Enzymatic resolution of (±)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester and its transformations into polyfunctionalised amino acids and dipeptides

Enantiomerically pure (5R)-(?)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester was obtained via enzymatic resolution of the corresponding racemic mixture using a lipase from hog pancreas (PPL). The following reduction of the ester group to the corresponding alcohol and the oxidation of the latter led to (5R)-(?)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazole-3-carbaldehyde, and the reaction between this and Schöllkopf’s reagent, (2R)-(+)-2,5-dihydro-3,6-dimethoxy-2-isopropylpyrazine, gave mixtures of adducts with a good syn/anti ratio. The steric configurations of the major diastereoisomer were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic data and X-ray analysis. The subsequent controlled hydrolysis of the pyrazine ring led to β-(5-phenyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-yl)-serine methyl esters and the corresponding dipeptides with (R)-valine. Finally, reductive cleavage of the 4,5-dihydroisoxazole ring under hydrolytic conditions made it possible to obtain the corresponding polyfunctionalised dipeptides.     

A stereoselective synthesis of a spiro-bridged bis(α-amino acid) derivative based on Ru(II)-catalysed RCM reactions

Methodology for a stereoselective synthesis of a member of a novel family of spiro-bridged bis(α-amino acid) derivatives is described. The key step in the construction is a spirane annulation reaction effected by a Ru(II)-catalysed ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of an appropriately substituted tetraene. The latter became available after stereocontrolled allylations of 3,3-bis[2-((2S,5R)-5-isopropyl-3,6-dimethoxy-2,5-dihydropyrazin-2-yl)ethyl]-1,4-pentadiene, which was prepared in several reaction steps from (2R)-2,5-dihydro-2-isopropyl-3,6-dimethoxypyrazine as a chiral starting material.     

Diastereodivergent additions of aluminum and magnesium reagents to [(S)S]-3,6-dimethoxy-2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)-benzaldehyde

Enantiomerically pure [(S)S]-3,6-dimethoxy-2-(p-tolylsulfinyl)-benzaldehyde, prepared in two steps from commercially available 2,5-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol, reacted with organomagnesium and organoaluminum derivatives in a highly diastereodivergent way giving rise respectively to the (S) or (R) alkyl aryl or diaryl carbinols in excellent chemical and optical yields. Enantiopure (S) and (R)-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl methyl carbinols were obtained through a two-steps sequence comprising nucleophilic addition of MeMgBr or AlMe₃ and desulfinylation with n-BuLi.     

An improved synthesis of deuterated Schöllkopf’s bis-lactim ether and its use for the asymmetric synthesis of (R)-[α-2H]-phenylalanine methyl esters

Treatment of (S)-3-isopropyl-2,5-dimethoxy-3,6-dihydropyrazine with trifluoroacetic acid in MeOD results in regioselective deuteration at its C₆-position affording its corresponding (S)-[6-²H₂]-isotopomer in excellent yield with no loss of stereochemical integrity at its C₃-stereocentre. The lithium aza-enolate of this deuterated chiral template has been alkylated with a range of substituted benzyl bromides to afford (3S,6R)-[6-²H]-3-isopropyl-6-benzyl-bis-lactim ethers that were hydrolysed to afford their corresponding (R)-[α-²H]-phenylalanine methyl esters as hydrochloride salts in good yield.     

A novel synthesis of (2S)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol by sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method

Synthesis of (2S)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol by the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation reaction has been achieved. 2,4,5-Trifluorobenzaldehyde with methyl 2-(triphenyl-λ⁵-phosphanylidene)acetate gave methyl (E)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)acrylate in 83% yield. The reduction of ester group with DibalH followed by Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation gave ((2R,3R)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)oxiran-2-yl)methanol. Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation of epoxy alcohol furnished (2S)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol with >90% ee and 71% yield.     

