Synthesis of chiral building blocks for use in drug discovery

In the past decade there has been a significant growth in the sales of pharmaceutical drugs worldwide, but more importantly there has been a dramatic growth in the sales of single enantiomer drugs. The pharmaceutical industry has a rising demand for chiral intermediates and research reagents because of the continuing imperative to improve drug efficacy. This in turn impacts on researchers involved in preclinical discovery work. Besides traditional chiral pool and resolution of racemates as sources of chiral building blocks, many new synthetic methods including a great variety of catalytic reactions have been developed which facilitate the production of complex chiral drug candidates for clinical trials. The most ambitious technique is to synthesise homochiral compounds from non-chiral starting materials using chiral metal catalysts and related chemistry. Examples of the synthesis of chiral building blocks from achiral materials utilizing asymmetric hydrogenation and asymmetric epoxidation are presented.     

Synthesis of novel enantiopure fluorinated building blocks from acyclic chiral allylsilanes

[reaction: see text] Homochiral beta-fluorinated gamma,delta-unsaturated carboxylic acids with an allylic fluorinated stereogenic center are available from the corresponding enantiopure allylsilanes. The key step for introduction of the fluorine substituent is an electrophilic fluorodesilylation reaction carried out in the presence of Selectfluor. Reduction of the resulting beta-fluorinated pentenoic acid into the corresponding fluorinated alcohol was also performed leading to the formation of an enantiopure second-generation fluorinated building block.     

Hydrotalcite catalysis for the synthesis of new chiral building blocks

The use of hydrotalcites for the synthesis of two chiral building blocks in a simple way is described as a new and green methodology. The synthesis of these compounds implies a regioselective Baeyer–Villiger reaction in a very selective way with ulterior opening and lactonisation. This methodology should be considered green for the use of hydrogen peroxide as the only oxidant and hydrotalcites as the catalyst, and because no residues are produced apart from water. The procedure is very adequate for using in gram scale, in order to increase the value of the obtained compounds. The conditions are excellent and can be applied for nonstable compounds, as they are very mild. The synthesised compounds are magnific starting materials for the synthesis of biologically active or natural compounds. The use of a cheap, commercial and chiral compound as carvone disposable in both enantiomeric forms adds an extra value to this methodology.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically enriched amino sulfide building blocks from acyclic chiral amino allylsilanes

An efficient synthesis of various protected syn-β-sulfenyl amides is described. These are prepared from the corresponding enantiopure amino allylsilanes which are in turn obtained from naturally occurring amino acids. The key step for introduction of the sulfur substituent is a diastereoselective electrophilic sulfodesilylation which is carried out with phthalimidesulfenyl chloride. The resulting homochiral β-phthalimidesulfenyl amines with an allylic sulforated stereogenic center are useful building blocks, as they represent a starting point for subsequent functional manipulations.     

Synthesis of chiral cyclam analogues

Chiral non-racemic analogues of cyclam were prepared via reaction of (1R, 2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine with appropriately substituted malonyl dichlorides. Larger macrocycles are formed as by-products in some cases. All new macrocycles were characterised by X-ray crystallography.     

New chiral building blocks of β-peptoid analogs

The synthesis of chiral functionalized β-amino esters via the hydride reductive amination of chiral allenes was explored. These compounds can be regarded as β-peptoids building blocks bearing a chiral side chain at the nitrogen and at the same time retaining the β-amino acid side chain. β-Enamino esters were obtained from the nucleophilic addition of α-amino esters (l-Ala, d-Ala, l-Phe, l-Leu, l-Trp and d-Trp methyl esters) to 2,3-allenoates bearing a chiral auxiliary, which determines the stereochemistry outcome of the subsequent reduction reaction. It was also demonstrated that in the reduction of β-enamino esters derived from l-Pro and d-Pro methyl esters the chirality of the new chiral center is controlled by the α-amino ester moiety.     

From p-benzoquinone to useful chiral cyclohexane building blocks

A straightforward and efficient access to 12 new cyclohexane chirons from an easily available enantiopure monoketal of p-benzoquinone is described. These chirons possess a variety of functional groups which render them useful for further synthetic elaboration.     

New chiral building blocks from tetrabromocyclopropene and furan

The cyclocondensation of tetrabromocyclopropene and furan leads directly to a halogenated oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene derivative. Over the past several years, we have utilized these compounds as intermediates for natural product synthesis. Herein, we describe the preparation of nonracemic dibromoenone building blocks from the racemic cycloadduct. Conversion of the adduct to a mixture of tartrate-derived ketals followed by separation of the diastereomers and hydrolysis allows for the formation of novel chiral synthons with either absolute configuration.     

Allylic hydroxy phosphonates: versatile chiral building blocks

Allylic hydroxy phosphonates are converted into β and γ substituted amino phosphonates using a series of palladium-catalyzed reactions. The judicious selection of nitrogen nucleophile and palladium catalyst allow for excellent regio- and stereochemical control. Palladium(0)-catalyzed amine addition or tosyl carbamate rearrangement gives rise to the γ-substituted phosphonates, whereas, reaction of tosyl carbamates with palladium (II) and base gives oxazolidinones (β-substitution).     

