Diastereoselective Michael addition of (S)-mandelic acid enolate to 2-arylidene-1,3-diketones: enantioselective diversity-oriented synthesis of densely substituted pyrazoles

A diversity-oriented approach to enantiomerically pure densely substituted pyrazoles, α-aryl-α-pyrazolylatrolactic acid and α-aryl-α-pyrazolylacetophenones has been developed. The approach utilises the conjugated addition of the lithium enolate of the (2S,5S)-cis-1,3-dioxolan-4-one derived from optically active (S)-mandelic acid and pivalaldehyde to several 2-arylidene-1,3-diketones, which proceeds readily to give the corresponding Michael adducts in good yields and diastereoselectivities. The cyclocondensation of the 1,3-diketone moieties present in Michael adducts with several hydrazines leads to enantiomerically pure densely substituted pyrazoles. Subsequent basic hydrolysis of the dioxolanone moiety present in these products leads to enantiomerically pure α-aryl-α-pyrazolylatrolactic acids. Finally, oxidative decarboxylation of these using oxygen, pivalaldehyde and the Co(III)-Me₂opba complex as catalyst gives α-aryl-α-pyrazolylacetophenones. In this approach four points of diversity are introduced, one of them is the configuration of the (S)-mandelic acid, which acts as an umpoled chiral equivalent of the benzoyl anion.     

Highly diastereoselective enolate addition of O-protected alpha-hydroxyacetate to (S(R))-tert-butanesulfinylimines: synthesis of taxol side chain

The taxol side chain (S(R),2R,3S)-N-tert-butanesulfinyl-O-Boc-3-phenylisoserine benzyl ester 4c was synthesized through a lithium enolate addition of O-Boc-alpha-hydroxyacetate benzyl ester 5c to benzylidene (S(R))-tert-butanesulfinamide 6a in excellent yield and diastereoselectivity. By similar approach, a series of enantiopure 3-substituted isoserine benzyl esters 4 useful for the semi-syntheses of taxol derivatives were also prepared in high to excellent yields and diastereoselectivities. The diastereoselective addition mechanism was discussed on the basis of the experimental observation.     

Practical enantioselective synthesis of (3S, 4R)-3-hydroxypiperidine-4-carboxylic acid

A practical enantioselective synthesis of (3S, 4R)-3-hydroxypiperidine-4-carboxylic acid was accomplished via an unconventional Evans anti-aldol reaction followed by a one-pot azide reduction/reductive cyclization.     

Enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-3-(10-alkyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)propanoic acids

Starting from the racemic ethyl 3-hydroxy-3-(10-alkyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)propanoates as substrates, a multienzymatic procedure was developed for the efficient synthesis of the corresponding highly enantiomerically enriched (R)- and (S)-3-heteroaryl-3-hydroxypropanoic acids.     

A short enantioselective total synthesis of (R)- and (S)-pipecolic acid

A convenient and practical total synthesis of (R)- and (S)-pipecolic acid has been achieved by utilizing chiral cis-aziridine-2-carboxylate as the common synthetic precursor. The synthesis involves regioselective reductive cleavage of the aziridine ring and Wittig olefination as key reactions.     

A practical enantioselective synthesis of (S)-3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid

(S)-3-Hydroxytetradecanoic acid 1 has been synthesized in an overall yield of 27% from (S)-epichlorohydrin 2 as follows: (1) regio and chemoselective epoxide opening of 2 with a Grignard reagent under the catalysis by Cu(I) followed by consecutive epoxide formation; (2) regioselective epoxide opening of (S)-1,2-epoxytridecane 4 with cyanide anion under pH controlled conditions followed by consecutive nitrile hydrolysis with alkaline H₂O₂ gave crude 1; (3) its purification via the N,N-dicyclohexylammonium salt 6. The method thus devised is practical and scalable for the industrial production of 1.     

An enantioselective synthesis of (S)- and (R)-curcuphenol

The enantioselective synthesis of the phenolic sesquiterenses (S)- and (R)-curcuphenol is reported. The key step in this synthesis is the asymmetric conjugate addition using a readily available enantiomerically pure sulfoxide as the chiral auxiliary.     

Highly diastereoselective addition of the lithium enolate of alpha-diazoacetoacetate to N-sulfinyl imines: enantioselective synthesis of 2-oxo and 3-oxo pyrrolidines

The highly enantioselective synthesis of 2-oxo and 3-oxo pyrrolidines has been achieved by diastereoselective addition of the lithium enolate of alpha-diazoacetoacetate to chiral N-sulfinyl imines, followed by photoinduced Wolff rearrangement or Rh(II)-catalyzed intramolecular N-H insertion.     

Novel and enantioselective syntheses of (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid: a synthon for sitagliptin and its derivatives

A new synthetic strategy for (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid, a building block in the preparation of sitagliptin and its derivatives, was developed. Pd(OAc)₂ catalyzed coupling of 2,4,5-trifluoro-1-iodobenzene with allyl alcohol gave 3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propanal in a yield of 95%. l-Proline catalyzed reaction of the 3-phenylpropanal (in only 1.2 molar equiv) with nitrosobenzene followed by reduction with NaBH₄ and Pd/C catalyzed hydrogenation gave (R)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol with >99% ee and 65% yield. Selective tosylation of primary hydroxyl group of the 1,2-propandiol unit followed by cyanide displacement afforded (R)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanenitrile (80%). The nitrile was converted to the title β-hydroxy acid under basic hydrolysis in a yield of 90%. Thus, (R)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid was prepared enantioselectively from the starting material in four steps and 45% overall yield. The reaction sequence was repeated with d-proline as the catalyst to give (S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid in 45% overall yield and >99% enantiomeric excess.     

