A straightforward synthesis of N-monosubstituted α-keto amides via aerobic benzylic oxidation of amides

An efficient sodium bicarbonate promoted aerobic oxidation reaction to prepare N-monosubstituted α-keto amides in the presence of n-tetrabutylammonium hydrogensulfate (TBAHS) was described. This reaction provides a very simple and convenient synthetic route to N-monosubstituted α-keto amides from easily available aryl- or heteroarylacetamides in good to high yields without using toxic reagents and harsh conditions.     

Catalytic, asymmetric synthesis of α-acetoxy amides

Non-racemic cyanohydrin acetates are readily available from aldehydes and potassium cyanide/acetic anhydride by use of bimetallic titanium (salen) catalyst 1. Treatment of the cyanohydrin acetates with a platinum(II) phosphinito catalyst 3 under neutral conditions results in chemoselective hydrolysis to the corresponding α-acetoxy amides in a racemization free process.     

Ru-catalyzed highly enantioselective hydrogenation of α-keto Weinreb amides

Asymmetric hydrogenation of α-keto Weinreb amides has been realized with [Ru((S)-Sunphos)(benzene)Cl]Cl as the catalyst and CeCl 3·7H2O as the additive.A series of enantiopure α-hydroxy Weinreb amides(up to 97% ee) have been obtained.Catalytic amount of CeCl3·7H2O is essential for the high reactivity and enantioselectivity and the ratio of CeCl3·7H2O to [Ru((S)-Sunphos)(benzene)Cl]Cl plays an important role in the hydrogenation reaction.     

Palladium-catalyzed arylation of α,β-unsaturated Weinreb amides

Palladium-catalyzed arylation of α,β-unsaturated Weinreb amides has been examined to obtain β-aryl-α,β-unsaturated Weinreb amides. The chelation between the palladium center of an alkylpalladium intermediate and Weinreb amide moiety facilitated both coordination and insertion steps.     

Synthesis and reactions of α-fluoro-α-amino amides

N-((S)-1-Phenylethyl)halofluoroethanamides have been investigated as precursors to N-protected α-fluoro-α-amino amides by nucleophilic displacement of halide with nitrogen nucleophiles such as potassium phthalimide, sodium succinimide, sodium glutarimide, trimethylamine and sodium azide. With single diastereoisomers of the iodofluoroethanamide, clean inversion of configuration occurs at room temperature, but subsequent epimerisation may occur as a result of the liberated iodide. The α-fluoro-α-amino amides made underwent a wide variety of reactions depending on conditions, but in many cases the carbon-fluorine bond was compromised. However, reacting trimethylamine and N-((S)-1-phenylethyl)iodofluoroethanamide gave the corresponding α-fluorobetaine amide, and subsequent acidic hydrolysis led to α-fluorobetaine as the first example of an ‘unprotected’ α-fluoroamino acid.     

Enzymatic and chiral HPLC resolution of α-azido acids and amides

For the first time, enzymatic resolution of α-azido acid amides has been successfully demonstrated with high yields and enantiomeric excess. In one case dynamic kinetic resolution was achieved leading to more than 50% yield of the enantiomerically pure azido acid. Chiral HPLC was also used to separate racemic α-azido acids and the separation process was automated. Two routes to enantiopure α-azido acid building blocks for solid-phase peptide synthesis have, therefore, been established.     

An efficient synthesis of substituted alkyl acrylates using α-keto amides

The addition of α-keto amides as a NH-acid to alkyl propiolates and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates in the presence of a catalytic amount of triphenylphosphine gives the corresponding substituted alkyl acrylates.     

Synthesis of α-benzylated amides via electrocatalytic Favorskii rearrangement of 1, 3-diarylacetones

Electrolysis of 1,3-diarylacetones with aliphatic amines in Bu₄NI/CH₃CN to racemic Favorskii amides via benzyl group rearrangement has been developed. The electroconversion is easily conducted in a simple undivided cell under constant-current conditions at room temperature. The electrocatalytic Favorskii rearrangement of 1,3-diarylacetones including electron-withdrawing substituents was favored and gave a good yield of α-benzylated amides. When several unsymmetrical ketones were employed as substrates, this rearrangement with moderate regioselectivity was observed. This chemistry also provides an efficient approach to construct a chiral center at α-position of amides.     

Non-hydrolytic chemoselective cleavage of Ugi tertiary amides: A mild access to N-substituted α-amino acid amides

N-Substituted α-amino acid amides can be easily obtained in two steps using the four-component Ugi reaction followed by chemoselective cleavage of the resulting tertiary amide. The use of the sacrificial acid, 2-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid is associated to shorter reaction times, higher yields, and safer and greener reaction conditions compared to strategies based on trifluoroacetic acid, a toxic and environmental hazardous reagent. The optimized procedure was easily scaled up to gram amounts.     

Stereoselective synthesis of α- and β-glycofuranosyl amides by traceless ligation of glycofuranosyl azides

A highly stereoselective synthesis of α- or β-glycofuranosyl amides based on the traceless Staudinger ligation of glycofuranosyl azides of the galacto, ribo, and arabino series with 2-diphenylphosphanyl-phenyl esters has been developed. Both α- and β-isomers can be obtained with excellent selectivity from a common, easily available precursor. The process does not depend on the anomeric configuration of the starting azide but appears to be controlled by the C2 configuration and by the protection/deprotection state of the substrates. A mechanistic interpretation of the results, supported by (31)P NMR experiments, is offered and merged with our previous mechanistic analysis of pyranosyl azide ligation reactions.     

