Development of aqueous oxidative Ugi-type reactions by copper-catalyzed surfactant-promoted C(sp)–H direct functionalization in water

Direct assembly of α-amino amides from N-alkyl amines and isocyanides through oxidative Ugi-type reactions in aqueous conditions, has been achieved in a Cu(I)–TBHP–surfactant catalysis system. Various N-alkyl amines and isocyanides could be tolerated in this reaction and furnish α-amino amides in moderate yields.     

Recent Applications of α-Metalated Isocyanides in Organic Synthesis

Being both nucleophilic and electrophilic, α-metalated isocyanides can add to polar double bonds, forming heterocycles. They are also synthons for α-metalated primary amines. This article describes recent or improved procedures for their use in organic synthesis: (1) In heterocyclic syntheses to give 2-oxazolines, 2-imidazolines, 2-thiazolines, oxazoles and oligooxazoles, thiazoles, triazoles, imidazolinones, pyrroles, 5,6-dihydro-1,3-oxazines and -thiazines, and (via cycloaddition with nitrones) 2-imidazolidinones. (2) In the field of formylaminomethylenation, for example transformation of estrone methyl ether and a keto sugar into the corresponding α-formylaminoacrylic esters, and the conversion of aldehydes and ketones by 3- and 4-pyridyl-methyl isocyanides into N-(1-pyridyl-1-alkenyl)formamides and their hydrolysis to 3- and 4-acylpyridines. (3) In connection with the use of α-metalated isocyanides as synthons for α-metalated primary amines, the author demonstrates how they may be used for preparation of 1,2- and 1,3-amino alcohols, 1,2-diamines, 2,3-diaminoalkanoic acids and for synthesis of higher amino acids starting from simple amino acids.     

α-Amino acids as acid components in the Passerini reaction: influence of N-protection on the yield and stereoselectivity

The Passerini reaction offers an easy access to depsipeptides, when both acid and isocyanide are derived from α-amino acids. However, racemisation of isocyanides derived from α-amino acid esters severely limits their use in the Passerini reaction. In order to overcome this limitation, a study on the influence of the α-amino acid N-protecting group on the yield and diastereoisomeric ratio of the product of the Passerini reaction was performed. Six different protecting groups were tested. Their influence turns out to be crucial and is not constant when the amino acid is changed. After optimisation, the Passerini reaction products with cyclohexanone as the carbonyl component were obtained with 99% yield and >98% de.     

A novel annulation reaction of N-substituted-2-nitrosoanilines with esters of α-isocyano acids. A one-pot,two-step route to 2-benzimidazole-substituted esters of α-amino acids

A BF₃-promoted α-addition of isocyanides to both nitrogen atoms of N-aryl-2-nitrosoanilines leads to stable BF₃-complexes of 3-N-hydroxy-(2-alkylimino)benzimidazole derivatives, which, after reduction with Zn in AcOH produce 1-N-aryl-2-alkylaminobenzimidazoles. This two-step annulation proceeds efficiently in a one-pot protocol with isocyanides derived from esters of α-amino acids. The chirality of the latter remains unaffected in the reaction.     

Study on the propylphosphonic anhydride (T3P®) mediated Ugi-type three-component reaction. Efficient synthesis of an α-amino amide library

In the present work, a mild and simple synthesis of α-amino amides has been developed via the one-pot three-component ABC type Ugi reaction of a wide variety of aromatic aldehydes and primary aromatic amines, and two different aliphatic isocyanides. The reactions took place rapidly at room temperature in the presence of 1-propanephosphonic acid cyclic anhydride (T3P^®), rendering possible the highly efficient preparation of an α-amino amide library in medium to excellent yields. This study represents the first case in which T3P^® has been used in the Ugi reaction.     

