The Conquest of Taxol

Much has been written about taxol, one of the newest weapons against cancer, and its producer, the Pacific Yew tree (Taxus brevifolia).

1 K. C. Nicolaou, W.-M. Dai, R. K. Guy, Angew. Chem. 1994, 106, 38–69; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1994, 33, 15–44.

In this article, the authors give a frank and behind-the-scenes account of their encounter with this well-known molecule, which they and their collaborators faced as a synthetic target.

2 K. C. Nicolaou, Z. Yang, J.-J. Liu, H. Ueno, P. G. Nantermet, R. K. Guy, C. F. Claiborne, J. Renaud, E. A. Couladouros, K. Paulvannan, E. J. Sorensen, Nature (London) 1994, 367, 630–634.

3 K. C. Nicolaou, J.-J. Liu, Z. Yang, H. Ueno, R. K. Guy, E. A. Couladouros, E. J. Sorensen, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 624–633.

4 K. C. Nicolaou, J.-J. Liu, Z. Yang, H. Ueno, E. J. Sorensen, C. F. Claiborne, R. K. Guy, C.-K. Hwang, M. Nakada, P. G. Nantermet, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 634–644.

5 K. C. Nicolaou, Z. Yang, J.-J. Liu, P. G. Nantermet, C. F. Claiborne, J. Renaud, R. K. Guy, K. Shibayama, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 645–652.

6 K. C. Nicolaou, H. Ueno, J.-J. Liu, P. G. Nantermet, Z. Yang, J. Renaud, K. Paulvannan, R. Chadha, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 653–659.

Once again total synthesis is found to offer excellent opportunities for developing new synthetic strategies and novel reactions. The team of chemists who took up this challenge emerged with valuable experience and confidence in their skills.     

Structure et synthèse de la damascénone (triméthyl-2,6,6-trans-crotonoyl-1-cyclohexadiène-1,3), constituant odorant de l'essence de rose bulgare (rosa damascena Mill.

Damascenone

1 DORICENONE (trade mark applied for by Firmenich & Cie, Geneva).

an odoriferous ketone isolated in minute amounts from Bulgarian rose oil (Rosa damascena Mill.) is shown to be trans-2,6,6-trimethyl-1-crotonoyl-cyclohexa-1, 3-diene (I). A synthesis starting from beta;-cyclocitral is described for this conspicuous constituent of rose oil, which displays a powerful fragrance. The synthesis of four related, more saturated ketones, damascones

2 DORINONE (trade mark applied for by Firmenich & Cie, Geneva).

, is also described.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically pure 2-(N-aryl,N-alkyl-aminomethyl)aziridines: a new class of ligands for highly enantioselective asymmetric synthesis

A simple and effective synthesis of enantiomerically pure 2-(N-aryl-, N-alkyl-aminomethyl)aziridines from (2S)-N-tritylaziridine-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester has been developed. Treating of this key ester with several primary and secondary amines in the presence of AlMe₃ provided the corresponding chiral N-trityl-2-carboxamides, and their reduction performed with different reagents resulted in the formation of the expected 2-(aminomethyl)aziridines. The choice of reaction conditions allows to either keep or leave the trityl substituent in the product. Such 2-(aminoalkyl)aziridines have shown very high catalytic efficiency in the asymmetric arylation of aldehydes and in other testing asymmetric reactions. On the other hand, homochiral N-trityl-2-carboxamides are interesting building blocks for the synthesis of various biologically active compounds.     

Solvent- and temperature-dependent functionalisation of enantioenriched aziridines