Synthesis of (+)-(R)-methyl 2-aminotetraline-2-carboxylate: the hydroxypinanone method versus the bislactim method

The methyl ester of 2-aminotetraline-2-carboxylic acid (Atc-OMe), an important residue for modified peptides, could only be synthesized from the Schöllkopf bislactim method, the hydroxypinanone method leading, during the second step, to elimination instead of alkylation toward the expected spiro product. The (+)-(R)-Atc-OMe was thus obtained in three steps and 55% overall yield from the (−)-(R)-bislactim derived from d-valine.     

Pd(II)-mediated coupling of 1,1-dimethyl-2-propynyl acetate with itself and 1-decene

Heating 1,1-dimethyl-2-propynyl acetate (1) with PdCl₂(MeCN)₂ (0.05–0.1 mol equiv) and MeCN alone afforded (E)-2,7-dimethylocta-2,4,6-trien-3,6-diyl diacetate (2) (yield ca. 20%) and with 1-decene (7 mol equiv) present (E)-2-methyltetradeca-2,4-dien-3-yl acetate (7) (30%) together with 2 (12%).     

Practical synthesis of (2S,3R)-3-hydroxy-3-methylproline, a constituent of papuamides, using a diastereoselective tandem Michael-aldol reaction

(2S,3R)-3-Hydroxy-3-methylproline, a constituent of cyclodepsipeptides polyoxypeptins A and B, was efficiently synthesized by lithium chloride-induced diastereoselective tandem Michael-aldol reaction using methyl vinyl ketone and N-1-naphthylsulfonylglycine (R)-binaphthyl ester and subsequent hydrolysis of the product in 39% overall yield and five steps.     

Synthesis of podands modified with thiosemicarbazide and fluoroalkyl(hydroxy)pyrazoline fragments

1,8-Bis(diisothiosemicarbazido)-3,6-dioxaoctane have been synthesized by subsequent treatment of 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)bisethylamine with carbon disulfide, sodium chloroacetate, and hydrazine hydrate. 1,8-Bis- (diisothiosemicarbazido)-3,6-dioxaoctane has reacted with lithium 1,1-difluoropenta-2,4-dionate in glacial acetic acid to yield 1,8-bis[5R*,5′R*(5-hydroxy-5-difluoromethyl-4,5-dihydro-3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1-carbothioamido]-3,6-dioxaoctane. The molecular and crystal structure of the product has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Stereoselective reactions of a thioester butanediacetal with various electrophiles

The reactions of the lithium enolate of S-ethyl (2R,5R,6R)-5,6-dimethoxy-5,6-dimethyl-[1,4]-dioxane-2-carbothioate were investigated in the presence or absence of hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA). Fluorination gave a single isomer with a much better yield than for the corresponding methyl ester. Alkylation with alkyl halides strongly depended upon their structure. Without HMPA, only methyl iodide reacted with moderate yield and gave a single isomer. In the presence of HMPA, all of the alkyl halides reacted almost quantitatively (81–98% yield) with moderate stereoselectivity and preferentially gave products with the alkyl chain attached at the equatorial position. The silyl enol ether obtained from the thioester had the opposite geometry to that obtained from the methyl ester, which thus explains the difference in stereoselectivity between these two compounds.     

One-pot synthesis of 3-(furan-2-yl)-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-ones using K10 montmorillonite clay as heterogeneous catalyst

A facile and efficient one-pot synthesis of 3-(furan-2-yl)-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-ones was developed. The reaction of ethyl 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-oxopropanoates and 2,5-dimethoxy-2,5-dihydrofuran were performed in presence of K10 Montmorillonite Clay heterogeneous catalyst under the solvent-free condition at 80?°C for 1?h, and followed by further converted to 3-(furan-2-yl)-4-hydroxy-2H-chromen-2-ones via refluxing in the alkaline EtOH solution for 0.5?h. The demonstrate method not only avoided the usage of any expensive transition-metals, but also eliminated the tedious intermediate purification. Moreover, due to the wide functional group tolerance, it could be applied to various substrates and gave product in good to excellent yields.     

