Synthesis of pyranosyl amidoximes by addition of amines to pyranosyl nitrile oxides

Addition of amines to pyranosyl nitrile oxides, generated by base-induced dehydrochlorination of the corresponding hydroximoyl chloride, affords pyranosyl N-alkyl/aryl-formamide oximes (41-90%). Reaction with amino acid esters yields the corresponding amidoximes and/or 3-pyranosyl-1,2,4-oxadiazin-6-ones. The structure of N-phenyl-C-(2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-β-D-xylopyranosyl)formamide oxime was established by X-ray crystallography.     

Synthesis of N-phthalimido β-aminoethanesulfonyl chlorides: the use of thionyl chloride for a simple and efficient synthesis of new peptidosulfonamide building blocks

N-Phthalimido β-aminoethanesulfonyl chlorides, new building blocks for the synthesis of peptidosulfonamide peptidomimetics, were prepared in a straightforward manner from amino acids. In the crucial synthetic step, sulfonic acids or their sodium salts were converted into the corresponding sulfonyl chlorides using an excess of refluxing thionyl chloride or thionyl chloride/DMF. This simple and effective chlorinating method is also applicable to β-aminoethane sulfonic acids and their sodium salts with other N-protecting groups.     

An expedient route for the reduction of carboxylic acids to alcohols employing 1-propanephosphonic acid cyclic anhydride as acid activator

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of alcohols from the corresponding carboxylic acids is described. Activation of carboxylic acid with 1-propanephosphonic acid cyclic anhydride (T3P) and subsequent reduction using NaBH₄ yield the alcohol in excellent yields with good purity. Reduction of several alkyl/aryl carboxylic acids and N^α-protected amino acids/peptide acids as well as N^β-protected amino acids was successfully carried out to obtain corresponding alcohols in good yields. All the products were fully characterized by ¹H NMR and mass spectral analyses. The procedure is mild, simple and the isolation of the products is easy.     

Facile and rapid regeneration of free amino acids from N-benzyloxycarbonyl-5-oxazolidinones and from N-benzyloxycarbonylamino derivatives by treatment with BCl3 in dichloromethane

Reaction of benzyloxycarbonyl-5-oxazolidinones and of N-benzyloxycarbonylamino acids with BCl₃ in dichloromethane at room temperature affords the corresponding free amino acids.     

Synthesis of carborane analogues of γ-aminobutanoic acid

General method for preparation of high yields of novel N-protected carborane amino acid derivatives, 3-acylamino-1-carboxymethyl-2-R-o-carboranes (R = H, Me, Ph), is reported. The synthesis starts from readily available 3-amino-o-carboranes and includes the protection of amino group, introduction of carboxymethyl function to the carbon atom of polyhedron via the metallation of carborane CH bond with sodium amide in liquid ammonia, and treatment of corresponding sodium carboranes with sodium bromoacetate. Deprotection of N-acylated carborane amino acids is studied in acidic media. Depending on the procedure employed, closo- or nido-carborane amino acids were obtained.     

A new biocatalytic route to enantiopure N-carbamoyl amino acids by fast enzyme screening

The enantioselective enzymatic deamidation of (rac)-N-carbamoyl amino acid amides (Cbm-AA-NH₂) to enantiopure (L)-N-carbamoyl amino acids (Cbm-AA-OH) is described for the first time. Via fast screening methods of biocatalysts several proteases like Chirazyme P1, Chirazyme P2 and Subtilisin were identified, which give conversions of up to 47% and >98% ee. This conversion is most productive on aliphatic and primary amino acids.     

T3P (propylphosphonic anhydride) mediated conversion of Nα-protected amino/peptide acids into thioacids

A general, mild and an efficient protocol, which makes use of T3P as an acid activator for the synthesis of N^α-protected amino/peptide thioacids from corresponding acids in the presence of finely ground Na₂S as hydrosulfide ion donor is described. The protocol employed significantly increases the overall efficiency as the yield, reaction duration and purity of even sterically hindered amino acids.     

Synthesis of N-alkylated amino acids using fluorous-tagged hydroxylamines

The development of a new fluorous-tagged ammonia-equivalent for the synthesis of N-alkylated amino acids is described. The required building blocks were readily accessed in high yield and purity using F-SPE purification technique. Coupling of the fluorous-tagged hydroxylamines with a selection of boronic acids and glyoxalic acid gave the desired N-alkylated amino acids. Subsequent removal of the fluorous tag via catalytic hydrogenation was investigated using a number of different catalysts and solvents. A more robust de-tagging procedure involves the transformation of the amino acid to the corresponding methyl ester followed by a Mo(CH₃CN)₃(CO)₃ mediated N-O bond cleavage.     

