The enantioselective synthesis of alpha-amino acid derivatives via organoboranes

Optically active (S)-alpha-amino acids are prepared in 54-95% ee (12 cases) by reaction of the Schiff base acetate of glycine tert-butyl ester with B-alkyl-9-BBN derivatives in the presence of the Cinchona alkaloid, cinchonidine, and base. The enantiomeric (R)-alpha-amino acids are available in 59-92% ee (3 cases) by using cinchonine as the chiral control element.     

Highly enantioselective phase-transfer-catalyzed alkylation of protected alpha-amino acid amides toward practical asymmetric synthesis of vicinal diamines, alpha-amino ketones, and alpha-amino alcohols

Highly enantioselective alkylation of protected glycine diphenylmethyl (Dpm) amide 1 and Weinreb amide 10 has been realized under phase-transfer conditions by the successful utilization of designer chiral quaternary ammonium salts of type 4 as catalyst. Particularly, remarkable reactivity of the chiral ammonium enolate derived from 1b and 4c allowed the reaction with less reactive simple secondary alkyl halides with high efficiency and enantioselectivity. An additional unique feature of this chiral ammonium enolate is its ability to recognize the chirality of beta-branched primary alkyl halides, which provides impressive levels of kinetic resolution and double stereodifferentiation during the alkylation, allowing for two alpha- and gamma-stereocenters to be controlled. Combined with the subsequent reduction using LiAlH4 in cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME), this system offers a facile access to structurally diverse optically active vicinal diamines. Furthermore, the optically active alpha-amino acid Weinreb amide 11 can be efficiently converted to the corresponding amino ketone by a simple treatment with Grignard reagents. In addition, reduction and alkylation of the optically active alpha-amino ketone into both syn and anti alpha-amino alcohols with almost complete relative and absolute stereochemical control have been achieved. With (S,S)- and (R,R)-4 in hand, the present approach renders both enantiomers of alpha-amino amides including Weinreb amides readily available with enormous structural variation and also establishes a general and practical route to vicinal diamines, alpha-amino ketones, and alpha-amino alcohols with the desired stereochemistry.     

Acyclic stereoselective boron alkylation reactions for the asymmetric synthesis of beta-substituted alpha-amino acid derivatives

Optically active syn- or anti-beta-substituted-alpha-amino acid derivatives are prepared in 94 to >/=99% ee and 66-98% ds by reaction of the Schiff base acetate of glycine tert-butyl ester with chiral, nonracemic B-alkyl-9-BBN derivatives in the presence of the Cinchona alkaloid, cinchonidine (CdOH) or cinchonine (CnOH), base, and lithium chloride.     

Catalytic concepts for the enantioselective synthesis of alpha-amino and alpha-hydroxy phosphonates

The enantioselective synthesis of alpha-amino- and alpha-hydroxy phosphonates by catalytic processes has attracted considerable interest in the last few years, not least because of the pharmaceutical interest in such compounds. This article contains a compilation of the asymmetric synthesis methods developed to date. The described synthetic routes are based on different catalytic concepts, namely, hydrogenation, reductions, dihydroxylation, aminohydroxylation, and hydrophosphonylation.     

Polymer-supported glyoxylate and alpha-imino acetates. Versatile reagents for the synthesis of alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acid and alpha-amino acid libraries

Polymer-supported glyoxylate.monohydrate (3) and alpha-imino acetates (7) have been readily prepared from chloromethylated resin via two or three steps. The ene reactions of 3 with alkenes were successfully performed in the presence of Yb(OTf)3 (50 mol %) to afford, after cleavage from the polymer support, the corresponding alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acid esters in good yields. The reactions of 7 with silyl enolates, Danishefsky's diene, and alkenes also proceeded smoothly in the presence of Sc(OTf)3 (20 mol %) to give the corresponding alpha-amino acid, pyridone, and tetrahydroquinoline derivatives, respectively, in good yields.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of alpha-amino phosphonates using enantioselective carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions

We have developed highly enantioselelctive reactions of silicon enolates with N-acyl-alpha-iminophosphonates leading to optically active alpha-amino phophonates. A copper (II)-diamine complex was shown to be effective in this reaction, and high levels of yield and selectivity were achieved. It is noteworthy that this reaction opens a way to various biologically important, optically active alpha-amino phosphonate derivatives.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of cyclic α-alkyl-amino acid derivatives by C,N-double alkylation

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of various cyclic α-alkyl-amino acid derivatives having a tetrasubstituted α-carbon, such as α-alkylprolines has been accomplished by asymmetric phase-transfer C-alkylation of α-alkyl-amino acid derivatives and subsequent intramolecular N-alkylation.     

Catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of aromatic amines to fumarate derivatives: asymmetric synthesis of aspartic acid derivatives

The catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of aromatic amines to fumarate derivatives promoted by chiral palladium complexes is described. Treatment of aniline derivatives with fumaryl pyrrolidinone as Michael acceptor under mild reaction conditions afforded the corresponding chiral aspartic acid derivatives with excellent enantiomeric excesses (83–96% ee).     