An efficient enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(-)-acromelobic acid

[reaction: see text] A highly efficient enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(-)-acromelobic acid (1) was achieved via asymmetric hydrogenation of dehydroamino acid derivative (3) using (R,R)-[Rh(DIPAMP)(COD)]BF(4) catalyst followed by removal of protective groups in >98% ee and good over all yield. The key intermediate (3) was prepared from the commercially available citrazinic acid (4) in six steps.     

Highly diastereoselective Michael addition of alpha-hydroxy acid derivatives and enantioselective synthesis of (+)-crobarbatic acid

[reaction: see text]. Michael addition of enolates of 2a and 2b to alpha,beta-unsaturated esters took place selectively on different faces (Si and Re, respectively) of the double bond to give the corresponding products 4 and 5, respectively, with >98% de. Subsequent hydrolysis of these Micheal adducts gives 3,4-disubstituted gamma-lactones with high enantiomeric excesses.     

Chiron approach to the synthesis of (2S,3R)-3-hydroxypipecolic acid and (2R,3R)-3-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethylpiperidine from D-glucose

The first chiron approach from d-glucose for the total synthesis of (2 S,3 R)-3-hydroxypipecolic acid (-)-1a and (2R,3R)-3-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethylpiperidine (-)-2a is reported. The synthetic pathway involves conversion of d-glucose into 3-azidopentodialdose (5) followed by the Wittig olefination and reduction to give the piperidine ring skeleton (8) with a sugar appendage that on cleavage of an anomeric carbon followed by oxidation gives (-)-1a which on reduction affords (-)-2a.     

Enantioselective synthesis of unsymmetrical benzoins from (S)-mandelic acid enolate and aromatic aldehydes

The reaction of the lithium enolate of the 1,3-dioxolan-4-one derived from optically active (S)-mandelic acid and pivalaldehyde with aromatic aldehydes proceeds readily to give the corresponding aldol products in good yields and diastereoselectivities. Subsequent hydroxyl protection, basic hydrolysis of the dioxolanone, oxidative decarboxylation of the α-hydroxyacid moiety, and hydroxyl deprotection provides chiral unsymmetrical benzoins with high enantiomeric excesses.     

Stereoconvergent synthesis of N-Boc-(2R,3S)-3-hydroxy-2-phenylpiperidine

The stereoconvergent synthesis of N-Boc-(2R,3S)-3-hydroxy-2-phenylpiperidine from (R)-1-(2-((tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy)-1-phenylethyl)piperidin-2-one is described. The key steps involved are α-hydroxylation of quiral lactam with O₂, stereoconvergent reduction of (R)- or (S)-3-(benzyloxy)-piperidin-2-one with Red-Al® which afforded in both cases the trans-bicyclic oxazolidine in high stereoselectivity after chromatographic purification and a stereospecific Grignard addition to chiral bicyclic oxazolidine.     

Simultaneous enzymatic synthesis of (S)-3-fluoroalanine and (R)-3-fluorolactic acid

A coupled enzymatic system for the simultaneous synthesis of (S)-3-fluoroalanine (1a) and (R)-3-fluorolactic acid (3) with l-alanine dehydrogenase (l-AlaDH) from Bacillus subtilis and rabbit muscle l-lactate dehydrogenase (l-LDH) using rac-1 and NAD⁺ is described. Analysis of isolated products of the laboratory preparative scale process revealed 1a in 60% yield and 88% ee and 3 in 80% yield and over 99% ee. The compounds 1a and 3 represent chiral building blocks for the synthesis of several products with pharmacological activity.     

Enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of (R)- and (S)-3-heteroaryl-3-hydroxy-propanoic acids and their derivatives

Starting from the racemic 3-benzofuranyl- and 3-benzo[b]thiophenyl-3-hydroxypropanoic acid ethyl esters as substrates, various multistep enzymatic procedures were developed for the efficient synthesis of the corresponding highly enantiomerically enriched (R)- and (S)-3-heteroaryl-3-hydroxypropanoic acids.     

Efficient enantioselective synthesis of (2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-3-hydroxyleucines and their diastereomers through dynamic kinetic resolution

(2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-3-Hydroxyleucines, components of cyclodepsipeptides, papuamides and polyoxypeptins, were efficiently synthesized along with their diastereomers from the corresponding β-keto-α-amino acid ester through dynamic kinetic resolution using RuCl₂(binap)-catalyzed hydrogenation.     

Highly diastereoselective and enantioselective preparation of homoallylic amines: application for the synthesis of beta-amino acids and gamma-lactams

Reactions of N-silyl- and N-aluminoimines with B-allyldiisopinocampheylborane in the presence of methanol, followed by oxidative workup furnished homoallylic amines in good yields and high ee. A 11B NMR spectroscopy study revealed that the reactions do not proceed, even at room temperature, unless a molar equivalent of water or methanol is added. The first reagent-controlled asymmetric crotylboration and alkoxyallylboration of aldimines furnishing beta-methyl or beta-alkoxy homoallylic amines in very high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity are reported herein. Crotylboration and alkoxyallylboration of imines proceed only with the "allyl"-boron "ate" complexes, instead of the "allyl"-dialkylboron reagents used with aldehydes. The addition of methanol is necessary for these reactions as well. Application of this methodology for the conversion of representative nitriles to beta-amino acids in two steps has been described. Additionally, a procedure for the preparation of chiral delta-amino alcohols and gamma-lactams from nitriles is also reported.     

A stereoselective synthesis of 3(R)-hydroxy-2(S)-ornithine

(2S,3R) Threo-3-hydroxy-ornithine has been synthesized efficiently using a highly stereoselective iodocyclocarbamation of the chiral Z-olefin 7 prepared from D-serine.