Resolution of non-protein amino acids via the microbial protease-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of their N-unprotected esters

In the Aspergillus oryzae protease-catalyzed ester hydrolysis, substitution of N-unprotected amino acid esters for the corresponding N-protected amino acid esters resulted in a large enhancement of the hydrolysis rate, while the enantioselectivity was deteriorated strikingly when the substrates employed were the conventional methyl esters. This difficulty was overcome by employing esters bearing a longer alkyl chain such as the isobutyl ester. Utilizing this ester, amino acids carrying an aromatic side chain were resolved with excellent enantioselectivities (E=50 to >200). With amino acids bearing an aliphatic side chain also, good results in terms of the hydrolysis rate and enantioselectivity were obtained by employing such an ester as the isobutyl ester. Moreover, the enantioselectivity proved to be enhanced further by conducting the reaction at low temperature. This procedure was applicable to the case where the enantioselectivity was not high enough even by the use of the isobutyl ester.     

A novel method for the one-pot conversion of carboxylic acids to N,N-dimethylamides

A simple, efficient, and new method has been developed for the preparation of N,N-dimethylamides from carboxylic acids. As described below, treatment of a variety of aromatic carboxylic acids with N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl imidazole or N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl chloride in the presence of a mixture of methanesulfonic acid/phosphorus pentoxide (2:1, v/w) proceeded effectively to afford the corresponding N,N-dimethylamides in moderate to good yields. This method is easy, rapid, and good yielding for the synthesis of N,N-dimethylamides from carboxylic acids.     

Chemo-, regio- and stereospecific addition of amino acids to acylacetylenes: a facile synthesis of new N-acylvinyl derivatives of amino acids

The one-pot reaction of natural amino acids (glycine, β-alanine, γ-aminobutyric and ?-aminocapronic acids, d,l-valine, d,l-leucine, anthranilic acid) with bielectrophilic acylacetylenes proceeds chemo-, regio- and stereospecifically in the presence of NaOH (45-50 °C, 4 h, EtOH-H₂O) to give (after treatment of the reaction mixture with aqueous HCl) Z-isomers of N-acylvinyl derivatives of amino acids in 87-94% yield.     

Sulfonamide synthesis using N-hydroxybenzotriazole sulfonate: an alternative to pentafluorophenyl (PFP) and trichlorophenyl (TCP) esters of sulfonic acids

The N-hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) sulfonate esters undergo amidation under ambient conditions in the presence of di-isopropylethyl amine. This method can be applied to varieties of amines including sterically hindered amino acid esters in less time with reasonably good yields.HOBt ester of sulfonic acids can be a replacement for pentafluorophenyl and trichlorophenyl ester as well as chloride moiety of sulfonyl chloride for amidation.     

An efficient and chemoselective Brønsted acidic ionic liquid-catalyzed N-Boc protection of amines

The first report of a Brønsted acidic ionic liquid, 1-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate [(HMIm)BF₄], catalyzed efficient and chemoselective N-Boc protection of various amines using (Boc)₂O is presented. Optically pure amino alcohols and amino acid esters were converted efficiently to their corresponding optically pure N-Boc derivatives. The reported method is mild, solvent-free and has the advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis with high product yields, selectivity and ease of product separation.     

Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of N-acetylated amino acids: the first case of aminoacylase I deficiency

During the metabolic work-up of a patient presenting with neonatal convulsions, we consistently observed the presence of unusual peaks in the gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of urinary organic acids. The gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric characteristics of the unusual peaks suggested that they corresponded to derivatives of N-acetylated amino acids. The tentative identification was confirmed by the identity of retention times and mass spectra of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the authentic compounds. We describe our observations that led to the identification of the various N-acetylated amino acids in this first patient with a confirmed deficiency of aminoacylase I, an enzyme involved in the cytosolic degradation of N-terminally modified proteins. The potential and limitations of urinary organic acid analysis for the detection of N-acetylated amino acids was further studied using pure compounds. In addition, we provide mass spectral data for 37 trimethylsilyl derivatives from 17 N-acetylated amino acids, most of which have not been reported previously. Our data provide valuable information that will help the clinical laboratorians who are responsible for organic acid analysis to recognize this new condition and could aid its detection in other patients.     