The Isocyanide–Cyanide Rearrangement; Mechanism and Preparative Applications

Until recently the isocyanide–cyanide rearrangement was of interest almost solely as an example of a unimolecular gas-phase reaction, and kinetic studies had been carried out in only a few simple cases. Kinetic measurements in solution were made possible only by the discovery and suppression of a parallel free-radical chain process which leads to the same products. The rate of the isomerization is almost independent of the structure of the starting material and of the substituents present. An exception is provided by extreme steric hindrance in three dimensions which, as in tris-α-substituted triptycyl isocyanides, leads to a considerable increase in the activation energy. The results can be interpreted in terms of a purely sigmatropic mechanism, as predicted by ab initio calculations. The preparative application of this rearrangement reaction requires the suppression of side reactions and can best be carried out by flash pyrolysis; yields are then almost quantitative. Allyl isocyanides react without allyl isomerization, optically active isocyanides with complete retention of configuration. New, economically interesting syntheses for the known nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen and (S)-naproxene are described. The application of the useful synthetic building blocks, the optically active β-acyloxy cyanides, which are formed from optically active α-amino acids, will be demonstrated.     

3-Amino-2H-Azirines. Synthons for α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acids in Heterocycle and Peptide Synthesis [New Analytical Methods (43)]

The recent upswing in peptide chemistry has been accompanied by an increasing interest in nonproteinogenic amino acids. These include the α,α-disubstituted glycines, the best known of which is Aib (2-aminoisobutyric acid, 2-methylalanine). These α-amino acids occur in natural oligopeptides such as the peptaibols, a class of membrane-active ionophores that has been isolated from fungal cultures. The twofold substitution at the α-C atom of the amino acids severely restricts the conformational freedom of the peptides and causes particular secondary structures to be favored; thus, α, α-disubstituted α-amino acids induce the formation of β turns or helices. 3-Amino-2H-azirines are ideal synthons for the construction of oligopeptides, cyclic peptides and depsipeptides (peptolides) containing such α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids. The presence of the ring strain in these molecules means that they can be used in peptide coupling without the need for additional activating reagents. Using 3-amino-2H-azirines a large array of heterocycles containing α, α-disubstituted α-amino acids as structural elements within their skeleton can be synthesized. The driving force in these reactions is the release of the strain on the three-membered ring, which usually takes place in a ring-expansion reaction. The mechanistic elucidation of these reactions, which can be quite complex, contains some surprises.     

N-Boc-Protected α-Amino Acids by 1,3-Migratory Nitrene C(sp3)−H Insertion

N-Boc-protected α-amino acids are synthesized in two steps from linear or branched carboxylic acid feedstocks. In the first step, the carboxylic acid is coupled with tert-butyl aminocarbonate (BocNHOH) to generate azanyl ester (acyloxycarbamate) RCO₂NHBoc. In the second step, this azanyl ester undergoes a stereocontrolled iron-catalyzed 1,3-nitrogen migration to generate the N-Boc-protected non-racemic α-amino acid. This straightforward protocol is applicable to the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of α-monosubstituted α-amino acids with aryl, alkenyl, and alkyl side chains. Furthermore, α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids are accessible in an enantioconvergent fashion from racemic carboxylic acids. The new method is also advantageous for the synthesis of α-deuterated α-amino acids. N-Boc-protected α-amino acids synthesized using this two-step protocol are ready-to-use building blocks.     

Synthesis of bicyclic 2,6-diketopiperazines via a three-step sequence involving an Ugi five-center,four-component reaction

A three-step sequence involving an Ugi five-center, four-component reaction (U-5C-4CR), amide N-detertbutylation and cyclocondensation has been developed for easy access to diverse bicyclic 2,6-diketopiperazine (2,6-DKP) derivatives. In the key step, aromatic aldehydes were successfully coupled with cyclic α-amino acids and isocyanides in the course of U-5C-4CR. Boron trifluoride-acetic acid complex was developed as a new N-detertbutylating agent effective at rt.     

Application of Isocyanides Derived from α-Amino Acids as Substrates for the Ugi Reaction

A systematic study on the influence of Lewis acid, solvent, and temperature on the stereochemical course of the Ugi reaction was performed to find conditions in which the isocyanides derived from enantiopure α-amino acids do not racemize. After a series of experiments, dichloromethane was used as a solvent and BF₃ · OEt₂ as a Lewis acid catalyst. This combination allowed us to obtain a product in a model reaction with 99% diastereoisomeric ratio (dr), with the structure motif of a group of cathepsin K inhibitors.     

