2-nitrophenyl isocyanide as a versatile convertible isocyanide: rapid access to a fused gamma-lactam beta-lactone bicycle

2-Nitrophenyl isocyanide is introduced as a convertible isocyanide with demonstration of its feasibility and applicability in an efficient synthesis of the fused gamma-lactam beta-lactone bicycle of proteasome inhibitor omuralide. Starting from a linear keto acid precursor, the fused gamma-lactam beta-lactone bicycle was prepared in four steps by a sequential biscyclization strategy; a stereocontrolled Ugi reaction and the concomitant direct beta-lactonization following the formation of an N-acylbenzotriazole intermediate. The N-acylbenzotriazole is amenable to intra- or intermolecular attack from a variety of nucleophiles with a catalytic amount of base to form the pyroglutamic acid derivatives.     

Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-lactacystin

Total synthesis of (+)-lactacystin, a potent and selective proteasome inhibitor, was accomplished using a catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of a ketoimine as the initial key step. An enone-derived N-phosphinoyl ketoimine 7 was selected as a stable masked alpha-hydroxy ketoimine analogue. Excellent enantioselectivity (98% ee) and practical catalyst activity were produced under the optimized catalyst preparation method using 2.5 mol % Gd{N(SiMe3)2}3 as a metal source and 3.8 mol % D-glucose-derived ligand 8. This reaction was conducted on a 5 g scale. The chiral tetrasubstituted C-5 carbon efficiently controlled the stereochemistry of the other three chiral centers of lactacystin. Chelation-controlled Meerwein-type reduction of ketone 5 using i-PrMgBr (originally reported by Kang in a related substrate) selectively produced the desired secondary alcohol at the C-9 position. The C-6 hydroxy and C-7 methyl groups were introduced via a silyl conjugate addition followed by the Tamao oxidation and Donohoe methylation, respectively, in a highly stereoselective manner. A practical amount of enantiomerically pure clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone (2), the biologically active form of (+)-lactacystin, can be synthesized using this route. clasto-Lactacystin beta-lactone (2) was converted to (+)-lactacystin following the reported procedure.     

Crystal structures of Salinosporamide A (NPI-0052) and B (NPI-0047) in complex with the 20S proteasome reveal important consequences of beta-lactone ring opening and a mechanism for irreversible binding

The crystal structures of the yeast 20S proteasome core particle (CP) in complex with Salinosporamides A (NPI-0052; 1) and B (4) were solved at <3 angstroms resolution. Each ligand is covalently bound to Thr1O(gamma) via an ester linkage to the carbonyl derived from the beta-lactone ring of the inhibitor. In the case of 1, nucleophilic addition to the beta-lactone ring is followed by addition of C-3O to the chloroethyl group, giving rise to a cyclic ether. The crystal structures were compared to that of the omuralide/CP structure solved previously, and the collective data provide new insights into the mechanism of inhibition and irreversible binding of 1. Upon opening of the beta-lactone ring, C-3O assumes the position occupied by a water molecule in the unligated enzyme and hinders deacylation of the enzyme-ligand complex. Furthermore, the resulting protonation state of Thr1NH2 deactivates the catalytic N-terminus.     

Organocatalyzed Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of Heteroaryl and Aryl Trifluoroborates: a Synthetic Strategy for Discoipyrrole D

Bis‐heteroaryl or bis‐aryl stereocenters were formed by an organocatalytic enantioselective conjugate addition using the respective trifluoroborate salts as nucleophiles. Control studies suggested that fluoride dissociation is necessary in the anhydrous conditions. This strategy is applicable to the synthesis of discoipyrrole D, an inhibitor of BR5 fibroblast migration.     

