Synthesis of Conformationally Restricted Cyclic Hexadepsipeptides via Direct Amide Cyclization

Ring closure by direct amide cyclization was used in the synthesis of 19‐membered cyclic depsipeptides 27 (Schemes 1 and 3). The linear hexapeptide precursors 4 , containing the β‐hydroxy acid 3‐hydroxy‐2‐phenylpropanoic acid (Tro), and five α‐amino acids of the type Aib, Gly, and Pro, were prepared according to Scheme 2. The α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acid Aib was incorporated into the peptide chain via the azirine/oxazolone method, and Gly and Pro were introduced by using the TBTU/HOBt coupling method. The cyclic depsipeptides 27a – 27f were obtained in reasonable‐to‐excellent yields (Scheme 3 and Table 1).     

Synthesis of Enniatin‐like Cyclic Depsipeptides via ‘Direct Amide Cyclization’

The synthesis of several 18‐membered cyclodepsipeptides with an alternating sequence of α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids and α‐hydroxy acids (compounds 14a – 14e ) is described. The ring closure via macrolactonization was accomplished by treatment of a diluted suspension of the corresponding linear precursors 12a – 12e in toluene with HCl gas, i.e., the so‐called ‘direct amide cyclization’. The incorporation of the α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids was achieved via the ‘azirine/oxazolone method’ with 2H‐azirin‐3‐amines of type 6 and 9 as building blocks. The structure of the cyclic depsipeptide 14a was established by X‐ray crystallography.     

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Pentapeptides Containing Enantiomerically Pure 2,2‐Disubstituted Glycines

The synthesis and conformational analysis of model pentapeptides with the sequence Z‐Leu‐Aib‐Xaa‐Gln‐Valol is described. These peptides contain two 2,2‐disubstituted glycines (α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids), i.e., Aib (aminoisobutyric acid), and a series of unsymmetrically substituted, enantiomerically pure amino acids Xaa. These disubstituted amino acids were incorporated into the model peptides via the ‘azirine/oxazolone method’. Conformational analysis was performed in solution by means of NMR techniques and, in the solid state, by X‐ray crystallography. Both methods show that the backbones of these model peptides adopt helical conformations, as expected for 2,2‐disubstitued glycine‐containing peptides.     

3-(Dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirin als α-Aminoisobuttersäure(Aib)-Äquivalent: Cyclische Depsipeptide durch direkte Amid-Cyclisierung

3-(Dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H,-azirine as an α-Aminoisobutyric-Acid (Aib) Equivalent: Cyclic Depsipeptides via Direct Amid Cyclization In MeCN at room temperature, 3-(dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine ( 1 ) and α-hydroxycarboxylic acids react to give diamides of type 8 (Scheme 3). Selective cleavage of the terminal N,N-dimethylcarboxamide group in MeCN/H₂O leads to the corresponding carboxylic acids 13 (Scheme 4). In toluene/Ph SH , phenyl thioesters of type 11 are formed (see also Scheme 5). Starting with diamides 8 , the formation of morpholin-2,5- diones 10 has been achieved either by direct amide cyclization via intermediate 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones 9 or via base-catalyzed cyclization of the phenyl thioesters 11 (Scheme 3). Reaction of carboxylic acids with 1 , followed by selective amide hydrolysis, has been used for the construction of peptides from α-hydroxy carboxylic acids and repetitive α-aminoisobutyric-acid (Aib) units (Scheme 4). Cyclization of 14a, 17a , and 20a with HCI in toluene at 100° gave the 9-, 12-, and 15-membered cyclic depsipeptides 15, 18 , and 21 , respectively.     