From Isocyanides via Four-Component Condensations to Antibiotic Syntheses

The four-component condensation of amines and carbonyl compounds with isocyanides

1 Previously, isocyanides were almost always referred to as isonitriles. However, according to IUPAC Rule C-833.1 only the name “isocyanides” is permissible.

and suitable acid components (water, thiosulfuric acid, hydrogen selenide, hydrogen azide, cyanic acid, thiocyanic acid, carboxylic acids, methyl hydrogen carbonate) to form α-amino acid derivatives was discovered in 1959. This reaction principle shares some features with the Strecker synthesis and the Passerini reaction. The four-component condensation affords easy and effective one-pot synthesis of complex molecules from simple building blocks. Only in recent years, however, have the preparative advantages of the four-component condensation been exploited by numerous authors in the synthesis of diverse natural products and related compounds, although many of the possibilities opened by this principle were recognized more than two decades ago. In this progress report some instructive syntheses of various antibiotics are reviewed. The design of each of these syntheses involves a four-component condensation as key step, by means of which lengthy sequences of reactions are avoided, which otherwise would be required to achieve the synthetic goal.     

Optical rotatory dispersion and circular dichroism. LXXV. Circular dichroism of some aryl-amino acids

CD. curves have been recorded for α-aryl-α-amino acids, esters and amides related to α-phenylglycine, α-phenyl-alanine and their N-dimethyl derivatives, and for the corresponding α-cyclohexyl-α-amino acids and esters. Compounds with the (S)-configuration at the single asymmetric carbon atom give strong positive Cotton effects near 220 nm. The conformations of the acids are discussed and compared with those of other α-amino acids.     

Catalyst-Controlled Regiodivergent Synthesis of α/β-Dipeptide Derivatives via N-Allylic Alkylation of O-Alkyl Hydroxamates with MBH Carbonates

A controllable and regiodivergent N-allylation reaction involving readily available O-alkyl hydroxamates derived from natural α-amino acids has been developed, allowing regiospecific access to α/β-dipeptides containing α-unsaturated β-amino acids moieties in moderate to good yields. The regioselectivity could be conveniently switched by alternation of the catalysts and solvents.     

α-Amino Acids: An Emerging Versatile Synthon in Visible Light-Driven Decarboxylative Transformations

α-Amino acids have been widely recognized as environmental-benign and non-fossil carbon sources both in biological and synthetic chemistry. In recent years, with the remarkable development of visible-light photocatalysis in organic synthesis, α-amino acid and its derivatives have received tremendous attention as radical precursors via photocatalyzed decarboxylation, thus realizing diverse aminoalkylated transformations or constructions of novel N-bearing heterocyclic motifs by taking advantage of N-atoms from α-amino acid. This review aims to provide a comprehensive update on the recent exploitation of α-amino acids in visible light photocatalysis, with particular emphasis on the types of α-amino acids employed and their distinct mechanisms applied wherein.     

HBTU Mediated Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated γ-Lactams from E-α,β-Unsaturated γ-Amino Acids

The α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams have been found in many biologically active peptide natural products. Due to their biological activities, extensive efforts have been made in the literature to synthesize the α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams. Here, we are reporting the spontaneous transformation of E-α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids into α,β-unsaturated γ-lactam through in-situ activation of free carboxylic acid using peptide coupling reagent HBTU and base DIPEA at room temperature. The transformation also involves the E→Z isomerization of α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids. The reaction is also compatible with the peptides consisting of E-α,β-unsaturated amino acids at the C-terminus. The α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams were isolated in very good yields. Even though the reaction required very mild conditions, the products were isolated in the form of a racemic mixture. However, the products can be separated under a chiral environment. No α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams were observed if the reaction was performed in the presence of free amines. In addition, no racemization was observed during the peptide synthesis. The analysis of the reactions of various substrates revealed that amide NH and γ-CH are important for lactamization. No α,β-unsaturated γ-lactams or E→Z isomerization products were observed in the case of N-Me-(E)-α,β-unsaturated γ-amino acids, whereas in the case of E-α,β-unsaturated γ,γ-dimethyl amino acid α,β-unsaturated γ-lactam was isolated, however, with low yield.     

