Enantioselective Synthesis of β-Necrodol and of 1-Epi-β-necrodol via Asymmetric 1,4-Addition and Magnesium-Ene Cyclization. Preliminary Communication

Enantiomerically pure β-necrodol ( 1 ) and its 1-epimer 16 have been synthesized starting from aldehyde 5 . The two key steps are an asymmetric conjugate addtion/Mannich reaction tandem ( 10 → 12 ) and a type-II-magnesiumene cyclization/oxidation sequence ( 14 → 1 + 16 ).     

1,3-Dioxanone Derivatives from β-Hydroxy-carboxylic Acids and Pivalaldehyde. Versatile Building Blocks for Syntheses of Enantiomerically Pure Compounds. A Chiral Acetoacetic Acid Derivative Preliminary Communication

(R)-3-Hydroxybutyric acid (from the biopolymer PHB) and pivalaldehyde give the crystalline cis - or (R,R)-2-(tert-butyl)-6-methyl-1,3-dioxan-4-one ( 1a ), the enolate of which is stable at low temperature in THF solution and can be alkylated diastereoselectively ( →3, 4, 5 , and 7 ). Phenylselenation and subsequent elimination give an enantiomerically pure enol acetal 10 of aceto-acetic acid. Some reactions of 10 have been carried out, such as Michael addition (→ 11 ), alkylation on the CH₃ substituent (→ 13 ), hydrogenation of the C?C bond (→ 1a ) and photochemical cycloaddition (→ 16 ). The overall reactions are substitutions on the one stereogenic center of the starting β-hydroxy acid without racemization and without using a chiral auxiliary.     

Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed 1,4-Addition of Grignard Reagents to α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds

The enantioselective copper-catalyzed 1,4-addition of Grignard reagents to α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds was studied with the following Cu^I compounds as catalyst precursor and 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-3-thio-α-D -glucofuranose (Hsiig) as chiral ligand: CuI, iodo[bis(dibutylsulfide)]copper(I), [Cu(siig)], [Cu(siig)(pp)] (pp =1,2-bis)(diphenylphosphinoethene), and tetrakis[iodo(tributylphosphine)]copper(I). The addition of BuMg halides to cyclohex-2-en-1-one was tested under several reaction conditions. The chemical yields and regioselectivities for this reaction were, in all cases, larger than 90 and 98%, respectively, and independent of the experimental conditions. The enantioselectivity was strongly dependent on the reaction conditions and reached a maximum of 60%. Several other substrates were also tested in the above reaction. The X-ray crystal structure for [Cu(siig)(pp)] was determined by X-ray crystallography.     

Asymmetric α-Acetoxylation of Carboxylic Esters. Preliminary Communication

Using the readily accessible chiral auxiliaries 1 – 3 the sulfonamide-shielded O-silylated esters 5 underwent π-face-selective α-acetoxylation on successive treatment with Pb(OAc)₄ and NEt₃ HF to give after recrystallization α-acetoxy ester 6 in 55–67% yields and in 95–100% d.e. Starting from conjugated enoates addition of RCu and subsequent acetoxylation 10 → 11 → 12 yielded α,β-bifunctionalized esters 12 with >95% configurational control at both C_α and C_β. Nondestructive removal of the auxiliary ( 6 → 7 , 6 → 8 and 12 → 13 ) gave either α-hydroxycarboxylic acids or terminal α-glycols in high enantiomeric purity. The prepared glycols 8c and 13a are key intermediates for previously reported syntheses of the natural products 16 and 17 , respectively.     

Asymmetric Induction at C(β) and C(α) of N-Enoylsultams by Organomagnesium 1,4-Addition/Enolate Trapping

The 1,4-addition of alkylmagnesium chlorides to conjugated N-enoylsultams and subsequent ‘enolate trapping’ with aq. NH₄Cl or MeI/hexamethylphosphoric triamide generated centers of asymmetry at C(β) and/or at C(α) with good to excellent π-face defferentiation as demonstrated by the conversions 1 → 2 , 1 → 4 , and 8 → 9 . This holds also for the regioselective 1,4-addition of EtMgC1 to a dienoylsultam ( 15 → 16 ). Reactive conformations 1 ^≠, 8 ^≠, 13 , and 14 are postulated in agreement with X-ray evidence which also served for the structure determination of the product 9j .     

Asymmetric Hydroformylation of α-[2H]-Styrene. Preliminary Communication

The hydroformylation of α-[²H]-styrene in the presence of an asymmetric rhodium-catalyst afforded two optically active isomeric aldehydes. The origin of the asymmetric induction is discussed on the basis of the chirality and the optical purity of the two products.     