Application of the ‘Direct Amide Cyclization’ to Peptides Containing an Anthranilic Acid Residue

The 2,2‐disubstituted 2H‐azirin‐3‐amines 7a – 7c were used as amino acid synthons to prepare linear peptides derived from anthranilic acid. These linear peptides, which contain α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids, were synthesized by using the ‘azirine/oxazolone method’ (Schemes 2–5) and were subjected to the acid‐catalyzed ‘direct amide cyclization’. Unfortunately, all attempts to isolate the ten‐membered cyclotripeptides, by starting with different precursors, failed. Instead of the expected cyclotripeptides, the corresponding 1,3a,7‐triazabenz[e]azulene‐3,6‐diones 12 and 17 (Schemes 2 and 3) were obtained in up to 44% yield. Most likely, these products were formed by a transannular ring contraction of the desired products, followed by dehydration. In the case of the linear precursor 24 , the 20‐membered cyclodimer 25 was formed in 50% yield, together with traces of the 1,3a,7‐triazabenz[e]azulene‐3,6‐dione 27 and the completely unexpected quinazolinone 26 (Scheme 5). In the cases of the linear precursors 30 and 34 , no ring closure was observed under the conditions of the ‘direct amide cyclization’, which indicates the limitations of this method.     

Iron‐Catalyzed Aminomethyloxygenative Cyclization of Hydroxy‐α‐diazoesters with N,O‐Aminals

A new and efficient cyclization reaction has been developed to synthesize cyclic α,α‐disubstituted β‐amino esters via iron‐catalyzed intramolecular aminomethyloxygenative cyclization of diazo compounds with N,O‐aminal under mild reaction conditions. A broad range of hydroxy‐α‐diazoesters with different substituents and various N,O‐aminals were compatible with this protocol, affording the corresponding α,α‐disubstituted β‐amino esters bearing a five‐ to eight‐membered oxacycle in good yields.     

The ‘Azirine/Oxazolone Method’ on Solid Phase: Introduction of Various α,α‐Disubstituted α‐Amino Acids

Peptides containing various α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids, such as α‐aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), 1‐aminocyclopentane‐1‐carboxylic acid, α‐methylphenylalanine, and 3‐amino‐3,4,5,6‐tetrahydro‐2H‐pyran‐3‐carboxylic acid have been synthesized from the N‐ to the C‐terminus by the ‘azirine/oxazolone method’ under solid‐phase conditions. In this convenient method for the synthesis of sterically demanding peptides on solid‐phase, 2H‐azirin‐3‐amines are used to introduce the α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids without the need for additional reagents. Furthermore, the synthesis of poly(Aib) sequences has been explored.     

Synthese cyclischer Depsipeptide durch direkte Amid-Cyclisierung: 12gliedrige Depsipeptide mit alternierender Sequenz von α-Hydroxy- und α-Aminosäuren

Synthesis of Cyclic Depsipeptides via Direct Amide Cyclization: Cyclic Depsipeptides with 12-Ring Atoms and Alternating Sequence of α-Hydroxy and α-Amino Adds The reaction of 3-(dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine (1; R¹ = R² = R³ = R⁴ = Me) with α-hydroxy-carboxylic acids, followed by selective hydrolysis of the terminal dimethylamide group yields the dipeptide analogues 15a and 18b (Schemes 3 and 4). After protection of the OH group (→ 16a and 19 , resp.), coupling with the C-terminus-protected derivatives 14 and 18a , respectively, by a modified 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole procedure followed by hydrolysis gives the linear depsipeptides 17c and 20 , respectively. Treatment with HCl gas in toluene at 100° leads to the cyclic depsipeptides 21 and 22 in very good yield. The two model reactions show that the ‘azirine/oxazolone-method’, combined with the ‘direct amide cyclization’, is a versatile procedure for the synthesis of cyclic depsipeptides containing α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids.     

A New General Approach to Enantiomerically Pure Cyclic and Open-Chain (R)- and (S)-α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acids

A wide range of cyclic and open-chain α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids 1a-p were prepared. The racemic N-acylated α,α-disubstituted amino acids were resolved by coupling to chiral amines 15-18 derived from (S)-phenylalanine to form diastereoisomers 19/20 or 21/22 that could be separated by crystallization and/or flash chromatography on silica gel (Scheme 3). Selective cleavage via the 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones 10a-p gave the corresponding optically pure α,α-disubstituted amino-acid derivatives 11 or 12 in high yield (Scheme 3). The absolute configurations of the α,α-disubstituted amino acids were determined from X-ray structures of the diastereoisomers 20, 21g′, 22d .     