A highly stereo‐ and regioselective functionalisation of chiral non‐racemic aziridines is reported. By starting from a parent enantioenriched aziridine and finely tuning the reaction conditions, it is possible to address the regio‐ and stereoselectivity of the lithiation/electrophile trapping sequence, thereby allowing the preparation of highly enantioenriched functionalised aziridines. From chiral N‐alkyl trans‐2,3‐diphenylaziridines (S,S)‐ 1 a , b , two differently configured chiral aziridinyllithiums could be generated (trans‐ 1 a , b‐Li in toluene and cis‐ 1 a , b‐Li in THF), thus disclosing a solvent‐dependent reactivity that is useful for the synthesis of chiral tri‐substituted aziridines with different stereochemistry. In contrast, chiral aziridine (S,S)‐ 1 c showed a temperature‐dependent reactivity to give chiral ortho‐lithiated aziridine 1 c‐ ortho ‐Li at ?78 °C and α‐lithiated aziridine 1 c‐α‐Li at 0 °C. Both lithiated intermediates react with electrophiles to give enantioenriched ortho‐ and α‐functionalised aziridines. The reaction of all the lithiated aziridines with carbonyl compounds furnished useful chiral hydroxyalkylated derivatives, the stereochemistry of which was ascertained by X‐ray and NMR spectroscopic analysis. The usefulness of chiral non‐racemic functionalised aziridines has been demonstrated by reductive ring‐opening reactions furnishing chiral amines that bear quaternary stereogenic centres and chiral 1,2‐, 1,3‐ and 1,5‐aminoalcohols. It is remarkable that the solvent‐dependent reactivity observed with (S,S)‐ 1 a , b permits the preparation of both the enantiomers of amines ( 11 and ent‐ 11 ) and 1,2‐aminoalcohols ( 13 and ent‐ 13 ) starting from the same parent aziridine. Interestingly, for the first time, a configurationally stable chiral α‐lithiated aziridine ( 1 c‐α‐Li ) has been generated at 0 °C. In addition, ortho‐hydroxyalkylated aziridines have been easily converted into chiral aminoalkyl phthalans, which are useful building blocks in medicinal chemistry.     

Enantioselektive 1,4-Additionen von metallorganischen Verbindungen an konjugierte Systeme im chiralen Medium DDB

Enantioselective 1,4-additions of organometallic compounds to conjugated systems in the chiral medium DDB

1 DDB = 1,4-Dimethylamino-2,3-dimethoxybutan (= 2,3-Dimethoxy-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,4-butandiamin).

The chiral methoxyamine DDB is used as a cosolvent to add achiral Li-, Cu-, and Zn-organic compounds enantioselectively to prochiral β-carbon atoms of α, β-unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, nitro compounds and ketene-thioacetals (Tables 1 and 2). The selectivity generally ranges from 55:45 to 63:27, in one case ( 9b ) an enantiomeric excess of 43% was obtained.     

First asymmetric syntheses of 6-substituted nipecotic acid derivatives

Various nipecotic acid derivatives are known to be potent GABA uptake inhibitors thus being useful in the treatment of a number of neurological and psychological disorders. In this paper, the first asymmetric syntheses of 6-substituted nipecotic acid derivatives are presented. The synthetic strategy was designed to provide access to a large variety of enantiomerically pure 6-substituted nipecotic acid derivatives. The synthesis starts from the chiral N-acyldihydropyridines 15 and 16 obtained via asymmetric electrophilic α-amidoalkylation reaction of a chiral N-acylpyridinium ion. These were utilized for the preparation of enantiomerically pure 6-(4,4-diphenylbutyl)nipecotic acids and 6-(4,4-diphenylbutenyl)nipecotic acids in a multistep synthesis, including the removal of the dimethylphenylsilyl blocking group from the dihydropyridine ring, the reduction of the dihydropyridine heterocycle, a Horner-Wittig reaction and the removal of the chiral auxiliary. The obtained target molecules, however, showed only negligible affinity to the GAT-1- and GAT-3 transport proteins.     

A general asymmetric synthesis of syn- and anti-beta-substituted cysteine and serine derivatives

A stereodivergent synthetic route has been developed to make the optically pure anti- and syn-beta-substituted cysteine and serine derivatives. In this approach, the key intermediates, > 94% enantiomerically pure cyclic sulfates 3 and aziridines 7, were prepared from alpha,beta-unsaturated esters 1, employing the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation. The high regio- and stereoselective ring-opening reactions of cyclic sulfates and aziridines provided enantiomerically pure beta-substituted cysteine and serine derivatives.     

