Rigid dipeptide mimics: synthesis of enantiopure C6-functionalized pyrrolizidinone amino acids

Enantiopure (3S,5S,6R,8S)- and (3S,5S,6S,8S)-6-hydroxypyrrolizidinone 3-N-(Boc)amino 8-methyl carboxylates (6R)- and (6S)-1 were synthesized in seven steps starting from (2S)-alpha-tert-butyl N-(PhF) aspartate beta-aldehyde (10). Carbene-catalyzed acyloin condensation of beta-aldehyde 10 followed by acetylation provided a separable mixture of diastereomeric (2S,5RS,7S)-diamino-4-oxo-5-acetoxysuberates (13). Reductive amination and lactam annulation of the respective alpha-acetoxy ketones 13 provided hydroxypyrrolizidinones (6R)- and (6S)-1 with retention of the C6-position stereochemistry. The X-ray crystallographic study of (6R)-1 indicated dihedral angles constrained within the heterocycle that were consistent with the ideal values for the i + 1 and i + 2 residues of a type II' beta-turn. Hydrogen-bonding studies on N'-methyl-N-(Boc)aminopyrrolizidin-2-one carboxamides (6R)- and (6S)-21 in DMSO-d6, demonstrated different NH chemical shift displacements and temperature coefficients for the amide and carbamate protons, indicative of solvent shielded and exposed hydrogens in a turn conformation. 6-Hydroxy pyrrolizidinone amino carboxylate 1 may thus find application as a constrained alaninylhydroxyproline dipeptide mimic. In addition, alkylation of the hydroxyl group provided orthogonally protected pyrrolizidinone amino dicarboxylate (6R)-25, demonstrating potential for expanding the diversity of these rigid dipeptide surrogates for the exploration of peptide conformation-activity relationships.     

Employing lactams for the unprecedented enantiopure synthesis of non-natural amino acid derivatives

The enantiopure non-natural amino acids¹ have been synthesized by insitu generation of iminium and iminium triflates from lactams using triflic anhydride in pyridine buffered media. These molecules with remote chiral centers may be useful in synthesis of natural product particularly Kopsia derived alkaloids.     

Efficient synthesis of polyfunctionalised enantiopure diazepanone scaffolds

The synthesis of polyfunctionalised enantiopure 1,4-diazepan-3-one scaffolds from l-serine derivatives and azidoepoxides readily available from either l-ascorbic or d-isoascorbic acid, allowing access to various configurations at chiral centres, is described. The key steps are the nucleophilic opening of the epoxide by the amine of serine followed by a lactonisation-lactamisation sequence.     

Efficient synthesis of enantiopure beta-amino-gamma-keto acids from l-homoserine

[reaction: see text] A variety of beta-amino-gamma-keto acids were prepared in four steps from commercially available l-homoserine. The reaction sequence is highlighted by a Ni-catalyzed Grignard addition to a N-protected derivative of l-homoserine. One of the beta-amino-gamma-keto acids was then used to create a beta-peptide trimer composed solely of beta-amino-gamma-keto acids.     

Efficient copper-catalyzed synthesis of poly-N-heterocycles containing amino acid residues

An efficient copper-catalyzed method has been developed for the synthesis of poly-N-heterocycles containing amino acid residues. The protocol uses readily available 2-halobenzamides containing amino acids and their methyl esters, substituted phenylacetonitriles, and malononitrile as the starting materials and the reactions were performed well under mild conditions. The method should provide a novel and useful strategy for synthesis of N-heterocyclic compounds.     

Efficient synthesis of enantiopure conduritols by ring-closing metathesis.

Two short synthetic approaches to enantiopure conduritols are described starting from the chiral pool. In both cases, the cyclohexene ring is assembled via ring-closing olefin metathesis. The terminal diene precursers for the metathesis reaction are prepared either from octitols or from tartaric acids. The former route involves a new method for selective bromination of the primary positions in long-chain carbohydrate polyols. Subsequent reductive elimination with zinc then generates the diene. The latter route uses a highly diastereoselective addition of divinylzinc to tartaric dialdehydes for preparation of the dienes.     

The first synthesis of enantiopure alpha-amino ketimines and amino aziridines

Chiral 1-aminoalkyl chloromethyl ketimines 2 are synthesized in enantiomerically pure form starting from 1-aminoalkyl chloromethyl ketones 1 and different amines. Reduction of amino ketimines 2 and subsequent spontaneous cyclization affords aminoalkyl aziridines 3 with high diastereoisomeric excess and without detectable racemization.     

Efficient ecofriendly synthesis of pyrazole acryloyl analogs by amino acid catalysis

An easy and effective green approach of Knoevenagel condensation and arylidene formation with the substrates involves pyrazole-3-carbaldehydes and active methylenes under catalytic action of glycine (the simplest amino acid) in dimethylsulfoxide. These reactions were successfully carried out at room temperature.     

Efficient stereoselective synthesis of enantiopure cis- and trans-1,2,4-trisubstituted piperidines

Enantiomerically pure (2R,4S)- and (2R,4R)-2-[(S)-1,2-dibenzyloxyethyl]-4-[2-(diphenylmethoxy)ethyl]-1-[(S)-1-phenylethyl]piperidines cis-1 and trans-1 have been synthesised from N-[(S)-1-phenylethyl]-(S)-2,3-di-O-benzylglyceraldimine in six steps in 31% and 18% overall yields, respectively. The efficiency of the synthetic strategy developed for the synthesis of these compounds relies on: (a) the totally diastereoselective tandem Mannich–Michael reaction between Danishefsky’s diene and the starting glyceraldimine, (b) the high yielding Wadsworth–Emmons reaction of the 4-piperidone intermediate and (c) the diastereodivergent reduction of the exocyclic C–C double bond at C₄ of the piperidine ring. These transformations led to 1,2,4-trisubstituted piperidines with two new stereogenic centres with excellent stereoselectivity.     