Desymmetrisation of a centrosymmetric molecule by carbon-carbon bond formation: asymmetric aldol reactions of a centrosymmetric dialdehyde

The desymmetrisation of centrosymmetric molecules by enantioselective carbon-carbon bond formation has been reported for the first time. A bimetallic zinc catalyst developed by Trost was exploited in the desymmetrisation of a centrosymmetric dialdehyde. The approach was successful with a range of ketone nucleophiles and was uniformly highly diastereoselective (>98:<2). The yield and the enantioselectivity of the reaction varied as a function of the ketone used, and the desymmetrised products were obtained in up to 74 % yield and 97 % ee (ee=enantiomeric excess). The desymmetrisation of centrosymmetric molecules by enantioselective carbon-carbon bond formation is an efficient and convergent synthetic approach which is likely to find wide application in synthesis, particularly in the total synthesis of natural products with embedded centrosymmetric fragments.     

Organocatalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (R)-rolipram and formal synthesis of (3S,4R)-paroxetine

An efficient enantioselective total synthesis of (R)-rolipram and an efficient enantioselective formal synthesis of (3S,4R)-paroxetine has been achieved using the highly enantioselective Michael addition of malonate nucleophiles as key steps in both cases.     

Highly enantioselective conjugate additions to alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones catalyzed by a (salen)Al complex

Chiral (salen)Al complex 1a catalyzes the highly enantioselective conjugate addition of carbon- and nitrogen-based nucleophiles to acyclic alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones. This methodology is tolerant of substantial variation of the ketone structure, providing access to a wide range of useful chiral building blocks in high yield and enantiomeric excess. Synthetic manipulations of the conjugate addition products are demonstrated, including the straightforward preparation of beta-amino ketones and highly enantioenriched carbo- and heterocyclic compounds.     

Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Amides by a Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Wolff Rearrangement**

The enantioselective addition of potent nucleophiles to ketenes poses challenges due to competing background reactions and poor stereocontrol. Herein, we present a method for enantioselective phosphoric acid catalyzed amination of ketenes generated from α-aryl-α-diazoketones. Upon exposure to visible light, the diazoketones undergo Wolff rearrangement to generate ketenes. The phosphoric acid not only accelerates ketene capture by amines to form a single configuration of aminoenol intermediates but also promotes an enantioselective proton-transfer reaction of the intermediates to yield the products. Mechanistic studies elucidated the reaction pathway and explained how the catalyst expedited the transformation and controlled the enantioselectivity.     

Practical synthesis of 4,4,4-trifluorocrotonaldehyde: a versatile precursor for the enantioselective formation of trifluoromethylated stereogenic centers via organocatalytic 1,4-additions

The practical synthesis of 4,4,4-trifluorocrotonaldehyde (1) and its application to enantioselective 1,4-additions are described. The organocatalytic 1,4-addition of 1 with several nucleophiles such as heteroaromatics, alkylthiols and aldoximes afforded the corresponding products, each bearing a trifluoromethylated stereogenic center with high optical purity. A resulting product was converted into an MAO-A inhibitor, befloxatone.     

Total synthesis of the Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin

An enantioselective synthesis of the Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin was achieved in 20 linear steps and 2.0% overall yield from 2-methoxyhydroquinone. The synthesis is highlighted by a regio- and stereoselective hydroboration reaction; a Sc(OTf)(3)/Et(3)SiH-mediated pyran ring-opening reaction; an enantioselective crotylation to simultaneously install the C8-C9 (E) -trisubstituted olefin, the C10 and C11 stereocenters; a chelation-controlled asymmetric metallated acetylide addition; and an intramolecular copper(I)-mediated aryl amidation reaction to close the 19-membered macrolactam.     

New homochiral binaphthol-modified organolanthanide reagents for the enantioselective addition to aldehydes

Optically active secondary alcohols were obtained in high chemical yield and optical purity (up to 85% ee) from the lanthanide-mediated enantioselective addition of alkyl nucleophiles to aromatic aldehydes.     