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Axially Chiral N,N′-Bisindoles

This study establishes the first organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral N,N′-bisindoles via chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed formal (3+2) cycloadditions of indole-based enaminones as novel platform molecules with 2,3-diketoesters, where de novo indole-ring formation is involved. Using this new strategy, various axially chiral N,N′-bisindoles were synthesized in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 87 % yield and 96 % ee). More importantly, this class of axially chiral N,N′-bisindoles exhibited some degree of cytotoxicity toward cancer cells and was derived into axially chiral phosphine ligands with high catalytic activity. This study provides a new strategy for enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral N,N′-bisindoles using asymmetric organocatalysis and is the first to realize the applications of such scaffolds in medicinal chemistry and asymmetric catalysis.     

Directed Aldol Condensations

The present article describes the discovery of a new procedure for aldol condensations for the preparation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds

1 G. Wittig, H. Pommer, and W. Stilz, German Patent 1199252 (April 5, 1963), BASF; Chem. Abstr. 63, P 1739c (1965).

. The scope of this process is demonstrated by many examples, including some from the natural products sector; at the same time, however, these examples also mark its limitations. The metalated Schiff's bases may be classified as ambident anions; this also explains acylations on the nitrogen. A comparison of the new directed aldol condensation with the formation of unsaturated carbonyl compounds through olefination via phosphorylids shows that the latter method fails when a ketone is used as the substrate. This is where the described procedure using metalated Schiff's bases proves its value.     

A novel synthesis of 5-functionalized oxazolidin-2-ones from enantiomerically pure 2-substituted N-[(R)-(+)-alpha-methylbenzyl]aziridines

5-Funtionalized enantiomerically pure oxazolidin-2-ones were prepared in one pot from commercially available chiral aziridines bearing an electron-withdrawing group at C-2 with retention of the configuration in high yields by regioselective aziridine ring-opening followed by intramolecular cyclization.     

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral allenes

The conventional procedures for preparing optically active axially chiral allenes generally require stoichiometric chiral sources as either substrates or reagents. On the other hand, examples of catalytic asymmetric synthesis of axially chiral allenes are rare and it is a relatively underdeveloped area in synthetic organic chemistry. In this review article, various methods for preparing enantiomerically enriched axially chiral allenes using substoichiometric chiral sources are surveyed. Some reactions with stoichiometric but recoverable chiral sources are also mentioned. Most of the asymmetric reactions in these categories are transition-metal-catalyzed reactions, and there are a few examples of organocatalytic reactions. In addition, some enzymatic/microbial systems are also known.     

Beiträge zur Chemie der Silicium—Stickstoff-Verbindungen, 21. Mitt.

Zusammenfassung Durch Umsetzung von Disilbercyanamid mit Organyl- und Alkoxy-halogensilanen wurden 9 bisher unbekannte zweifach silylsubstituierte Carbodiimide der Stoffgruppen (R₃SiN)₂C, [(RO)₃SiN]₂C, (R₂RSiN)₂C und R₃SiNCNSiR₃ dargestellt und in ihrer Struktur über¹⁴N- und¹H-kernmagnetische Resonanzmessungen, IR- und Raman-Spektren eindeutig als Carbodiimidderivate aufgeklärt.20. Mitt.:U. Wannagat undH. Kuckertz, Angew. Chem.75, 95 (1963).Zugleich 2. Mitt. über silylsubstituierte Carbodiimide; 1. Mitt.J. Pump undU. Wannagat, Ann. Chem.652, 21 (1962); Angew. Chem.74, 117 (1962); Österr. Chemiker-Ztg.62, 319 (1961).     

Enantioselektive 1,2-Additionen von Li-, Mg-, Zn- und Cu-organischen Verbindungen und von Li-Enolaten an Carbonylverbindungen im chiralen Medium DDB

Enantioselective 1,2-addition of Li-, Mg-, Zn-, and Cu-organic compounds and of Li-enolates to carbonyl derivatives in the chiral medium DDB

1 DDB = 1,4-Dimethylamino-2,3-dimethoxybutan (= 2,3-Dimethoxy-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,4-butandiamin).

The (+)-enantiomer of the methoxyamine DDB is used as a chiral cosolvent in the title reactions. As evident from the results listed in the table, enantiotopic faces are generally differentiated with preferences ranging from 55:45 to 60:40.     

