Asymmetric synthesis of rubiginones A(2) and C(2) and their 11-methoxy regioisomers

Convergent enantioselective syntheses of angucyclinone-type natural products rubiginones A(2) (2) and C(2) (1) and their 11-methoxy regioisomers 3 a and 3 b have been achieved by using two domino processes from a common enantiomerically pure 1-vinylcyclohexene 4. Key steps in the synthesis of this diene were the stereoselective conjugate addition of AlMe(3) on (SS)-[(p-tolylsulfinyl)methyl]-p-quinol (9) and the elimination of the beta-hydroxy sulfoxide fragment, after oxidation to sulfone, to recover a carbonyl group. The first domino sequence comprised Diels-Alder reaction with a sulfinyl naphthoquinone followed by sulfoxide elimination. An efficient opposite regioselection in the cycloaddition step was achieved in the convergent construction of the tetracyclic skeleton using a sulfoxide at C-2 or C-3 of the dienophiles 5 or 6, derived from 5-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone. The second domino process, triggered by oxygen and sunlight, allowed the transformation of the initial tetracyclic adducts into the final products after B ring aromatization, silyl deprotection and C-1 oxidation.     

Studies of Diastereoselectivity in Diels-Alder Reactions of Enantiopure (SS)-2-(p-Tolylsulfinyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone and Chiral Racemic Acyclic Dienes

Enantiopure sulfinylnaphthoquinone (+)-5 reacted with racemic acyclic dienes 1a-f bearing a stereogenic allylic center, through a tandem cycloaddition/pyrolytic sulfoxide elimination, to afford optically enriched compounds 8a-f and 9a-f with good like/unlike selectivities (ca. 75:25) and good enantiomeric excesses (68-82%), arising from the partial kinetic resolution of the racemic dienes. The opposite diastereoselection (8g-i: 9g-i, up to 5:95) was observed in reactions with dienes 1g-i, having an additional methyl group at C-3, the enantiomeric purities being moderate (14-25%). Steric effects and torsional interactions in the corresponding approaches account for the observed diastereoselectivities.     

Deracemization of a dynamic combinatorial library induced by (-)-cytidine and (-)-2-thiocytidine

A dynamic combinatorial library composed of racemic hydrazone-based dipeptides becomes deracemized on binding to the chiral analytes (-)-cytidine and (-)-2-thiocytidine through the amplification of two receptors, (SS)-dimer and (RRRR)-tetramer. The deracemization phenomenon was investigated by laser polarimetry, mass-tagged pseudo-enantiomers in conjunction with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, HPLC/UV-MS, UPLC/UV-MS, rapid-resolution LC-MS, collision-induced dissociation MS/MS, and numerical simulations. These data were consistent with a phenomenon where (SS)-dimer and (RRRR)-tetramer selectively bind the chiral analyte in preference to their enantiomeric counterparts, which ultimately causes them to be amplified and the library to become deracemized.     

Preparation of enantiomerically pure (3E)-alkyl-4-(hetero-2-yl)-2-hydroxybut-3-enoates by Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 mediated deracemisation and determination of the absolute configuration of (3E)-ethyl-4-(thiophene-2-yl)-2-hydroxybut-3-enoate

Deracemisation of racemic (3E)-alkyl-4-(hetero-2-yl)-2-hydroxybut-3-enoates using Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 resulted in the formation of one enantiomer in high enantiomeric excess [up to >99% ee] and isolated yields [up to 79%]. The absolute configuration of the enantiomerically pure (3E)-ethyl-4-(thiophene-2-yl)-2-hydroxybut-3-enoate as determined by ¹H NMR of the Mosher esters was found to be (S).     

A synthesis of (+/-)-sparteine

In a synthesis of racemic sparteine, Diels-Alder reaction between dimethyl bromomesaconate 14 and dicyclopentenyl 4, followed by cyclopropane formation, set up the stereochemistry at C-1 and C-5 as S and R, respectively, in a meso intermediate 8. The stereochemistry at C-2 and C-4 was then secured by a moderately diastereoselective protonation of the bis-enolate 17 derived from the diester 8 by reductive cleavage with lithium in liquid ammonia. The C=C in the racemic diester 19 was ozonolysed and the diketone converted by Beckmann rearrangement into the bis-lactam . Reduction of the bis-lactam with lithium aluminium hydride and intramolecular nucleophilic displacement gave racemic sparteine 1. Some ideas for making this synthesis amenable to a synthesis of enantiomerically enriched sparteine are presented.     

