 °C in toluene solvent and under microwave irradiation (100 W, 15 min, air cooling) using chiral diamines derived from inexpensive and commercially available (S)-proline and borane-dimethyl sulfide. Special mention deserves the synthesis of potentially versatile diamine (S)-8 [(S)-(pyrrolidin-2-yl)diphenylmethanamine], with the key step being the conversion of tertiary alcohol (S)-(1-benzylpyrrolidin-2-yl)diphenyl methanol, (S)-12, to azide (S)-13. The chiral diazaborolidine/BH₃ reagent system was successfully employed in the enantioselective reduction of prochiral ketones to give the corresponding secondary alcohols in excellent yield and with up to 96% enantiomeric purities.     

Determination of absolute configuration of 2-methyl-1-(o-tolyl)naphthalene and the related axially chiral biaryls

An enantiomerically enriched sample (84.3% ee) of (aS)-2-methyl-1-[(((o-triisopropylsilyl)oxy)methyl)phenyl]naphthalene was produced via catalytic asymmetric Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling using an atropisomeric naphthamide-derived phosphine (A²phos) as the chiral ligand. After one recrystallization, enantiopurity of the biaryl product was improved to 98.9% ee and its absolute configuration was determined by X-ray crystal structural analysis. Through chemical transformations, the (aS)-enantiomers of 1-[(o-hydroxymethyl)phenyl]-2-methylnaphthalene, 1-[(o-chloromethyl)phenyl]-2-methylnaphthalene, and 2-methyl-1-(o-tolyl)naphthalene were obtained. Several other chiral biaryls were synthesized and stereochemically assigned.     

Enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc to aldehydes catalyzed by (S)-2-(N,N-disubstituted aminomethyl)indoline

Chiral di- or triamines, (S)-2-(N,N-disubstituted aminomethyl)indoline 1a–d, derived from (S)-indoline-2-carboxylic acid were efficient chiral catalysts for the enantioselective addition of dialkylzincs to aldehydes. The best results were obtained by employing 15 mol% of (S)-2-(4-methylpiperazin-1-ylmethyl)indoline 1c, and chiral secondary alcohols were obtained in up to 97% ee.     

Efficient stereospecific synthesis of (S,S)-3-methoxy-4-methylaminopyrrolidine

Efficient stereospecific synthesis of (S,S)-3-methoxy-4-methylaminopyrrolidine, an important intermediate for a novel quinolone antitumor agent AG-7352 is presented. Starting from either d- or l-tartaric acid, a stereospecific synthesis of the chiral pyrrolidine was achieved via two S_N2 displacement reactions. From the results of this synthetic study, the absolute structure of AG-7352 was chemically determined.     

Synthesis of chiral 1,5-disubstituted pyrrolidinones via electrophile-induced cyclization of 2-(3-butenyl)oxazolines derived from (1R,2S)- and (1S,2R)-norephedrine

Starting from (1R,2S)- and (1S,2R)-norephedrine, enantiomers of the corresponding 2-(3-butenyl)oxazolines were prepared in a two-step process. The cyclization of the intermediate alkenylamides with phenylselenyl bromide afforded cyclic imidates instead of the expected pyrrolidinones. The electrophile-induced cyclizations of 2-alkenyloxazolines with bromine or iodine produced diastereomeric mixtures of chiral 1,5-disubstituted pyrrolidinones. The ring closure of the all-cis (1R,2S,5R)-diastereomer 7 with NaH resulted in the tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-b]oxazol-5-one derivative 18, which was alternatively prepared by the cyclocondensation of (1R,2S)-norephedrine with levulinic acid.     

Asymmetric Henry reaction catalyzed by a chiral Cu(II) complex: a facile enantioselective synthesis of (S)-2-nitro-1-arylethanols

A catalytic asymmetric Henry reaction has been developed using a novel chiral Cu(II) complex derived from (R)-2-(diphenylmethanol)-l-(2-pyridylmethyl)pyrrolidine and copper(II) acetate in ethanol under mild conditions. The corresponding chiral 2-nitro-1-arylethanol derivatives were obtained in high yields with moderate to good enantiomeric excess (up to 86% ee). The results indicate that the coordination of a metal atom to the nitrogen of the pyridine ring is essential in determining the stereochemistry of the process.     