Synthesis of 1,3‐Selenazol‐2(3H)‐imines

The reaction of N,N′‐diarylselenoureas 16 with phenacyl bromide in EtOH under reflux, followed by treatment with NH₃, gave N,3‐diaryl‐4‐phenyl‐1,3‐selenazol‐2(3H)‐imines 13 in high yields (Scheme 2). A reaction mechanism via formation of the corresponding Se‐(benzoylmethyl)isoselenoureas 18 and subsequent cyclocondensation is proposed (Scheme 3). The N,N′‐diarylselenoureas 16 were conveniently prepared by the reaction of aryl isoselenocyanates 15 with 4‐substituted anilines. The structures of 13a and 13c were established by X‐ray crystallography.     

Synthesis of Cyclic Depsipeptides and Peptides via Direct Amide Cyclization

The 2,2-disubstituted 2H-azirin-3-amines 7 (2,2-disubstituted 3-amino-2H-azirines) were used as amino-acid synthons in the preparation of medium-sized cyclic depsipeptides and peptides derived from salicylic acids 6 and anthranilic acid 19 , respectively (Schemes 2--4 and 5, resp.). The combination of the ‘azirine/oxazolone method’ for the synthesis of linear peptides containing α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids and the acid-catalyzed amide cyclization in DMF at 60° proved to be an excellent preparative route to ten-membered cyclic depsipeptides and peptides. In the case of the anthranilic-acid derivative, a transannular ring-closure reaction was observed ( 24 → 25 ). Larger rings proved to be extremely sensitive to hydrolysis.     

5‐Methyl‐6‐aza‐2′‐deoxy­isocytidine

In the title compound, 3‐amino‐2‐(2‐deoxy‐β‐d ‐erythro‐pento­furan­osyl)‐6‐methyl‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5(2H)‐one, C₉H₁₄N₄O₄, the conformation of the N‐glycosidic bond is high‐anti and the 2‐deoxy­ribo­furan­osyl moiety adopts a North sugar pucker (²T₃). The orientation of the exocyclic C—C bond between the –CH₂OH group and the five‐membered ring is ap (gauche, trans). The crystal packing is such that the nucleobases lie parallel to the ac plane; the planes are connected via hydrogen bonds involving the five‐membered ring.     

Convenient Synthesis of Various Substituted Homotaurines from Alk‐2‐enamides

Various substituted homotaurines (=3‐aminopropane‐1‐sulfonic acids) 6 were readily synthesized in satisfactory to good yields via the Michael addition of thioacetic acid to alk‐2‐enamides 3 (→ 4 ), followed by LiAlH₄ reduction (→ 5 ) and performic acid oxidation (Scheme 1). The configuration of ‘anti’‐disubstituted homotaurine ‘anti’‐ 6h was deduced from the 3‐(acetylthio)alkanamide (=S‐(3‐amino‐1,2‐dimethyl‐3‐oxopropyl) ethanethioate)‘anti’‐ 4h formed in the Michael addition, which was identified via the Karplus equation analysis, and confirmed by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The current route is an efficient method to synthesize diverse substituted homotaurines, including 1‐, 2‐, and N‐monosubstituted, as well as 1,2‐, 1,N‐, 2,N‐, and N,N‐disubstituted homotaurines (Table).     

Massive Steric Hindrance in Two ‘Thiocarbonyl Ylides': Cycloadditions with Tetra‐Acceptor‐Substituted Ethylenes via Zwitterionic Intermediates