Straightforward synthesis of (R)-(-)-kjellmanianone

A direct route to enantiomerically pure (-)-kjellmanianone is reported. The synthesis involves a cerium-catalyzed alpha-hydroxylation and an enzyme-catalyzed procedure to resolve tertiary alcohols at key stages. The intermediate beta-oxo ester was alpha-hydroxylated to give good yields of racemic kjellmanianone. The resolution of the racemic material was achieved by enzymatic saponification, followed by a chemical decarboxylation sequence to give enantiopure (-)-kjellmanianone with 99 % ee. Bromination then afforded the (-)-bromo derivative, whose X-ray structure provided evidence for the R configuration of (-)-kjellmanianone.     

Use of bis(oxazoline)-metal complexes as chiral catalysts for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions using 2-acetyl-1,4-naphthoquinone as a dienophile

Asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions of 1,4-naphthoquinone and 2-acetyl-1,4-naphthoquinone with cyclopentadiene catalyzed by bis(oxazoline)-metal complexes afforded the corresponding Diels-Alder adducts. Moderate levels of enantiomeric excess were obtained and a number of different reaction conditions evaluated.     

An access to 3,4-(aminomethano)proline in racemic and enantiomerically pure form

Protected racemic and enantiomerically pure 3,4-(aminomethano)prolines rac-9 and (2S,2'R,3R,4R)-9 have been prepared applying a titanium-mediated reductive cyclopropanation as a key step. Thus, cyclopropanations of N,N-dibenzylformamide with titanacyclopropanes generated in situ from racemic or enantiomerically pure tert-butyl N-Boc-3,4-dehydroprolinates rac-8 or (S)-8 proceed diastereoselectively, and furnish the protected racemic and enantiomerically pure diamino acid 9. The latter was incorporated into three tripeptides containing glycyl, alanyl and phenylalanyl moieties.     

Stereospecificity of an enzymatic monoene 1,4-dehydrogenation reaction: conversion of (Z)-11-tetradecenoic acid into (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadienoic acid

In this article, we report the first stereochemical study of an enzymatic 1,4-dehydrogenation reaction, namely, the transformation of (Z)-11-tetradecenoic acid into (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadienoic acid, involved in the sex pheromone biosynthesis of the moth Spodoptera littoralis. The investigation was carried out using the labeled substrates (R)-[10-(2)H]- and (S)-[10-(2)H]-tridecanoic acids ((R)-2 and (S)-2, respectively) and (R)-[2,2,3,3,13-(2)H(5)]- and (S)-[2,2,3,3,13-(2)H(5)]-tetradecanoic acids ((R)-1 and (S)-1, respectively). Probes (R)-2 and (S)-2 were prepared as described in a previous article.(1) The synthesis of the pentadeuterated chiral substrates (R)-1 and (S)-1 was accomplished by kinetic resolution of the racemic 12-tridecyn-2-ol (6) with immobilized porcine pancreatic lipase. The enantiomerically pure alcohols (R)-6 and (S)-6 were transformed into the final acids (S)-1 and (R)-1, respectively, by a sequence of well-established reactions. The analyses of methanolyzed lipidic extracts from glands incubated separatedly with each individual probe showed that in the transformation of (Z)-11-tetradecenoic acid into (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadienoic acid, both pro-(R) hydrogen atoms at C-10 and C-13 are removed from the substrate. This is the first example reported of a desaturase with pro-(R)/pro-(R) stereospecificities that gives rise to (E)-double bonds. A mechanistic explanation for the stereochemical outcome of this reaction is advanced.     

Synthesis of 3-(Benzotriazol-1-yl)naphthoquinone Derivatives

2,3-Bis(benzotriazol-1-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone reacts with aliphatic and aromatic amines to give the corresponding 2-amino-3-(benzotriazol-1yl)-1,4-naphthoquinones, and its reaction with alkali gives 2-hydroxy-3-(benzotriazol-1-yl)-1,4-naphthoquinone.     

Absolute Conformation and Configuration of (2S, 3S)-3-Acetoxy-5-(dimethylaminoethyl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazepin-4(5H)-one Chloride (Dilthiazem Hydrochloride)

Resolution of racemic cis-3-(2-aminophenylthio)-2-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl) propionic acid ( 2 ) via the cinchonidine salt 3 , and brucine salt 4 , isolation of the calcium salts (+)- and (?)- 5 , as well as their cyclization to enantiomeric 1,5-benzothiazepines (+)- and (?)- 1 , are described. X-Ray single-crystal analysis reveals (2S, 3S) absolute configuration of (+)- 1 on the basis of tentative comparison of CD data with those for the 1,4-benzodiazepine derivative (+)- 8 of known absolute configuration.     