Utility of the ammonia-free Birch reduction of electron-deficient pyrroles: total synthesis of the 20s proteasome inhibitor, clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone

A new synthesis of the 20S proteasome inhibitor clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone is described. Our route to this important natural product involves the partial reduction of an electron deficient pyrrole as a key step. By judicious choice of enolate counterion, we were able to exert complete control over the stereoselectivity of the reduction/aldol reaction. Early attempts to complete the synthesis by using a C-4 methyl substituted pyrrole are described in full, together with our attempts to promote regioselective elimination of a tertiary alcohol. The lessons learnt from this first approach led us to develop another, and ultimately successful, route that introduced the C-4 methyl group at a late stage in the synthesis. Our successful route is then described and this contains several highly stereoselective steps including a cis-dihydroxylation and an enolate methylation. The final synthesis proceeds in just 13 steps and in 15 % overall yield making it an extremely efficient route to this valuable compound.     

Novel chiral hydrogen bond donor catalysts based on a 4,5-diaminoxanthene scaffold: application to enantioselective conjugate addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes

Novel chiral hydrogen bond donor catalysts based on a 4,5-diamino-9,9′-dimethylxanthene skeleton were designed and synthesized. Among the phenylurea-amide hybrid molecules prepared from various natural/unnatural chiral amino acids, the phenylalanine-derived catalyst, and the proline-derived catalyst were successfully applied to enantioselective conjugate addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes. Using 2-acetylcyclopentanone and 2-methoxycarbonylcyclopentanone as prochiral nucleophiles, asymmetric conjugate addition to β-aryl nitroalkenes proceeded with good diastereoselectivity to provide the corresponding products bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter in excellent yield with up to 95% ee.     

Geminal dicarboxylates as carbonyl surrogates for asymmetric synthesis. Part II. Scope and applications.

An enantioselective synthesis of allylic esters has been achieved by a novel asymmetric alkylation of allylic gem-dicarboxylates. The catalyst derived from palladium(0) and R,R-1,2-di(2'-diphenylphosphinobenzamido)cyclohexene efficiently induced the alkylation process with a variety of nucleophiles to provide allylic esters as products in good yield. High regio- and enantioselectivities were observed in the alkylation with most nucleophiles derived from malonate, whereas a modest level of ee's was obtained in the reactions with less reactive nucleophiles such as bis(phenylsulfonyl)ethane. In the latter case, a slow addition procedure proved effective, leading to significantly improved ee's. The utility of the alkylation products was demonstrated by several synthetically useful transformations including allylic isomerizations, allylic alkylations, and Claisen rearrangements. Using these reactions, the chirality of the initial allylic carbon-oxygen bond could be transferred to new carbon-oxygen, carbon-carbon, or carbon-nitrogen bonds in a predictable fashion with high stereochemical fidelity. The conversion of gem-diesters to chiral esters by the substitution reaction is the equivalent of an asymmetric carbonyl addition by stabilized nucleophiles. In conjunction with the subsequent reactions that occur with high stereospecificity, allylic gem-dicarboxylates serve as synthons for a double allylic transformation.     

An Asymmetric Synthesis of L-694,458, a Human Leukocyte Elastase Inhibitor, via Novel Enzyme Resolution of beta-Lactam Esters

A convergent synthesis of [S-(R,S)]-2-[4-[(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)carbonyl]phenoxy]-3,3-diethyl-N-[1-[3,4-(methylenedioxy)phenyl]butyl]-4-oxo-1-azetidinecarboxamide (L-694,458, 1), a potent human leukocyte elastase inhibitor, was achieved via chiral synthesis of key intermediates: (S)-3,3-diethyl-4-[4'-[(N-methylpiperazin-1-yl)carbonylphenoxy]-2-azetidinone (2) and (R)-alpha-propylpiperonyl isocyanate (3). Synthesis of beta-lactam 2 was achieved by a novel enantioselective lipase hydrolysis of ester 5 to produce (S)-3,3-diethyl-4-(4'-carboxyphenoxy)-2-azetidinone (6) (60% yield, three cycles, 93% ee) with isolation, epimerization, and recycling of the undesired (R)-ester 5. Isocyanate 3 was prepared by chiral addition of Zn(n-Pr)(2) to piperonal (98% yield, 99.2% ee), azide displacement and reduction to (R)-alpha-propylpiperonylamine (11) (58% yield, 85% ee), crystallization as the D-pyroglutamic acid salt (92% yield, 98.2% ee), and isocyanate formation (98% yield) with phosgene.     

