Design and Synthesis of Novel Chiral Dirhodium(II) Carboxylate Complexes for Asymmetric Cyclopropanation Reactions

A novel approach to the design of dirhodium(II) tetracarboxylates derived from (S)‐amino acid ligands is reported. The approach is founded on tailoring the steric influences of the overall catalyst structure by reducing the local symmetry of the ligand's N‐heterocyclic tether. The application of the new approach has led to the uncovering of [Rh₂(S‐^tertPTTL)₄] as a new member of the dirhodium(II) family with extraordinary selectivity in cyclopropanation reactions. The stereoselectivity of [Rh₂(S‐^tertPTTL)₄] was found to be comparable to that of [Rh₂(S‐PTAD)₄] (up to >99 % ee), with the extra benefit of being more synthetically accessible. Correlations based on X‐ray structures to justify the observed enantioinduction are also discussed.     

Highly Diastereoselective and Enantioselective Olefin Cyclopropanation Using Engineered Myoglobin‐Based Catalysts

Using rational design, an engineered myoglobin‐based catalyst capable of catalyzing the cyclopropanation of aryl‐substituted olefins with catalytic proficiency (up to 46 800 turnovers) and excellent diastereo‐ and enantioselectivity (98–99.9 %) was developed. This transformation could be carried out in the presence of up to 20 g L^?1 olefin substrate with no loss in diastereo‐ and/or enantioselectivity. Mutagenesis and mechanistic studies support a cyclopropanation mechanism mediated by an electrophilic, heme‐bound carbene species and a model is provided to rationalize the stereopreference of the protein catalyst. This work shows that myoglobin constitutes a promising and robust scaffold for the development of biocatalysts with carbene‐transfer reactivity.     

Engineered C–N Lyase: Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Synthons for Artificial Dipeptide Sweeteners

Aspartic acid derivatives with branched N‐alkyl or N‐arylalkyl substituents are valuable precursors to artificial dipeptide sweeteners such as neotame and advantame. The development of a biocatalyst to synthesize these compounds in a single asymmetric step is an as yet unmet challenge. Reported here is an enantioselective biocatalytic synthesis of various difficult N‐substituted aspartic acids, including N‐(3,3‐dimethylbutyl)‐l ‐aspartic acid and N‐[3‐(3‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxyphenyl)propyl]‐l ‐aspartic acid, precursors to neotame and advantame, respectively, using an engineered variant of ethylenediamine‐N,N′‐disuccinic acid (EDDS) lyase from Chelativorans sp. BNC1. This engineered C–N lyase (mutant D290M/Y320M) displayed a remarkable 1140‐fold increase in activity for the selective hydroamination of fumarate compared to that of the wild‐type enzyme. These results present new opportunities to develop practical multienzymatic processes for the more sustainable and step‐economic synthesis of an important class of food additives.     

One‐pot Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Chiral 1,3‐Diols Using an Enantioselective Aldol Reaction with Chiral Zn2+ Complex Catalysts and Enzymatic Reduction Using Oxidoreductases with Cofactor Regeneration

We previously reported on enantioselective aldol reactions of acetone and some aldehydes catalyzed by chiral Zn²⁺ complexes of L ‐prolyl‐pendant [12]aneN₄ (L ‐ZnL¹) and L ‐valyl‐pendant [12]aneN₄ (L ‐ZnL²) in aqueous solution. Here, we report on the one‐pot chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral 1,3‐diols in an aqueous solvent system at room temperature by a combination of enantioselective aldol reactions catalyzed by Zn²⁺ complexes of L ‐ and D ‐phenylalanyl‐pendant [12]aneN₄ (L ‐ZnL³ and D ‐ZnL³) and the successive enantioselective reduction of the aldol products using oxidoreductases with the regeneration of the NADH (reduced form of nicotinamine adenine dinucleotide) cofactor. The findings indicate that all four stereoisomers of 1,3‐diols can be produced by appropriate selection of a chiral Zn²⁺‐complex and an oxidoreductase commercially available from the “Chiralscreen OH” kit.     

Improved Cyclopropanation Activity of Histidine‐Ligated Cytochrome P450 Enables the Enantioselective Formal Synthesis of Levomilnacipran

Engineering enzymes capable of modes of activation unprecedented in nature will increase the range of industrially important molecules that can be synthesized through biocatalysis. However, low activity for a new function is often a limitation in adopting enzymes for preparative‐scale synthesis, reaction with demanding substrates, or when a natural substrate is also present. By mutating the proximal ligand and other key active‐site residues of the cytochrome P450 enzyme from Bacillus megaterium (P450‐BM3), a highly active His‐ligated variant of P450‐BM3 that can be employed for the enantioselective synthesis of the levomilnacipran core was engineered. This enzyme, BM3‐Hstar, catalyzes the cyclopropanation of N,N‐diethyl‐2‐phenylacrylamide with an estimated initial rate of over 1000 turnovers per minute and can be used under aerobic conditions. Cyclopropanation activity is highly dependent on the electronic properties of the P450 proximal ligand, which can be used to tune this non‐natural enzyme activity.     