Acid-catalysed,nucleophile-catalysed and thermal decomposition of 2-amino-3-(2′,2′-dimethylaziridino)-1,4-naphthoquinone

The course of the thermal, acid-catalysed and iodide-catalysed decomposition of 2-amino-3-(2′,2′-dimethylaziridino)-1,4-naphthoquinone (III) was investigated. Thermal and iodide-catalysed decompositions gave mainly 2,3-diamino-1,4-naphthoquinone (VI) and 2-amino-3-(2′-methylallylamino)-1,4-naphthoquinone (V) together with low amounts of 2,2-dimethyl-1,2,3,4,5,10-hexahydrobenzo[g]quinoxaline (IV) and 2-isopropyl-1H-naphthoimid-azole-4,9-dione (VII). The acid catalysed isomerization of the aziridinonaphthoquinone III with halohydric acids or with acetic acid readily gave the opening of the aziridine ring; the corresponding salts of 2-amino-3-(2′-haloisobutylamino)-1,4-naphthoquinones (VIIIa-c) and 2-amino-3-(2′-acetoxyisobutylamino)-1,4-naphthoqunone (X) were formed by cleavage of the carbon-nitrogen bond at the substituted carbon atom. Hypotheses on the mechanism of these reactions are given.     

Reaction of 2-chloro-3-(4-N,N-dimethylaminoanilino)-1,4-naphthoquinone with cyclic amines (piperidine,morpholine, and pyrrolidine)

It was shown that the reaction of 2-chloro-3-(4-N,N-dimethylaminoanilino)-1,4-naphthoquinone with piperidine in the absence of a solvent gives not only a product of replacement of the chlorine atom by a piperidino group, 3-(4-N,N-dimethylaminoanilino)-2-piperidino-1,4-naphthoquinone, but also 2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminoanilino)-1,4-naphthoquinone and 2-(4-N,N-dimethylaminoanilino-2-piperidino)-1,4-naphthoquinone. The latter compounds are the only reaction products formed in dimethyl sulfoxide. The reaction with morpholine occurs in a similar way, whereas that with pyrrolidine gives only a product of replacement of the chlorine atom by hydrogen.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2451–2454, December, 1995.     

A concise enantioselective synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-arabinitol using Co(III)(salen)-catalyzed hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a two-stereocentered anti-azido epoxide

A concise enantioselective synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-arabinitol, (+)-DAB-1, has been described in good overall yield (18.1%) and with high enantiomeric purity (up to 98% ee) starting from a simple raw material, cis-2-butene-1,4-diol. The Co-catalyzed hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a two-stereocentered racemic azido epoxide followed by asymmetric dihydroxylation of the alkene and ‘one pot’ reductive cyclisation of the azido diol are key reactions in the synthetic sequence.     

Enantiomeric resolution of cyclobutanones and related derivatives by enzyme-catalyzed acylation and hydrolysis

A method for the regio- and enantioselective protection and deprotection of a number of cyclobutanone derivatives employing the isolated enzyme porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) has been developed. PPL catalyzes the regioselective acylation or deacylation of the C-3 substituent in (2S,3R)-(+)-bis[hydroxymethyl]-1,1-dimethoxycyclobutanone and its enantiomer. Photochemical ring expansion of the corresponding cyclobutanones in methanol gave anomeric mixtures of the methyl furanosides with stereochemical retention of the ring substituents. The PPL-catalyzed hydrolysis of the acetal derived from (2S,3R)-bis[acetoxymethyl]cyclobutanone resulted in a regioselective reaction of the C-3 acetoxymethyl group. PPL exhibits no hydrolysis activity toward the acetal derived from the enantiomeric cyclobutanone diacetate.

Racemic 2-acetoxymethyl-3,3-dimethylcyclobutanone was converted to its enantiomerically enriched (S)-alcohol by PPL-catalyzed hydrolysis. The corresponding methyl furanoside obtained from the photochemical ring expansion of racemic 2-acetoxymethyl-3,3-dimethylcyclobutanone in methanol is not an effective substrate for PPL mediated hydrolysis.     