The switch from a concerted to a two‐step pathway of 1,3‐dipolar cycloadditions was recently established for the reactions of sterically hindered ‘thiocarbonyl ylides' with acceptor ethylenes. This mechanism via zwitterionic intermediates is studied here for 1,3‐dipoles 5A and 5B , which are derived from 2,2,5,5‐tetramethylcyclopentanethione and 1,1,3,3‐tetramethylindan‐2‐thione, respectively, and contain a highly screened reaction center. In the reactions of 8A and 8B (the precursors of 5A and 5B ) with dimethyl 2,3‐dicyanofumarate ( 15 ) and 2,3‐dicyanomaleate ( 16 ), virtually identical ratios of cis‐ and trans‐thiolanes were observed ( 17 / 18 93 : 7 for 5a and 94 : 6 for 5B ). Thus, full equilibration of rotameric zwitterions precedes cyclization; an anteceding disturbing isomerization 15 ⇌ 16 had to be circumvented. The cis,trans assignment of the cycloadducts rests on three X‐ray analyses. The kinetically favored cis‐thiolanes 17 isomerize at >80° to 18 (trans), and irreversible cleavage leads to thione 7 and trans,cis isomeric dimethyl 1,2‐dicyanocyclopropane‐1,2‐dicarboxylates ( 27 and 28 , resp.). Furthermore, the zwitterionic intermediates equilibrate with the cyclic seven‐membered ketene imine 21 , which was intercepted under conditions where the solvent contained 2 vol‐% of H₂O or MeOH. Lactams 22 were obtained with H₂O in high yields, and the primary products of capturing by MeOH were the cyclic ketene O,N‐acetals 23 , which subsequently tautomerized to the lactim methyl ethers 24 . When 5B was reacted with ethenetetracarbonitrile in CDCl₃/MeOH (98 : 2 vol‐%), the analogous cyclic ketene imine 13B was trapped to the extent of 93%.     

Synthesis of a Novel Series of 2,3‐Disubstituted Quinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones as a Product of a Nucleophilic Attack at C(2) of the Corresponding 4H‐3,1‐Benzoxazin‐4‐one

A new series of 2,3‐disubstituted quinazolin‐4(3H)‐one derivatives was synthesized by nucleophilic attack at C(2) of the corresponding key starting material 2‐propyl‐4H‐3,1‐benzoxazin‐4‐one (Scheme 2). The reaction proceeded via amidinium salt formation (Scheme 3) rather than via an N‐acylanthranilimide. The structure of the prepared compounds were elucidated by physical and spectral data like FT‐IR, ¹H‐NMR, and mass spectroscopy.     

Reactivity study on morpholine‐1‐carbothioic acid (2‐phenyl‐3H‐quinazolin‐4‐ylidene) amide

Regioselective reactions of morpholine‐1‐carbothioic acid (2‐phenyl‐3H‐quinazolin‐4‐ylidene) amide ( 1 ) with electrophiles and nucleophiles were studied. The compound ( 1 ) reacts with alkyl halides in basic medium to afford S‐substituted isothiourea derivatives, with amines to give 1,1‐disubstituted‐3‐(2‐phenyl‐3H‐quinazolin‐4‐ylidene) thioureas and l‐substituted‐3‐(2‐phenyl‐quinazolin‐4‐yl) thioureas via transami‐nation reaction. The reaction of ( 1 ) with amines in the presence of H₂O₂ provided N⁴‐disubstituted‐N'⁴‐(2‐phenylquinazolin‐4‐yl)morpholin‐4‐carboximidamide via oxidative desulfurization. Estimation of reactivity sites on ( 1 ) was supported using the ab initio (HF/6‐31G**) quantum chemistry calculations. The ir, ¹H nmr, ¹³C nmr, mass spectroscopy and x‐ray identified the isolated products.     

Synthesis of Aib‐ and Phe(2Me)‐Containing Cyclopentapeptides

Some recently described pentapeptides containing the α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids Aib and Phe(2Me) have been cyclized in DMF solution using diphenyl phosphorazidate (DPPA), O‐(1H‐benzotriazol‐1‐yl)‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetamethyluronium tetrafluoroborate/1‐hydroxybenzotriazole (TBTU/HOBt), and diethyl phosphorocyanidate (DEPC), respectively, to give the corresponding cyclopentapeptides in fair‐to‐good yields. In the case of peptides with L ‐amino acids, and (R)‐ and (S)‐Phe(2Me), the yields differed significantly in favor of the L /(R) combination. The conformations in the crystals of cyclo(Gly‐Aib‐(R,S)‐Phe(2Me)‐Aib‐Gly) and cyclo(Gly‐(R)‐Phe(2Me)‐Pro‐Aib‐Gly) have been determined by X‐ray crystallography, leading to quite different results. In the latter case, the conformation in solution has been elucidated by NMR studies.     