Synthesis of new α-glucosidase inhibitors based on oleanolic acid incorporating cinnamic amides

A series of α-glucosidase inhibitors with the oleanolic acid core and different cinnamic amide ligands were designed and synthesized. Their preliminary structure-activity relationships were analyzed. In general, the compounds with 3,28-disubstituted oleanolic acid exhibited stronger activity than those 28-monosubstituted analogues, and variation of cinnamic amide substitution significantly affected α-glucosidase inhibition activities. Most of the compounds showed potent inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase with much greater efficacy than a typical α-glucosidase inhibitor, acarbose.     

Silica gel accelerated aza-Michael addition of amines to α,β-unsaturated amides

A novel method to synthesize β-amino amide has been developed via conjugated addition of amine to bulky α,β-unsaturated amides promoted by silica gel. The silica gel worked efficiently to accelerate the reaction and afforded the related adduct in good to excellent yield.     

Enantioselective nickel-catalyzed conjugate addition of dialkylzinc to chalcones using chiral α-amino amides

A series of α-amino amides derived from natural amino acids (alanine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, and phenylglycine) have been synthesized and fully characterized. Their Ni(II) complexes prepared from Ni(acac)₂ catalyze the enantioselective conjugate addition of diethylzinc to chalcones in high yields and in good enantioselectivities (up to 84%). The side chain of the amino acid and the substituents in the amide nitrogen govern the enantioselectivity of the catalytic process.     

Synthesis of functional derivatives ofN-carboxamidomethyl- andN-phthalimidomethyl-a-amino acids and peptides by reaction of amides and nitriles of α-amino acids with formaldehyde and primary amides or phthalimide

A direct method for the synthesis of functional derivatives ofN-carboxatnidomethyl- and N-phthalimidomethyl-a-amino acids by the reaction of nitriles and amides of -amino acids (including peptides) with formaldehyde and NH-compounds (amides and imides) in DMF in the presence of TsOH was developed. The reactions of the compounds synthesized with acetic anhydride, tosyl chloride, and phcnylalanine benzylamide in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide affording the corresponding N-acyl and N-sulfonyl derivatives or peptides containing carboxamido- and phthalimidomethyl substituents at the terminal N-atom of the peptide chain, were studied.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1480–1488, June, 1996.     

Synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolines: base-catalyzed hydrazination/cyclization cascade of α-isocyano esters and amides

A convenient, efficient synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolines from α-isocyano esters/amides and azodicarboxylates is presented. The developed reaction cascade is based on a base-catalyzed hydrazination-type reaction followed by a subsequent cyclization providing the triazolines in good to excellent yields (75-99%). Phosphine-catalyzed and preliminary asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis approaches have also been investigated.     

Copper-catalyzed oxidative coupling of carboxylic acids with formamides for the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated amides

A novel and efficient protocol for the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated amides has been developed using catalytic amount of Cu(OAc)₂ and TBHP as an available oxidant. Oxidative coupling of various unsaturated carboxylic acids with N,N-disubstituted formamides was examined to furnish the desired products in good yields.     

Catalytic asymmetric amination of N-nonsubstituted α-alkoxycarbonyl amides: concise enantioselective synthesis of mycestericin F and G

In an attempt to explore the synthetic utility of a ternary asymmetric catalyst comprising La(NO₃)₃?6H₂O, amide‐based ligand (R)‐ L1 , and D ‐valine tert‐butyl ester H‐D ‐Val‐OtBu, we investigated a catalytic, asymmetric amination of functionalized N‐nonsubstituted α‐alkoxycarbonyl amides using di‐tert‐butyl azodicarboxylate as an electrophilic aminating reagent. A highly functionalized, cyclic N‐nonsubstituted α‐alkoxycarbonyl amide delivered the desired amination product in up to 96 % enantiometric excess, with the requisite functionalities of the polar heads of sphingosines with the appropriate stereochemical arrangement. The rapid asymmetric assembly of these functional groups allowed a concise enantioselective synthetic route to sphingosines to be established with a broad flexibility towards derivative synthesis. These studies have culminated in an efficient catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of immunosuppressive fungal metabolites mycestericin F ( 3 a ) and G ( 3 b ).     

Asymmetric nucleophilic substitution of α-bromo amides via dynamic kinetic resolution for the preparation of dipeptide analogues

Asymmetric nucleophilic substitution reactions of α-bromo α-aryl acetamides derived from l-amino acids are described. The simple and practical syntheses of dipeptide analogues have been developed with dibenzylamine, TBAI and a base to provide 2a-2n and 4 in 50-98% yields with diastereomeric ratios from 74:26 to >99:1. Mechanistic investigations suggest that α-bromo acetamides are configurationally labile under the reaction condition and the primary pathway of the asymmetric induction is a dynamic kinetic resolution. The semiempirical calculations of two epimeric transition states of 1b found that (αS)-epimer is the faster reacting epimer with the formation of an intermolecular hydrogen bond that facilitates delivery of the amine nucleophile.     

Racemic and asymmetric cobalt-catalysed reductive aldol couplings of α,β-unsaturated amides with ketones

In the presence of diethylzinc as a stoichiometric reductant, substoichiometric quantities of an appropriate cobalt source catalyse diastereoselective reductive aldol coupling reactions of α,β-unsaturated amides with ketones. The use of a readily available oxazolidine as a chiral auxiliary imparts high levels of asymmetric induction in these reactions.