Structural analysis of naphthoquinone protein adducts with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and the scoring algorithm for spectral analysis (SALSA)

The relative reactivities of various naphthoquinone isomers (1,4-, 1,2- and 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) to two test proteins, apomyoglobin and human hemoglobin, were evaluated via liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS). The structural characterization of the resulting adducts was also obtained by LC/ESI-MS analysis of the intact proteins. The reactive sites of apomyoglobin and human hemoglobin with 1,4-naphthoquinone and 1,2-naphthoquinone were also identified through characterization of adducted tryptic peptides by use of high-pressure liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ESI-MS/MS), TurboSEQUEST, and the scoring algorithm for spectral analysis (SALSA). Four adducted peptides, which were formed by nucleophilic addition of a lysine amino acid residue to 1,4-naphthoquinone, were also identified, as was an adducted peptide from incubation of 1,2-naphthoquinone with apomyoglobin. In the case of incubation of human hemoglobin with the two naphthoquinones, two adducted peptides were identified from the N-terminal valine modification of the alpha and beta chains of human hemoglobin. The adducted protein formation may imply that naphthalene produces its in vivo toxicity through 1,2- and 1,4-naphthoquinone metabolites reacting with biomolecular proteins.     

Chemistry of naphthazarin derivatives 13. Conformational analysis of 3-(alk-1-enyl)-2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones by quantum chemistry methods

The molecular structures of various conformers of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone; 3-(alk-1-enyl)-2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones; 2,5,8-trihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone; and 3-(alk-1-enyl)-2,5,8-trihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones were studied by density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31(d), B3LYP/6-31(d, p)) and ab initio (MP2/6-31G, MP2/6-31(d)) methods. The strengths of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds formed by the β-hydroxy group with the O atom at C(1) and with the double bond π-electrons of the alkenyl substituents in the quinonoid rings were estimated. The compounds studied mainly exist as rotamers with the former-type hydrogen bonds. The splitting of the quinonoid bands of the stretching vibrations of the β-hydroxy group in the IR spectra of 3-(alk-1-enyl)-2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones and 3-(alk-1-enyl)-2,5,8-trihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones in hexane solutions is due to the existence of rotamers formed upon internal rotation of the alkenyl substituent. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1667–1673, October, 2006.     

Efficient preparation of enantiomerically pure (E)-4-(tributylstannanyl)but-3-en-2-ol via lipase-mediated resolution

The practical preparation of enantiomerically pure (E)-4-(tributylstannanyl)but-3-en-2-ol 1 from 3-butyn-2-ol 2 is reported. A modified Guibé's Pd-catalyzed hydrostannation of 2 provided the racemic γ-hydroxy vinylstannane 1 in a good yield. The enzymatic esterification of 1, with an inexpensive lipozyme, afforded (R)-3 and (S)-1 with very high enantiomeric excesses and chemical yields. This procedure is suitable for the multigram scale preparation of the potential chiral building blocks, (R)-1 and (S)-1.     

Enantioselective synthesis of alkyne-substituted quaternary carbon stereogenic centers through NHC-Cu-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions with (i-Bu)2(alkynyl)aluminum reagents

A catalytic enantioselective method for the formation of alkyne-substituted all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers is reported. Additions of alkynylaluminums to alkyl-, aryl-, carboxylic ester-, or silyl-substituted allylic phosphates are promoted by 1.0-5.0 mol % loadings of NHC-Cu complexes derived from air-stable and commercially available CuCl(2)·2H(2)O. The requisite Al-based reagents are prepared through treatment of the corresponding aryl-, heteroaryl-, alkyl-, or alkenyl-substituted terminal alkynes with diisobutylaluminum hydride in the presence of 5.0 mol % Et(3)N at ambient temperature. The desired 1,4-enynes are obtained in up to 98% yield and >99:1 enantiomeric ratio. Selected Au-catalyzed cyclizations involving the alkyne unit of the enantiomerically enriched products are presented as a demonstration of the method's utility in chemical synthesis.     

Self-disproportionation of enantiomers of isopropyl 3,3,3-(trifluoro)lactate via sublimation: Sublimation rates vs. enantiomeric composition

The presented results convincingly demonstrate that self-disproportionation of enantiomers via sublimation is substantially more complex phenomenon then was previously believed. We demonstrate that the racemic form of isopropyl 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxypropanoate (1) sublimed faster regardless of the starting enantiomeric composition of the enantiomerically enriched mixtures studied in the range from 20.8, 36.8, 58.7 to 79.4% ee. This preferential sublimation of the racemic form allowed for, the most possibly simple, preparation of optically pure samples of compound 1. In this work we also suggest some general experimental procedures, which may be easily used to facilitate the interpretation of the data collected in different laboratories.