Asymmetric reduction of acetophenone analogues by Alternaria alternata using ram horn peptone

Alternaria alternata EBK-4 fungus isolated from a plant sample was evaluated for the asymmetric reduction of acetophenone analogues. In a previous study, this isolate was used for the reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol in excellent enantiomeric excess. The substituted acetophenones were converted to the corresponding optically active alcohol by A. alternata EBK-4 under optimized conditions in up to >99% enantiomeric excess (ee). This is the first report on the enantiomeric reduction of acetophenone analogues by A. alternata using ram horn peptone from waste material.     

Asymmetric reduction of acetophenone in membrane reactors: comparison of oxazaborolidine and alcohol dehydrogenase catalysed processes

The enantioselective reduction of acetophenone was studied in two different ways. Chemical borane reduction using a homogeneously soluble polymer-bound oxazaborolidine catalyst was carried out in a continuously operated membrane reactor and yielded (R)-phenylethanol in good enantiomeric excess with high space–time yields. An enzymatic reduction using a dehydrogenase two-enzyme system as the catalyst and formate as the hydrogen source was carried out in an extractive bi-membrane reactor and yielded (S)-phenylethanol in excellent enantiomeric excess with a low enzyme consumption. A comparison of the two systems with respect to space–time yield, total turnover number and other parameters is made.     

Synthesis of C2-symmetrical bis-β-amino alcohols from (R)-cysteine and their application in enantioselective catalysis

Six new sulfur-containing C₂-symmetrical bis-β-primary and sec-amino-tert-alcohols have been synthesized from (R)-cysteine and applied successfully in the enantiocontrolled catalytic addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde. The resulting 1-phenyl-1-propanol could be obtained in good enantiomeric excess of up to 94%. Using the same chiral auxiliaries in the enantioselective borane reduction of acetophenone afforded 1-phenyl-1-ethanol in enantiomeric excesses of up to 82%.     

Synthesis of chiral 2-(anilinophenylmethyl)pyrrolidines and 2-(anilinodiphenylmethyl)pyrrolidine and their application to enantioselective borane reduction of prochiral ketones as chiral catalysts

Chiral diamines, 2-(anilinophenylmethyl)pyrrolidines and 2-(anilinodiphenylmethyl)pyrrolidine, were prepared from N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)pyrrolidine or (S)-proline as a starting material, respectively. These chiral diamines were efficient for the catalytic enantioselective borane reduction of acetophenone. Using (S)-2-(anilinodiphenylmethyl)pyrrolidine, chiral secondary alcohols were obtained from prochiral ketones with good to excellent enantiomeric excesses (up to 98% ee).     

Enantioselective reduction of substituted acetophenones by Aspergillus niger

Fourteen strains of Aspergillus niger were isolated from soil samples. These isolates were evaluated for the reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol. Among the tested isolates, whole cells of the A. niger EBK-9 isolate were found to be an effective biocatalyst for the enantioselective reduction of acetophenone. Under optimized conditions substituted acetophenones were converted to the corresponding optically active alcohol in up to 99% ee.     

Bioreduction of Acetophenone Derivatives by Red Marine Algae Bostrychia radicans and B. tenella,and Marine Bacteria Associated

The biocatalytic reduction of acetophenone derivatives was exploited by using algal biomass from Bostrychia radicans and B. tenella producing exclusively (S)‐2‐phenylethanols with high enantiomeric excess (>99% ee). Bacterial populations associated with algal biomass were identified as the Bacillus genus. This report deals with the first investigations involving the use of marine bacteria associated with B. radicans and B. tenella marine algae for the biocatalytic reduction of acetophenone derivatives.     

Asymmetric microbial reduction of ketones: absolute configuration of trans-4-ethyl-1-(1S-hydroxyethyl)cyclohexanol

A set of five fungal species, Botrytis cinerea, Trichoderma viride and Eutypa lata, and the endophytic fungi Colletotrichum crassipes and Xylaria sp., was used in screening for microbial biocatalysts to detect monooxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase activities (for the stereoselective reduction of carbonyl compounds). 4-Ethylcyclohexanone and acetophenone were biotransformed by the fungal set. The main reaction pathways involved reduction and hydroxylations at several positions including tertiary carbons. B. cinerea was very effective in the bioreduction of both substrates leading to the chiral alcohol (S)-1-phenylethanol in up to 90% enantiomeric excess, and the cis–trans ratio for 4-ethylcyclohexanol was 0:100. trans-4-Ethyl-1-(1S-hydroxyethyl)cyclohexanol, obtained from biotransformation by means of an acyloin-type reaction, is reported here for the first time. The absolute configurations of the compounds trans-4-ethyl-1-(1S-hydroxyethyl)cyclohexanol and 4-(1S- and 4-(1R-hydroxyethyl)cyclohexanone were determined by NMR analysis of the corresponding Mosher’s esters.     