Penicillin acylase-catalyzed peptide synthesis: a chemo-enzymatic route to stereoisomers of 3,6-diphenylpiperazine-2,5-dione

Chiral dipeptides of phenylglycine were synthesized using immobilized Escherichia coli penicillin acylase. The high selectivity of penicillin acylase for l-amino acids as the nucleophile resulted in the efficient acylation of l-phenylglycine by d-phenylglycine amide at pH 9.7 to give d-phenylglycyl-l-phenylglycine in 69% yield. No isomers or tripeptides were formed. The low enantiospecificity of the enzyme for the acyl donor provided the possibility of preparing the corresponding l,l-dipeptides, starting from l-phenylglycine methyl ester as both donor and acceptor at pH 7.5, resulting in a 63% yield of l-phenylglycyl-l-phenylglycine methyl ester. The product precipitated under the reaction conditions; this effectively prevented the formation of oligomers as well as chemical transformation of the product.The dipeptide esters of phenylglycine easily cyclized to diketopiperazines in aqueous methanol. l-Phenylglycyl-l-phenylglycine methyl ester formed l,l-3,6-diphenylpiperazine-2,5-dione (cis); the achiral trans isomer was obtained from d-phenylglycyl-l-phenylglycine methyl ester.     

Trichlorocyclopentenone conjugates with amino acids. Isolation and structure of diastereomerically pure <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-[(4<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>)-4-allyl-2,4-dichloro-5,5-dimethoxy-3-oxocyclopent-1-en-1-yl]-L-methionine methyl ester

N-[(4R)-Allyl-2,4-dichloro-5,5-dimethoxy-3-oxocyclopent-1-en-1-yl)-L-methionine methyl ester has been isolated from the diastereoisomer mixture, and its structure has been proved by X-ray analysis.     

Synthesis of N-arylsulfonyl-2-aryl(hetaryl)aminoacetic acids

Hydrolytic transformations of 4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(arylsulfonylamino)-and-(ethoxycarbonylamino)ethyl]phenyloxy(or sulfanyl)acetic acids under microwave irradiation in alkaline medium involve both trichloromethyl group and ester fragment to give N-arylsulfonyl-2-[4-carboxymethyloxy(or sulfanyl)phenyl]-2-aminoacetic acids in good yields. Hydrolysis of methyl 4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(arylsulfonylamino)ethyl]phenyloxy(or sulfanyl)acetates without microwave activation occurs only at the ester group with quantitative formation of 4-[2,2,2-trichloro-1-(arylsulfonylamino)ethyl]phenyloxy(or sulfanyl) acetic acids. N-[2,2,2-Trichloro-1-(1-naphthyl, 2-furyl, and 1-methylindol-3-yl)ethyl]-4-chlorobenzenesulfonamides in alkaline medium under microwave irradiation were converted in 10–15 min into the corresponding N-(4-chlorophenylsulfonyl)-2-aryl-2-aminoacetic acids in preparative yields.     

Synthesis of 2-diphenylphosphinoyl-3,5-(diaryl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans by the reaction of a bis[(diphenylphosphinoyl)methyl]sulfide with chalcones

The NaH-promoted tandem Michael addition/intramolecular Horner-Wittig reaction of bis(diphenylphosphinoylmethyl)sulfide with chalcones afforded 3,4-dihydro-2H-thiopyrans 3a-l in 78-88% yield.     

The first enantioselective intramolecular aminocarbonylation of alkenes promoted by Pd(II)-spiro bis(isoxazoline) catalyst

The highly ligand acceleration effect of spiro bis(isoxazoline) ligand (SPRIX) on the Pd(II)-catalyzed intramolecular aminocarbonylation of alkenyl amine derivatives was realized. Furthermore, the chiral Pd(II)-SPRIX catalyst accomplished the first enantioselective intramolecular aminocarbonylation. The reaction of N-(2,2-dimethyl-pent-4-enyl)-p-toluenesulfonamide in the presence of Pd(II)-SPRIX catalyst and p-benzoquinone in methanol under a carbon monoxide atmosphere afforded [4,4-dimethyl-1-(p-toluene-sulfonyl)-pyrrolidin-2-yl]-acetic acid methyl ester in good yield with moderate enantioselectivity.     