Synthesis of enantiopure cyclobutane amino acids and amino alcohols

(−)-(1R,3S)-3-Amino-2,2-dimethylcyclobutanecarboxylic acid and (+)-(1R,3S)-3-amino-2,2-dimethylcyclobutylmethanol, which can be used to prepare enantiopure oligopeptides and cyclobutane-based carbocyclic nucleosides, were synthesized from (+)-(1R)-α-pinene.     

A green and expedient synthesis of enantiopure diketopiperazines via enzymatic resolution of unnatural amino acids

Dipeptides comprising a d-phenylglycyl moiety coupled to the l-enantiomer of 2-amino butyric acid, norvaline, norleucine, and homocysteine were successfully synthesized from d-phenylglycine amide and the racemate of the corresponding unnatural amino acid. The reaction is catalyzed by an immobilized form of penicillin G acylase in an aqueous medium. The dipeptides were subsequently converted into the corresponding enantiopure diketopiperazines in overall isolated yields of 22–33%.     

Efficient synthesis of an enantiopure beta-lactam as an advanced precursor of thrombin and tryptase inhibitors

A new and efficient synthesis of a beta-lactam that is an advanced precursor of inhibitors of thrombin and tryptase is reported. The reaction sequence is based on the use of an inexpensive enantiomerically pure starting material and is designed to allow access to both enantiomers of the target molecules by epimerization of a side-product obtained along the synthesis. An improved procedure for the epimerization step that takes advantage of the use of a polymer-supported and recyclable phase-transfer catalyst is described.     

Concise synthesis of enantiopure alpha-trifluoromethyl alanines, diamines, and amino alcohols via the Strecker-type reaction

Diastereomerically pure alpha-trifluoromethyl alpha-amino nitriles obtained by Strecker-type reactions from chiral CF3 imines and iminium proved to be very attractive versatile intermediates for the synthesis of various alpha-trifluoromethyl amino compounds. From these synthons, both enantiomers of alpha-trifluoromethyl alanine, trifluoromethyl 1,2-diamines, and amino alcohols were conveniently obtained in enantiopure form in high yields in a few steps.     

Efficient synthesis of 5-alkyl amino and thioether substituted pyrazoles

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of 1-(4-methylsulfonyl-2-pyridyl)-5-chloro pyrazoles with various substitutions at the 4 position with amine nucleophiles and thiols occur under mild conditions to provide the 5-alkyl amino and thioether pyrazoles in high yields.     

Regiocontrolled synthesis of enantiopure 3,3'-thiosubstituted biphenyls

Sulfenylation of 6,6'-dimethoxy-2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl, used as a racemic mixture and single enantiomers, by phthalimidesulfenyl chloride afforded the corresponding 3,3'-N,N'-dithiophthalimide with complete regioselectivity. Simple manipulations of the latter compound allowed access to the corresponding bis-thiol or o-thioquinone as useful intermediates for the synthesis of new sulfur-containing open-chain and macrocyclic C(2) enantiopure ligands. The application of this methodology to the preparation of a biphenyl bearing two cysteine units as potential HIV-1 protease inhibitor is also described.     

A chromium-free synthesis of enantiopure 5-oxoborneol

Enantiopure (−)-5-oxoborneol was obtained in 35% overall yield in two steps, starting from readily available (−)-bornyl acetate and using oxone® as a safe and inexpensive oxidant. The reported procedure avoids the use of large excess of noxious chromium(VI), which was required by the so far reported syntheses.     

Asymmetric Strecker synthesis of enantiopure 2,4-ethanothreonines

The second generation asymmetric synthesis reported herein proceeds via a Strecker reaction of chiral ketimines, obtained from the condensation of racemic 2-methoxycyclopentanone and (S)- and (R)-1-phenylethylamine. In the key stereodifferentiating step, the cyanide addition leads to mixtures of diastereomeric nitriles, the composition of which dramatically changes under the influence of protic and aprotic solvents. Hydrolysis of the nitriles to carboxamides with concd H₂SO₄ yielded diastereomeric mixtures of carboxamides each of which was hydrogenolysed and hydrolysed after separation to the four stereoisomers of the 1-amino-2-methoxy- and 1-amino-2-hydroxy-cyclopentanecarboxylic acid. Their stereochemistry was established by NMR methods and by X-ray analyses of the trans as well as the cis configured compounds.     

Efficient synthesis of multifunctional furanoid C-glycoamino acid precursors

Ready access to constrained, multifunctionalized, hydrolytically stable amino acids has been established by the synthesis of their direct precursors using 2,5-anhydro-3-azido-3-deoxy-d-altrose (a ‘formyl azido-C-glycofuranoside’), or its readily available, stable synthetic equivalent [(1R) and (1S)-2,5-anhydro-3-azido-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-deoxy-1-fluoro-1-O-methyl-d-altritol], as novel molecular scaffolds.     

A convenient synthesis of amino acid methyl esters

A series of amino acid methyl ester hydrochlorides were prepared in good to excellent yields by the room temperature reaction of amino acids with methanol in the presence of trimethylchlorosilane. This method is not only compatible with natural amino acids, but also with other aromatic and aliphatic amino acids.     

Highly enantioselective synthesis of a fluorescent amino acid

A high enantiomeric excess (>99.5%) synthesis of 2-amino-3-(7-methoxy-4-coumaryl) propionic acid ( Amp) is described. The two step synthesis route of this non-proteinogenic amino acid includes an oxazinone derivative as glycine enolate, which is alkylated with the fluorogenic group.