Donor Promiscuity of a Thermostable Transketolase by Directed Evolution: Efficient Complementation of 1‐Deoxy‐d‐xylulose‐5‐phosphate Synthase Activity

Enzymes catalyzing asymmetric carboligation reactions typically show very high substrate specificity for their nucleophilic donor substrate components. Structure‐guided engineering of the thermostable transketolase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus by directed in vitro evolution yielded new enzyme variants that are able to utilize pyruvate and higher aliphatic homologues as nucleophilic components for acyl transfer instead of the natural polyhydroxylated ketose phosphates or hydroxypyruvate. The single mutant H102T proved the best hit toward 3‐methyl‐2‐oxobutyrate as donor, while the double variant H102L/H474S showed highest catalytic efficiency toward pyruvate as donor. The latter variant was able to complement the auxotrophic deficiency of Escherichia coli cells arising from a deletion of the dxs gene, which encodes for activity of the first committed step into the terpenoid biosynthesis, offering the chance to employ a growth selection test for further enzyme optimization.     

A Tailor‐Made Chimeric Thiamine Diphosphate Dependent Enzyme for the Direct Asymmetric Synthesis of (S)‐Benzoins

Thiamine diphosphate dependent enzymes are well known for catalyzing the asymmetric synthesis of chiral α‐hydroxy ketones from simple prochiral substrates. The steric and chemical properties of the enzyme active site define the product spectrum. Enzymes catalyzing the carboligation of aromatic aldehydes to (S)‐benzoins have not so far been identified. We were able to close this gap by constructing a chimeric enzyme, which catalyzes the synthesis of various (S)‐benzoins with excellent enantiomeric excess (>99 %) and very good conversion.     

Gram‐Scale Enantioselective Formal Synthesis of Morphine through an ortho–para Oxidative Phenolic Coupling Strategy

A gram‐scale catalytic enantioselective formal synthesis of morphine is described. The key steps of the synthesis involve an ortho–para oxidative phenolic coupling and a highly diastereoselective “desymmetrization” of the resulting cyclohexadienone that generates three of the four morphinan ring junction stereocenters in one step. The stereochemistry is controlled from a single carbinol center installed through catalytic enantioselective hydrogenation. These transformations enabled the preparation of large quantities of key intermediates and could support a practical and scalable synthesis of morphine and related derivatives.     

Gram‐Scale Synthesis of the (−)‐Sparteine Surrogate and (−)‐Sparteine

An 8‐step, gram‐scale synthesis of the (?)‐sparteine surrogate (22 % yield, with just 3 chromatographic purifications) and a 10‐step, gram‐scale synthesis of (?)‐sparteine (31 % yield) are reported. Both syntheses proceed with complete diastereocontrol and allow access to either antipode. Since the syntheses do not rely on natural product extraction, our work addresses long‐term supply issues relating to these widely used chiral ligands.     

A Hybrid Ring‐Opening Metathesis Polymerization Catalyst Based on an Engineered Variant of the β‐Barrel Protein FhuA

A β‐barrel protein hybrid catalyst was prepared by covalently anchoring a Grubbs–Hoveyda type olefin metathesis catalyst at a single accessible cysteine amino acid in the barrel interior of a variant of β‐barrel transmembrane protein ferric hydroxamate uptake protein component A (FhuA). Activity of this hybrid catalyst type was demonstrated by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of a 7‐oxanorbornene derivative in aqueous solution.     

Chiral Amine Synthesis Using ω‐Transaminases: An Amine Donor that Displaces Equilibria and Enables High‐Throughput Screening

The widespread application of ω‐transaminases as biocatalysts for chiral amine synthesis has been hampered by fundamental challenges, including unfavorable equilibrium positions and product inhibition. Herein, an efficient process that allows reactions to proceed in high conversion in the absence of by‐product removal using only one equivalent of a diamine donor (ortho‐xylylenediamine) is reported. This operationally simple method is compatible with the most widely used (R)‐ and (S)‐selective ω‐TAs and is particularly suitable for the conversion of substrates with unfavorable equilibrium positions (e.g., 1‐indanone). Significantly, spontaneous polymerization of the isoindole by‐product generates colored derivatives, providing a high‐throughput screening platform to identify desired ω‐TA activity.