Addition of Chiral Glycine,Methionine, and Vinylglycine Enolate Derivatives to Aldehydes and Ketones in the Preparation of Enantiomerically Pure α-Amino-β-Hydroxy Acids

Chiral enolates of imidazolidinones and oxazolidinones from the title amino acids react with carbonyl compounds to afford the corresponding alcohols in excellent yields (see Scheme 5). Furthermore, the addition to aldehydes proceeds with high diastereoselectivity to give, after acid hydrolysis, threo-α-amino-β-hydroxy acids of high enantiomeric purity. Some of the threo-α-amino-β-hydroxy acids prepared in this work are the proteinogenic (S)-threonine ( 26 ), the naturally occurring (S)-3-phenylserine ( 28 ), and (S)-3-hydroxyleucine ( 27 ) as well as the unnatural (S)-4,4,4-trifluorothreonine ( 30 ) and (S)-3-(4-pyridyl)serine ( 31 ). The N-methylamide of (2S,3R,4R,6E)-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-(methylamino)-6-octenoic acid ( 32 ), the unique amino acid in the immunosuppressive cyclosporine, was prepared by the new method. This report presents also information suggesting that both steric and stereoelectronic effects are responsible for the good stereoselectivities observed.     

Alkylation of Imidazolidinone Dipeptide Derivatives: Preparation of Enantiomerically Pure Di- and Tripeptides by ‘Chirality Transfer’ via a Pivalaldehyde N,N-Acetal Center. Preliminary Communication

Glycylglycine, glycyl-(S)-alanine, and (S)-alanylglycine esters are cyclized through pivalaldehyde imines to give dipeptide-derived 3-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-2-(tert-butyl)-5-oxoimidazolidine-1-acetates 1 – 3 . These are alkylated diastereoselectively by Li-enolate formation and addition of alkyl bromides or iodides (products 4 – 6 ). Starting from (S)-alanine and glycine, (S)-alanyl-(S)-alanine or (R)-alanyl-(R)-alanine, and (R)-alanyl-(R)alanyl-(S)-alanine- have thus been prepared, with the (tert-butyl)-substituted N,N-acetal center playing the role of a pivot or lever for diastereoselective formation of new stereogenic centers under kinetic or thermodynamic control.     

Preparation of β2‐Homotryptophan Derivatives for β‐Peptide Synthesis

In view of the prominent role of the 1H‐indol‐3‐yl side chain of tryptophan in peptides and proteins, it is important to have the appropriately protected homologs H‐β² HTrp OH and H‐β³ HTrp OH (Fig.) available for incorporation in β‐peptides. The β²‐HTrp building block is especially important, because β²‐amino acid residues cause β‐peptide chains to fold to the unusual 12/10 helix or to a hairpin turn. The preparation of Fmoc and Z β²‐HTrp(Boc) OH by Curtius degradation (Scheme 1) of a succinic acid derivative is described (Schemes 2–4). To this end, the (S)‐4‐isopropyl‐3‐[(N‐Boc‐indol‐3‐yl)propionyl]‐1,3‐oxazolidin‐2‐one enolate is alkylated with Br CH₂CO₂Bn (Scheme 3). Subsequent hydrogenolysis, Curtius degradation, and removal of the Evans auxiliary group gives the desired derivatives of (R)‐H β²‐HTrp OH (Scheme 4). Since the (R)‐form of the auxiliary is also available, access to (S)‐β²‐HTrp‐containing β‐peptides is provided as well.     

An Expeditious Access to Enantiomerically Pure cis‐Dialkyl‐Substituted γ‐ and δ‐Lactones

A facile general route to enantiomerically pure 3,4‐cis‐dialkyl‐substituted γ‐lactones and 4,5‐cis‐dialkyl‐substituted δ‐lactones by TiCl₄‐mediated Evans asymmetric aldolization as the key step is exemplified by synthesis of cis‐(3R,4R)‐3‐methyldecan‐4‐olide and (4R,5R)‐aerangis lactone.     

Linear,Peptidase‐Resistant β2/β3‐Di‐ and α/β3‐Tetrapeptide Derivatives with Nanomolar Affinities to a Human Somatostatin Receptor,Preliminary Communication

N‐Acyl‐β²/β³‐dipeptide‐amide somatostatin analogs, 5 – 8 , with β²‐HTrp‐β³‐HLys ('natural' sequence) and β²‐HLys‐β³‐HTrp (retro‐sequence) have been synthesized (in solution). Depending on their relative configurations and on the nature of the terminal N‐acyl and terminal C‐amino group, the linear β‐dipeptide derivatives have affinities for the human receptor hsst 4, ranging from 250 to >10000 nanomolar (Fig. 3). Also, N‐Ac‐tetrapeptide amides 9 and 10 , which contain one α‐ and three β‐amino acid residues (N‐β‐α‐β‐β‐C), have been prepared (solid‐phase synthesis), with the natural (Phe, Trp, Lys, Thr) and the retro‐sequence (Thr, Lys, Trp, Phe) of side chains and with two different configurations, each, of the two central amino acid residues. The novel ‘mixed', linear α/β‐peptides have affinities for the hsst 4 receptor ranging from 23 to >10000 nanomolar (Fig. 4), and, like ‘pure' β‐peptides, they are completely stable to a series of proteolytic enzymes. Thus, the peptidic turn of the cyclic tetradecapeptide somatostatin (Fig. 1) can be mimicked by simple linear di‐ and tetrapeptides. The tendency of β‐dipeptides for forming hydrogen‐bonded rings is confirmed by calculations at the B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) level (Fig. 2). The reported results open new avenues for the design of low‐molecular‐weight peptidic drugs.