C-N bond formation followed by N-Cl bond breaking. One more and unexpected case of the formation of a hydroxamic group via heterolytic bond cleavage

An unexpected and previously unknown reaction sequence in the interactions of the acyl halides with nitrosobenzenes, which involves carbon-nitrogen bond formation followed by heterolytic nitrogen-chlorine bond cleavage giving the corresponding unsubstituted N-phenylalkylhydroxamic acids (or N-phenylarylhydroxamic acids) and chlorine as the products has been observed. The kinetic and other evidence obtained suggest that the carbon-nitrogen bond formation is the consequence of a nucleophilic interaction of an N-phenylchlorohydroxylamine intermediate, formed in the first reaction step, with the acyl halide in the second step of the complex sequence, which leads to an N-acyl-N-chlorophenylhydroxylamine cation intermediate. The key reaction step involves the interaction of an N-acyl-N-chlorophenylhydroxylamine cation intermediate with chloride ion, which leads to the N-Cl heterolytic bond cleavage and the final formation of the hydroxamic group and a molecule of chlorine.     

Diastereoselectivity-switchable and regiospecific hetero Diels-Alder reaction of N-sulfinylper(poly)fluoroalkanesulfinamides with dienes

N-Sulfinylper(poly)fluoroalkanesulfinamides reacted readily with dienes in methylene chloride at −78 °C to give the corresponding cycloadducts with complete regioselectivities and good diastereoselectivities. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction was switchable to the opposite under the catalysis of Lewis acids such as TiCl₄ and SnCl₄.     

A novel solid-phase synthesis of di- and trisubstituted N-acyl ureas

A novel, mild method for the synthesis of di- and trisubstituted N-acyl ureas on solid support is described. Addition of carboxylic acids to a resin-bound carbimidoyl chloride gave, initially, an O-acyl isourea which subsequently rearranged to the corresponding N-acyl urea. Trisubstituted N-acyl ureas were assembled on a Wang resin from a wide range of Fmoc amino acids, secondary amines and carboxylic acids. Acid mediated cleavage yielded the products in good yields and excellent purities. In addition, the regioselective synthesis of disubstituted N-acyl ureas is demonstrated with four examples.     

A practical approach to non-natural or N-unsubstituted α-arylglycine derivatives: Hf(OTf)4-doped Me3SiCl system-catalyzed aminomethylation of electron-rich arenes with a new type of N,O-acetal

The authors have demonstrated the Hf(OTf)₄-doped Me₃SiCl system-catalyzed aminomethylation of electron-rich aromatic compounds, such as indoles and anilines, with new types of N,O-acetals having a variety of functional groups, such as cyano, ester, bis(trimethylsilyl)amino, diallylamino, and cyclic amino moieties, for the preparation of non-natural aromatic amino acid derivatives. Aminomethylation using an N,O-acetal with a bis(trimethylsilyl)amino group was particularly successful in the direct preparation of an N-unsubstituted α-indolylglycine derivative, which required only a standard aqueous workup.     

Oxidation of α-amino acids promoted by the phthalimide N-oxyl radical: A kinetic and product study

A kinetic study of the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reaction from a series of N-Boc- or N-Acetyl-protected amino acids to the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) was carried out to obtain information about reactivity and selectivity patterns. With amino acids containing aliphatic side chains, the 2nd order rate constants are of the same order of magnitude, in agreement with a HAT process involving the Cα?H bond. Proline is the most reactive substrate suggesting that HAT process involves the C_δ?H bond instead of C_α?H bond. These results are confirmed by the product analysis of the aerobic oxidations of the corresponding N-Boc and N-Ac protected amino acids methyl esters promoted by N-hydroxyphthalimide. Comparison of our results with those reported for HAT reactions to other radical species indicates that PINO displays electrophilic characteristics that are intermediate between those observed for the more stable Br radical and the more reactive cumyloxyl radical.     

Characterization and application of a new ultraviolet derivatization reagent for amino acids analysis in capillary electrophoresis

A new ultraviolet (UV) labeling reagent, p-acetamidobenzenesulfonyl fluoride (PAABS-F), was designed and synthesized to label and determine the amino acids by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with diode-array detector (DAD). PAABS-F is very stable and easy to synthesize. It reacted with primary or secondary amino acids very quickly under facile conditions to give corresponding derivatives in high yield with excellent sensitivity and stability. No by-products were observed in amino acid derivatives when stored at room temperature under natural daylight for at least 7 days. Both amino acids standard solution and real samples reacted with this new UV labeling reagent smoothly to form high UV-absorption derivatives. The labeled 20 standard amino acids were efficiently separated by CE and the mass detection limits (S/N = 3) were ranged from 59.3 fmol for l-tryptophan to 1.70 pmol for l-histidine.