Synthesis of 4-deoxy-L-(and D-)hexoses from chiral noncarbohydrate building blocks

4-Deoxy-l-hexoses were synthesized starting from our previously reported reagent 1 and (R)-benzyl glycidyl ether, which led in few steps to a substituted dihydropyran 6. The stereocontrolled hydroxylation of the latter afforded the corresponding 4-deoxy-l-hexoses 7a, 9, and 11. The same procedure, starting from (S)-benzyl glycidyl ether, enabled the preparation of their d-series enantiomers.     

Characterization of chiral building blocks for vitamin D metabolites by DSC

The enantiometric purity of a vitamin D₃ metabolite was determined more exactly by means of DSC than by¹ H-NMR. The melting curve was analysed by the partial area method based on the Schröder-van Laar equation. In order to find a suitable method for separation(R)-2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutylp-toluenesulfonate from the racemate, the phase diagram of the enantiomers was evaluated from DSC results. The occurrence of a racemic compound was confirmed by an X-ray diffraction investigation of the racemate and the enantiomers. The conclusions are discussed in comparison with the results of previous investigations.

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Zusammenfassung Die Enantiomeren-Reinheit des Vitamin D3-Metaboliten (R)-2,3-Dihydroxy-3-methylbutyl-p-toluensulfonat (R-I) lässt sich durch DSC genauer als mittels¹ H-NMR ermitteln. Dazu wird die Schmelzkurve nach der Partialflächenmethode ausgewertet, die auf der Schröder-van Laar'schen Gleichung beruht.Zum Auffinden einer geeigneten Methode für die Abtrennung des R-Enantiomeren aus dem Racemat wurde das Phasendiagramm der Enantiomeren aus DSC-Messungen konstruiert. Das Vorliegen einer racemischen Verbindung wurde durch Röntgenbeugungsuntersuchungen von Racemat und reinen Enantiomeren bestätigt. Die Ergebnisse werden mit denen früherer Untersuchungen verglichen.

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D₃ , . , -. (R) -2,3--- -- , . . .

     

Preparation of new chiral building blocks via asymmetric catalysis

Highly enantio- and stereoselective preparation of some new chiral building blocks with baker's yeast or the CBS catalyst is described.     

Asymmetric synthesis of alkaloids using polyfunctionalized chiral building blocks

Enantiopure N‐sulfinyl‐δ‐amino‐β‐ketoesters and isoquinolones, prepared from sulfinimines (N‐sulfinyl imines) are a new class of polyfunctionalized chiral building blocks. These building blocks provide easy access to enantiomerically pure, functionalized piperidines and tetrahydroisoquinolines with a minimum of chemical manipulation and protecting‐group chemistry. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 13:486–492, 2002; Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10090     

Facile access to some chiral building blocks. Synthesis of verbalactone and exophilin A

d-Glucono-1,5-lactone, an inexpensive carbohydrate, was elaborated into chiral building blocks readily applicable in synthesis via practical routes without involving any expensive reagents or tedious operations. Application of such chiral building blocks in total synthesis is then exemplified through construction of verbalactone and exophilin A. The latter compound has not been synthesized to date.     

Oxazolines as chiral building blocks for imidazolium salts and N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

Enantiomerically pure imidazolium triflates can be readily prepared from bioxazolines and oxazolineimines; deprotonation of imidazolium triflate 2 gives a chiral N-heterocyclic carbene that can act as a ligand in a catalytically active palladium complex.     

Beta-hydroxy-gamma-lactones as chiral building blocks for the enantioselective synthesis of marine natural products

The enantioselective synthesis of trans-(+)-laurediol, (2S,3S,5R)-5-[(1R)-1-hydroxy-9-decenyl]-2-pentyltetrahydro-3-furanol, and (2S,3S,5S)-5-[(1S)-1-hydroxy-9-decenyl]-2-pentyltetrahydro-3-furanol are described. In addition, a formal synthesis of trans-(-)-kumausyne is also developed. All the synthetic procedures have in common the use of enantiomerically enriched beta-hydroxy-gamma-lactones, easily available by Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation (AD) from the suitable beta,gamma-unsaturated ester. The use of Katsuki-Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation (AE) as an additional enantioselective reaction provides cyclic compounds of high enantiomeric purity.     

Synthesis of 3,3-disubstituted oxetane building blocks

The synthesis of two different sets of 3,3-disubstituted oxetane building blocks is described. These molecules can be usefully incorporated in more complex structures to modulate their metabolic and physicochemical properties. The synthetic pathways are general and could be exploited for the synthesis of many other related derivatives.     

Improved synthesis of the enantiomers of propafenone using chiral building blocks

Summary A short and efficient synthesis of the enantiomers of the antiarrhythmic drug propafenone (1) is described using both (R)-isopropylideneglycerol tosylate and (S)-glycidyl tosylate as chiral building blocks. The key step of the high yield synthesis is the acetalization of the carbonyl group in 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-phenyl-1-propanone (2) which allows application of mild reaction conditions in the subsequent alkylation of the phenolic hydroxy group.With our best wishes dedicated to Prof. Dr.H. Achenbach on the occasion of his 65^th birthday