Reduction of Thiocarbonyl Compounds with Lithium Diisopropylamide

Treatment of 4,4‐disubstituted 2‐phenyl‐1,3‐thiazole‐5(4H)‐thiones with lithium diisopropylamide (LDA; LiNⁱPr₂) in THF at ?78° yielded the corresponding 1,3‐thiazole‐5(4H)‐thioles in moderate yields. Sequential treatment with LDA and MeI under the same conditions led to the 5‐methylsulfanyl derivatives. Similarly, reaction of some cycloalkanethiones as well as diaryl thioketones with LDA and MeI gave cycloalkyl methyl sulfides and diarylmethyl methyl sulfides, respectively. A reaction mechanism via H transfer from LDA to the thiocarbonyl C‐atom via a six‐membered transition state is proposed for this unprecedented reduction of the C?S bond.     

1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Organic Azides with Morpholinobuta‐1,3‐dienes and with an α‐Ethynyl‐enamine

The cycloaddition of organic azides with some conjugated enamines of the 2‐amino‐1,3‐diene, 1‐amino‐1,3‐diene, and 2‐aminobut‐1‐en‐3‐yne type is investigated. The 2‐morpholinobuta‐1,3‐diene 1 undergoes regioselective [3+2] cycloaddition with several electrophilic azides RN₃ 2 ( a , R=4‐nitrophenyl; b , R=ethoxycarbonyl; c , R=tosyl; d , R=phenyl) to form 5‐alkenyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐5‐morpholino‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazoles 3 which are transformed into 1,5‐disubstituted 1H‐triazoles 4a , d or α,β‐unsaturated carboximidamide 5 (Scheme 1). The cycloaddition reaction of 4‐[(1E,3Z)‐3‐morpholino‐4‐phenylbuta‐1,3‐dienyl]morpholine ( 7 ) with azide 2a occurs at the less‐substituted enamine function and yields the 4‐(1‐morpholino‐2‐phenylethenyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole 8 (Scheme 2). The 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azides 2a – d with 4‐(1‐methylene‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐ynyl)morpholine ( 9 ) is accelerated at high pressure (ca. 7–10 kbar) and gives 1,5‐disubstituted dihydro‐1H‐triazoles 10a , b and 1‐phenyl‐5‐(phenylethynyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole ( 11d ) in significantly improved yields (Schemes 3 and 4). The formation of 11d is also facilitated in the presence of an equimolar quantity of tBuOH. The three‐component reaction between enamine 9 , phenyl azide, and phenol affords the 5‐(2‐phenoxy‐2‐phenylethenyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazole 14d .     

cis‐(6RS,13RS)‐3,3,10,10‐Tetra­methyl‐6,13‐diphenyl‐1,8‐dioxa‐4,11‐diaza­cyclo­tetra­decane‐2,5,9,12‐tetra­one and two of its precursors

The title macrocycle, C₂₆H₃₀N₂O₆, (VI), was obtained by `direct amide cyclization' from the linear precursor 3‐hydr­oxy‐N‐[1‐methyl‐1‐(N‐methyl‐N‐phenyl­carbamoyl)ethyl]‐2‐phenylpropanamide, the N‐methyl­anilide of rac‐2‐methyl‐2‐[(3‐hydroxy‐2‐phenyl­propanoyl)­amino]­propanoic acid, C₁₃H₁₇NO₄, (IV). The reaction proceeds via the inter­mediate rac‐2‐(2‐hydroxy‐1‐phenyl­ethyl)‐4,4‐dimethyl‐1,3‐oxazol‐5(4H)‐one, C₁₃H₁₅NO₃, (V), which was synthesized independently and whose structure was also established. Unlike all previously described analogues, the title macrocycle has the cis‐diphenyl configuration. The 14‐membered ring has a distorted rect­angular diamond‐based [3434] configuration and inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into a three‐dimensional framework. The propanoic acid precursor forms a complex series of inter­molecular hydrogen bonds, each of which involves pairwise association of mol­ecules and which together result in the formation of extended two‐dimensional sheets. The oxazole inter­mediate forms centrosymmetric hydrogen‐bonded dimers in the solid state.