Recent Results in Carbanion Chemistry

The Wittig rearrangement of ethers metalated in the alpha position with alkali metals is a 1,2-shift to an atom with a lone pair of electrons. The alkyl shift proceeds with racemization (and partial retention) at the migrating carbon atom. The experimental observations suggest a cleavage-recombination mechanism involving a radical pair, as must also be assumed for the ylide rearrangements. In the allyl migration, the double bond is displaced within the migrating residue (allyl inversion). This is readily explained by a one-step S′ mechanism, the transition state of which is allowed on symmetry grounds. In the case of benzyl 2-butynyl ether metalated on the butynyl residue, the ortho isomerization (corresponding to the Sommelet rearrangement) predominates. – α-Metalated alkyl isocyanides can react with carbonyl compounds to form olefins and metal cyanate (carbonyl olefination). Isocyanoacetic esters occupy a special place; they react with aldehydes and ketones to form β-substituted α-formylaminoacrylates (formylaminoalkoxycarbonylmethylenation), which can enter into a wide range of reactions. β-Hydroxyalkyl isocyanides or 2-oxazolines can be isolated as intermediates in the carbonyl olefination. α-Metalated isocyanides react with acylating agents to form β-ketoalkyl isocyanides, which cyclize to give oxazoles.     

Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of 2-Amidoacrylates

Earth-abundant nickel, coordinated with a suitable chiral bisphosphine ligand, was found to be an efficient catalyst for the asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-amidoacrylates, affording the chiral α-amino acid esters in quantitative yields and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 96 % ee). The active catalyst component was studied by NMR and HRMS, which helped us to realize high catalytic efficiency on a gram scale with a low catalyst loading (S/C=2000). The hydrogenated products could be simply converted into chiral α-amino acids, β-amino alcohols, and their bioactive derivatives. Furthermore, the catalytic mechanism was investigated using deuterium-labeling experiments and computational calculations.     

Palladium-Catalyzed Carbo-Oxygenation of Propargylic Amines using in Situ Tether Formation

1,2-Amino alcohols and α-aminocarbonyls are frequently found in natural products, drugs, chiral auxiliaries, and catalysts. This work reports a new method for the palladium-catalyzed oxyalkynylation and oxyarylation of propargylic amines. The reaction is perfectly regioselective based on the in situ introduction of a hemiacetal tether derived from trifluoroacetaldehyde. cis-Selective carbo-oxygenation was achieved for terminal alkynes, whereas internal alkynes gave trans-carbo-oxygenation products. The obtained enol ethers could be easily transformed into 1,2-amino alcohols or α-amino ketones using hydrogenation or hydrolysis, respectively.     

Preparation of Acyclic N-Acyl-N,O-acetals by Decarboxylation of N-Protected α-Amino Acids and Studies of Asymmetric Amidoalkylation with Trimethylsilyl Cyanide

Oxidative decarboxylation of N-acyl-α-amino acids with lead tetra-acetate followed by treatment with methanol provides a facile method for preparation of acyclic N-acyl-N,O-acetals, which can be used in asymmetric α-amidoalkylation reactions using trimethylsilyl cyanide as nucleophile.     

α-Alkylation of Amino Acids without Racemization. Preparation of Either (S)- or (R)-α-Methyldopa from (S)-Alanine

Enantiomerically pure cis- and trans-5-alkyl-1-benzoyl-2-(tert-butyl)-3-methylimidazolidin-4-ones ( 1, 2, 11, 15, 16 ) and trans-2-(tert-butyl)-3-methyl-5-phenylimidazolidin-4-one ( 20 ), readily available from (S)-alanine, (S)-valine, (S)-methionine, and (R)-phenylglycine are deprotonated to chiral enolates (cf. 3, 4, 12, 21 ). Diastereoselective alkylation of these enolates to 5,5-dialkyl- or 5-alkyl-5-arylimidazolidinones ( 5, 6, 9, 10, 13a-d, 17, 18, 22 ) and hydrolysis give α-alkyl-α-amino acids such as (R)- and (S)-α-methyldopa ( 7 and 8a , resp.), (S)-α-methylvaline ( 14 ), and (R)-α-methyl-methionine ( 19 ). The configuration of the products is proved by chemical correlation and by NOE ¹H-NMR measurements (see 23, 24 ). In the overall process, a simple, enantiomerically pure α-amino acid can be α-alkylated with retention or with inversion of configuration through pivaladehyde acetal derivatives. Since no chiral auxiliary is required, the process is coined ‘self-reproduction of a center of chirality’. The method is compared with other α-alkylations of amino acids occurring without racemization. The importance of enantiomerically pure, α-branched α-amino acids as synthetic intermediates and for the preparation of biologically active compounds is discussed.