Soluble polymer supported synthesis of alpha-amino acid derivatives

A Schiff base activated glycine supported on a soluble polymer (poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)) was readily alkylated with a wide variety of electrophiles in the presence of a carbonate base in acetonitrile. The presence of the polymer provided a phase-transfer catalysis environment which accelerated the reaction. Effects of various carbonate bases and leaving groups have been also studied. Completion of the PEG-supported reaction was obtained without using a large excess of reagents or an extra phase-transfer catalyst, even in the case of unreactive or hindered electrophiles. After cleavage from the polymer, alpha-amino esters are obtained in good yields.     

Novel stereocontrolled addition of allylmetal reagents to alpha-imino esters: efficient synthesis of chiral tetrahydroquinoline derivatives

To prepare in multigram scale new antagonists of the glycine binding site associated to the NMDA receptor, an efficient distereoselective route was set up. The addition of suitable allyltin reagents to chiral N-aryl alpha-imino esters (R-(+)-tert-butyl lactate used as chiral auxiliary), gave the corresponding alpha amino acid-type derivative in high chemical yield and optical purity. This allylation reaction represents a novel example of efficient long-range stereodifferentiation process. In the last part of the synthesis, a regioselective Heck-type cyclization reaction enabled preparation of the target tetrasubstituted exocycle and trisubtituted endocycle double bond derivatives.     

Optically active aromatic and heteroaromatic alpha-amino acids by a one-pot catalytic enantioselective addition of aromatic and heteroaromatic C-H bonds to alpha-imino esters

The development of a practical one-pot catalytic enantioselective procedure for the synthesis of non-natural aromatic and heteroaromatic alpha-amino acids is reported. Starting from readily available starting materials and application of a chiral BINAP-Cu(I) catalyst, the optically active products are formed with readily removable N-protecting groups. The scope of the reaction is demonstrated by the addition of substituted furans, thiophenes, pyrroles, and aromatic compounds to N-alkoxycarbonyl-alpha-imino esters in good yields and with enantioselectivities up to 96% ee for the furans, 93% ee for the thiophenes, and 98% for the aromatic compounds. The protecting groups are readily removed, and various transformations of the aromatic and heteroaromatic alpha-amino acids are demonstrated. The coordination of the N-alkoxycarbonyl alpha-imino ester to the chiral BINAP-Cu(I) complex and the enantioselectivity of the catalyst is discussed on the basis of the DFT calculations and X-ray crystallographic data.     

Sugar-amide surfactant micelles as effective reaction fields for enantioselective hydrolysis of alpha-amino acid esters

The enantioselective hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl esters of alpha-amino acids (Phe, Leu, Ala) was accomplished in micelles formed with the surfactants bearing one or two sugar-amide headgroups. The effect of structural variations in such sugar-amide surfactants on the rates and enantioselectivity (kD/kL) for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl esters of D- and L-phenylalanine hydrogen bromides (D- and L-PheONp) was studied. Both the hydrolysis rate of D-PheONp and the enantioselectivity increased with an increase in the alkyl chain length as well as an increase in the number of the alkyl chains in the maltobionamide-type surfactants. Enantioselectivity also increased with an increase in the sugar chain length from bisgluconamide to bismaltobionamide (by one glucose unit per each sugar chain) in the double-sugar-chain surfactants, but enantioselectivity was no longer influenced by a further increase to bismaltotrionamide. The stereochemistry of the linkage between the sugar units in the sugar chain remarkably affected the enantioselectivity: the maltobionamide-type surfactant, in which the two sugar units are connected by an alpha-1,4-glucosidic linkage, showed high enantioselectivity (kD/kL = 5.5), whereas the surfactant bearing cellobionamide headgroups (beta-1,4-glucosidic linkage) showed no enantioselectivity. Similar trends were observed when p-nitrophenyl esters of D- and L-leucine hydrogen bromides were used as substrates. On the other hand, the rates and enantioselectivity for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl esters of D- and L-alanine hydrogen bromides were not so largely affected by the structural variations in the sugar-amide surfactants. Additionally, the effects of the surfactant concentration and the reaction temperature on the rates and enantioselectivity for the hydrolysis of D- and L-PheONp were examined.     

Catalytic enantioselective addition of propionate units to imines: an efficient synthesis of anti-alpha-methyl-beta-amino acid derivatives

Optically active anti-alpha-methyl-beta-amino acid derivatives have been prepared based on catalytic enantioselective addition of propionate units to simple and inert imines using a chiral zirconium complex. High reactivity and selectivity with wide substrate scope were attained by using a new chiral ligand, (R)-6,6'-bis(pentafluoroethyl)-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol ((R)-6,6'-C(2)F(5)BINOL). The reactions using geometrically isomeric ketene silyl acetals gave excellent anti-selectivity with high enantiomeric excess in both cases. Synthetic utility of this reaction has been demonstrated by the preparation of various anti-alpha-methyl-beta-amino acid and trans-3,4-disubstituted beta-lactam derivatives.     

Palladium-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylation of alpha-amino acid esters.

The Pd-catalyzed intramolecular alpha-arylation of alpha-amino acid esters is described. Starting from readily available amino acids, the synthesis of a variety of isoindolines and tetrahydroisoquinoline carboxylic acid esters has been accomplished. Additionally, fused tricyclic systems can be efficiently prepared from cyclic amino acid esters. Reaction conditions have been found that allow the use of tert-butyl ester and N-(benzyloxycarbonyl) protecting groups.