Stereoselective synthesis of δ-heteroaryl substituted β-hydroxy-γ,δ-unsaturated α-amino acids

Enantiomerically pure δ-heteroaryl substituted β-hydroxy-γ,δ-unsaturated α-amino acids were stereoselectively synthesized starting from (2R)-(+)-2,5-dihydro-3,6-dimethoxy-2-isopropylpyrazine (Schöllkopf’s reagent) and suitable β-heteroaryl-α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The stereocontrolled addition gave a mixture of two diastereoisomers whose configurations were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic data and the accepted model for aldol condensation of the Schöllkopf’s reagent. Upon controlled hydrolysis the adducts were transformed into the corresponding methyl esters of δ-heteroaryl substituted β-hydroxy-γ,δ-unsaturated α-amino acids.     

Synthesis,characterization, and antimicrobial activity of novel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis>)-1-(aryl)-3-{3, 5-dimethoxy-4-[(1-(aryl)-1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy]phenyl}prop-2-en-1-ones

The new chalcone derivatives containing the 1,2,3-triazole ring system, namely, (E)-1-(aryl)-3-{3,5-dimethoxy-4-[(1-(aryl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy]phenyl}prop-2-en-1-ones, were synthesized in 65–88% yield by the “click chemistry” reactions of substituted acetophenones, 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-benzaldehyde, and different substituted azides. The structure of the compounds was determined by the FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 6a–6l were screened for in vitro antimicrobial activity by the agar disc diffusion method.     

3,6-Thioanhydro sugar derivatives. An enantiospecific synthesis of (2R,3R,4S)-3-benzyloxy-4-hydroxy-2-[(R)-1-benzyloxy-4-hydroxybutyl]thiolane as the key intermediate for thioswainsonine

Methyl 2-O-benzyl-3,6-thioanhydro-α-D-mannopyranoside ( 9 ) was obtained in eight steps from the commercially available methyl α-D-glucopyranoside. Compound 9 was transformed into (2R,3R,4S)-3-benzyloxy-4-hydroxy-2-[(R)-1-benzyloxy-4-hydroxybutyl]thiolane ( 14 ) by acid hydrolysis of its 2,4-di-O-benzyl derivative 10 followed by reaction of the not isolated 2,4-di-O-benzyl-3,6-thioanhydro-D-mannose ( 11 ) with ethoxycarbonylmethylenetriphenylphosphorane to give an = 1:1 E/Z mixture of the corresponding α,β-unsaturated ester ( 12 ). Finally, catalytic hydrogenation of 12 to ethyl (R)-4-benzyloxy-4-[(2′R)3′R,4′S)-3′-benzyloxy-4′-hydroxythiolan-2′-yl]butanoate ( 13 ) and subsequent reduction with lithium aluminum hydride gave the title compound 14 .     

Stereoselective synthesis of β-hydroxy-α-amino acids β-substituted with non-aromatic heterocycles

We have stereoselectively synthesised β-hydroxy-α-amino acids β-substituted with non-aromatic heterocycles by means of a condensation reaction between enantiomerically pure heterocyclic aldehydes and the (R)-(+)-2,5-dihydro-3,6-dimethoxy-2-isopropylpyrazine (Schöllkopf’s reagent) as a chiral auxiliary. The stereocontrolled addition gave mixtures of diastereoisomers whose steric configurations were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic data and X-ray analysis. Upon controlled hydrolysis, the adducts were transformed into the corresponding methyl esters of β-hydroxy-β-heterocyclic substituted α-amino acids.