Enantioselective indole Friedel--Crafts alkylations catalyzed by bis(oxazolinyl)pyridine-scandium(III) triflate complexes

A highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of electron-rich aromatic nucleophiles catalyzed by scandium(III) triflate-pyridyl(bis)oxazoline complexes has been accomplished. The reaction involves alpha,beta-unsaturated acyl phosphonates as electrophiles and primarily substituted indoles as nucleophiles. The reactive acyl phosphonate product is converted to the corresponding ester or amide in good overall yield by adding an alcohol or amine directly to the reaction mixture.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-Salinosporamide A (NPI-0052)

A novel enantioselective total synthesis of 20S proteasome inhibitor Salinosporamide A (NPI-0052; 1) is presented. Key features include intramolecular aldol cyclization of 6 to simultaneously generate the three chiral centers of advanced intermediate 5, cyclohexene ring addition using B-2-cyclohexen-1-yl-9-BBN, and inversion of the C-5 stereocenter by oxidation followed by enantioselective enzymatic reduction.     

Synthesis of macrocyclic peptide analogues of proteasome inhibitor TMC-95A

The synthesis of three constrained macrocyclic peptide analogues 1 of TMC-95A as potential proteasome inhibitors is described. The key step involves a Ni(0)-mediated macrocyclization of tripeptides 2 bearing halogenated aromatic side chains for the formation of the biaryl junction. In addition, an enantioselective preparation of l-7-bromotryptophan methyl ester 3 using a Corey-O'Donnell alkylation of the glycine benzophenone imine was achieved in good overall yield with very high ee (>85%) on a multigram scale.     

Enantioselective synthesis of stephacidin B

We describe an enantioselective synthetic route to the antiproliferative alkaloid stephacidin B (1) proceeding in 18 steps and 4.0% yield from 4,4-(ethylenedioxy)-2,2-dimethylcyclohexanone (3). Key features of the synthetic sequence include the use of the Corey-Bakshi-Shibata (CBS) reduction to introduce asymmetry early in the synthetic route, use of the novel electrophile N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-5-(isopropylsulfonyloxymethyl)-2,3-dihydropyrrole in a stereoselective enolate alkylation, a diastereoselective Strecker-type addition of hydrogen cyanide to an N-Boc enamine substrate in the solvent hexafluoroisopropanol, platinum-catalyzed nitrile hydrolysis under neutral conditions, cyclization of an acylamino radical intermediate to form the diketopiperazine core of stephacidin B, and implementation of a convergent procedure for introduction of the key 3-alkylidene-3H-indole 1-oxide functional group in the final stage of the route to prepare the structure 2, previously proposed to be the fungal metabolite avrainvillamide (17 steps, 4.2% yield). We observed that synthetic (-)-2 dimerized in the presence of triethylamine to form (+)-stephacidin B (>95%). We also obtained evidence that 2 can form 1 under mild conditions, and that 2 reacts with nucleophiles, such as methanol, by conjugate addition.     

Mo-catalyzed regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective allylic alkylation of 3-aryloxindoles

A highly regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective allylic alkylation reaction mediated by a chiral molybdenum catalyst has been developed as a novel entry into synthetically versatile 3-alkyl-3-aryloxindoles. Extremely bulky nucleophiles were employed to form a quaternary center and an adjacent tertiary center asymmetrically concurrently. The regio- and diastereoselectivity of the reaction is dependent upon the steric and electronic nature of the nucleophiles to an unusual degree. A reaction mechanism based on the bonding modes of molybdenum enolate complexes was discussed.