De novo synthesis of Tamiflu via a catalytic asymmetric ring-opening of meso-aziridines with TMSN3

An asymmetric ring-opening reaction of meso-aziridines with TMSN3 was developed using a catalyst prepared from Y(OiPr)3 and chiral ligand 2 in a 1:2 ratio. Excellent enantioselectivity was realized from a wide range of substrates with a practical catalyst loading. The products were efficiently converted to enantiomerically enriched 1,2-diamines, which are versatile chiral building blocks for pharmaceuticals and chiral ligands. This reaction was applied to a catalytic asymmetric synthesis of Tamiflu, a very important anti-influenza drug containing a chiral 1,2-diamino functionality.     

Anti-Markovnikov Hydroamination of Racemic Allylic Alcohols to Access Chiral γ-Amino Alcohols

A ruthenium-catalyzed formal anti-Markovnikov hydroamination of allylic alcohols for the synthesis of chiral γ-amino alcohols is presented. Proceeding via an asymmetric hydrogen-borrowing process, the catalysis allows racemic secondary allylic alcohols to react with various amines, affording enantiomerically enriched chiral γ-amino alcohols with broad substrate scope and excellent enantioselectivities (68 examples, up to >99 % ee).     

Diastereoselectively Switchable Asymmetric Haloaminocyclization for the Synthesis of Cyclic Sulfamates

An asymmetric synthesis of cyclic sulfamates by catalytic haloaminocyclization of primary sulfamate ester derivatives is described. The remarkable reversal of diastereoselectivity was found to be dependent on the halogen source and the chiral catalyst. By using privileged complexes of N,N′‐dioxides with Sc(OTf)₃ or Lu(OTf)₃ as the catalyst, a variety of enantioenriched syn‐ and anti‐cyclic sulfamates or related trans‐aziridines could be obtained in 92–99 % ee and up to 97 % yield.     

An efficient synthesis of enantiomerically pure aromatic-fused N-containing heterocycles from common chiral aziridines

An efficient synthesis of enantiomerically pure aromatic-fused N-containing heterocycles was successfully achieved via Pd-catalyzed intramolecular C-N bond formation between the nitrogen originated from the aziridine and the halogen containing aromatic carbon. This reaction has a broad substrate scope to provide various enantiomerically pure (3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3-yl)methanols, 2-hydroxymethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines and (1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalin-2-yl)methanols from common chiral aziridines in good yields.     

Synthesis of Racemic and Enantiomerically Enriched α-Oxyfunctionalized Benzocyclanones and Chromanones by Dimethyldioxirane and Dimethyldioxirane/Mn(III) salen System

Summary. Enolacetates of benzocyclanones and chromanones were synthesized and treated with dimethyldioxirane and the asymmetric oxidizing system dimethyldioxirane/chiral, non-racemic Mn(III) salen complex/axial ligand. The latter reagent resulted in the corresponding enantiomerically enriched cyclic -hydroxy ketones and their acetates in moderate-to-good yields and modest enantioselectivity under mild and neutral conditions from tetralone and chromanone. On the contrary, flavanone provided poor yields due to the competitive C–H insertion at position 2. The use of R,R-Mn(III)salen catalyst induced an S absolute configuration at the position in the whole series.     

Synthesis of Racemic and Enantiomerically Enriched a-Oxyfunctionalized Benzocyclanones and Chromanones by Dimethyldioxirane and Dimethyldioxirane/Mn(III) salen System

Enolacetates of benzocyclanones and chromanones were synthesized and treated with dimethyldioxirane and the asymmetric oxidizing system dimethyldioxirane/chiral, non-racemic Mn(III) salen complex/axial ligand. The latter reagent resulted in the corresponding enantiomerically enriched cyclic -hydroxy ketones and their acetates in moderate-to-good yields and modest enantioselectivity under mild and neutral conditions from tetralone and chromanone. On the contrary, flavanone provided poor yields due to the competitive C–H insertion at position 2. The use of R,R-Mn(III)salen catalyst induced an S absolute configuration at the position in the whole series.