Synthesis of novel chiral NiII complexes of dehydroalanine Schiff bases and their reactivity in asymmetric nucleophilic addition reactions. Novel synthesis of (S)-2-carboxypiperazine

New chiral Ni^II complexes of Schiff bases of dehydroalanine with modified chiral auxiliaries (S)-2-N-[N′-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)prolyl]aminobenzophenone (3,4-DCBPB), (S)-2-N-[N′-(3,4-dimethylbenzyl)prolyl]aminobenzophenone (3,4-DMBPB), (S)-2-N-[N′-(2-chlorobenzyl)prolyl]aminobenzophenone (2-CBPB), and (S)-2-N-[N′-(2-fluorobenzyl)prolyl]-aminobenzophenone (2-FBPB) have been synthesized. Asymmetric Michael addition reactions of primary and secondary amines and thiols to the dehydroalanine moieties of the complexes were studied. (S)-2-FBPB was found to be the best chiral auxiliary in terms of both selectivity of the reactions (de ～92–96%) and reactivity of the complexes. A novel synthetic route toward (S)-2-carboxypiperazine was developed based on the auxiliary.     

Practical synthesis of (3S,4S)-3-methoxy-4-methylaminopyrrolidine

Three synthetic methods for the preparation of (3S,4S)-3-methoxy-4-methylaminopyrrolidine, an important intermediate in the synthesis of the novel quinolone antitumor agent, AG-7352, have been developed. By one route, an efficient and large-scale preparation of the chiral pyrrolidine could be achieved through resolution of (±)-1-Boc-3-benzylamino-4-hydroxypyrrolidine, which is prepared from either 3-pyrroline or 1,4-dichloro-2-butene.     

Synthesis of both enantiomers of baclofen using (R)- and (S)-N-phenylpantolactam as chiral auxiliaries

Esterification of racemic 4-nitro-3-(4-chlorophenyl)butanoic acid with (R)- or (S)-N-phenylpantolactam as the chiral auxiliary allowed us to obtain the (3R,3′R)- or (3S,3′S)-nitro esters with >98:2 dr after column chromatography. Hydrolysis of the resulting diastereopure nitro esters gave the corresponding enantiopure nitro acids, which were readily converted in high yields into either (R)- or (S)-baclofen hydrochloride.     

Asymmetric reduction of ketones with sodium aluminum hydride modified with chiral amino alcohols

Asymmetric reduction of ketones with hydride complexes, which were prepared by in situ modification of NaAlH₄, with various chiral amino alcohols or diamines, was studied. The highest enantioselectivity (up to 93% ee) was achieved using 2-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)pyrrolidine as a chiral inducing agent.     

Asymmetric induction in the conjugate addition of thioacetic acid to methacrylamides with chiral auxiliaries

The conjugate addition of thioacetic acid to methacrylamides with chiral C₂-symmetric trans-2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines afforded the addition products in excellent stereoselectivities (>99% de) and good yields (80–90%). The high selectivity was attributed mainly to the steric effect of the chiral auxiliaries. The cyclic nature of the chiral auxiliaries seemed also important for both the stereoselectivity and the reaction rate. Acidic hydrolysis of the adduct containing (2R,5R)-bis(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine gave (S)-3-mercapto-2-methylpropanoic acid, a key intermediate for captopril, in 98% ee and 96% yield. The chiral auxiliary was recovered in the demethylated form of N-Boc-(2R,3R)-bis(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidine in 90% yield.     

Synthesis and analytical properties of (S)-(+)-2-methoxy-2-(9-phenanthryl)propionic acid

2-Methoxy-2-(9-phenanthryl)propionic acid was synthesized as a novel chiral resolving agent. The absolute configuration of (+)-2-methoxy-2-(9-phenanthryl)propionic acid was determined to be S by using X-ray structural analysis of the (1R,2S,5R)-menthyl ester. In the crystal, the methoxyl and carbonyl groups of the ester are in a syn-periplanar position. The syn-periplanar conformations of (1R,2S,5R)-menthyl esters were also observed by the NMR analyses in CDCl₃. The utility of (S)-(+)-2-methoxy-2-(9-phenanthryl)propionic acid was exemplified by the resolution of (±)-3-octanol.     

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of a chiral nitrone to (E)-1,4-dichloro-2-butene: a new efficient synthesis of (2S,3S,4R)-4-hydroxyisoleucine

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of a chiral nitrone derived from (?)-menthone to (E)-1,4-dichlorobut-2-ene was the key step in a novel 5 step synthesis of (2S,3S,4R)-4-hydroxyisoleucine, obtained in 21% overall yield with high enantiopurity.     

Synthesis of (+)-(1S,2R) and (−)-(1R,2S)-2-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acids

(+)-(1S,2R) and (−)-(1R,2S)-2-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acids have been prepared in >97% ee and in 33% and 20% overall yields starting from a single, chiral, bicyclic compound perceived as a chiral uracil equivalent. Construction of the cyclobutane ring is achieved via a [2+2] photocycloaddition reaction of this chiral precursor with ethylene.