Cryptococcus laurentii as a new biocatalyst for the asymmetric reduction of substituted acetophenones

Immobilized cells of the yeast Cryptococcus laurentii attached to calcium alginate have been introduced as a biocatalyst in the asymmetric reduction of substituted acetophenones. Forty isolates of microorganisms belonging to this taxonomical yeast group were isolated from various samples. Immobilized cells of these isolates were screened as reducing agents for acetophenone 1a to its corresponding alcohol 1b. The four best isolates were selected and identified as Rhodotorula glutinis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hansenula capsulata and C. laurentii by the VITEK 2 compact system. The use of the first three microorganisms is well known and therefore it was decided to explore C. laurentii as a new biocatalyst in organic reactions. The aim was to determine whether C. laurentii could be used to catalyse the bio-reduction of ketones to obtain the (R)- or (S)-isomer of the alcohol with high enantiomeric purity. The isolate C. laurentii EBK-19 was selected for further experiments and studied in detail. More than 70% of the ketones tested were obtained with almost complete conversion (100%), while all the ketones tested were converted to the corresponding (S)-isomer-alcohols in up to >99% enantiomeric excess (ee) under very mild reaction conditions. Amongst the chiral alcohols obtained, the enantiopure 1b obtained from the complete conversion of 1a using C. laurentii EBK-19 was produced on a large scale (9.3 g) using an immobilized cell reaction system. In conclusion, we have presented C. laurentii as a promising biocatalyst for the production of optically active phenylethanols.     

Synthesis of Novel Chiral Ionic Liquid and Its Application in Reduction of Prochiral Ketones to the Corresponding Chiral Alcohols Using NaBH4

A novel chiral ionic liquid (CIL) based on nicotinium salt has been synthesized and used as an efficient asymmetric chiral catalyst for reduction of acetophenone derivatives with NaBH₄ in methanol at room temperature. The optically active alcohols were obtained in low to moderate enantiomeric excess in a short reaction time.     

Stereoselective chemoenzymatic synthesis of sitophilate: a natural pheromone

The aggregation pheromone of the granary weevil Sitophilus granarius, (2S,3R)-1-ethylpropyl 3-hydroxy-2-methylpentanoate, has been synthesized in 63% total isolated yield and high chemical and enantiomeric purity (98% de, >99% ee) from readily available methyl 3-oxopentanoate. A stereoselective ketone reduction followed by an ester hydrolysis, were the two key steps of the synthesis and were both performed by commercially available enzymes.     

Asymmetric hydrogenation of ketones using Ir(III) complexes of N-alkyl-N’-tosyl-1,2-ethanediamine ligands

The combination of an enantiomerically pure N′-alkylated derivative of N-4-toluenesulfonyl-1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diamine (TsDPEN) with iridium trichloride results in the formation of a catalyst with high selectivity for ketone hydrogenation. Products with enantiomeric excesses of up to 84% were formed. The best results were obtained using a ligand with an n-alkyl chain and ortho-substituted acetophenone derivatives and other hindered derivatives.     

Asymmetric reduction of acetophenone using lithium aluminium hydride modified with some novel amino alcohol Schiff bases

Some new chiral Schiff bases have been prepared in good yields from various carbonyl groups and two 2-amino alcohols. LiAlH₄ was treated with different equivalents of the Schiff bases. Enantioselective reduction of acetophenone is achieved in high chemical yield (up to 93%) with moderate enantiomeric excess (up to 22%) by use of the new reducing agents.     

Preparation of enantiomerically pure (R)- and (S)-3-amino-3-phenyl-1-propanol via resolution with immobilized penicillin G acylase

Ethyl 2,4-dioxo-4-phenylbutyrate, obtained by condensation of acetophenone with diethyl oxalate, was converted to 3-oxo-3-phenyl-1-propanol in 90% yield by reaction with baker’s yeast. Reductive amination with sodium cyanoborohydride in the presence of ammonium acetate gave the racemic 3-amino-3-phenyl-1-propanol in 65% yield. Enzymatic resolution of the corresponding N-phenylacetyl derivative with penicillin G acylase, immobilized on an epoxy resin gave (S)-amide and (R)-amino alcohol in high enantiomeric purity (ee >99%) and >45% yields for each enantiomer.     

A biocatalytic one-pot oxidation/reduction sequence for the deracemisation of a sec-alcohol

Biocatalytic deracemisation via inversion of rac-2-decanol was accomplished by a combined oxidation/reduction sequence using the same ‘single’ catalyst for both steps. Overall, the (R)-alcohol was inverted to the corresponding (S)-alcohol. Lyophilised cells of various Rhodococci spp. were tested for the unselective oxidation of the racemic sec-alcohol using acetone as the hydrogen acceptor in the first step. For the second step, the stereoselective asymmetric reduction of the corresponding ketone, 2-propanol was employed as the hydrogen donor. Employing lyophilised cells of Rhodococcus sp. CBS 717.73 racemic 2-decanol was transformed to (S)-2-decanol with excellent enantiomeric excess (92% ee) and yield (82% isolated yield) in the combined one-pot oxidation/reduction sequence.     

Asymmetric reduction of ketoxime derivatives and N-alkylketimines with borane–oxazaborolidine adducts

Oxime ethers of acetophenone, isopropyl methyl ketone, and tert-butyl methyl ketone were reduced to the corresponding hydroxylamine ethers of 45–94% ee with borane–oxazaborolidine 1 derived from (−)-norephedrine. A one-pot reduction of acetophenone oxime with 1 to 1-phenylethylhydroxylamine of 87% ee is described. The reduction of 6-methyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine and N-methylimines of the above mentioned ketones with borane-B-methyloxazaborolidine adduct 2, derived from (−)-diphenylprolinol, gave the corresponding amines of 40–74% ee.     

Improvement of the Asymmetric Induction from Lactic Acid Derivatives Enhanced by ZnCl2

Lactic acid methyl ester, lactic acid ethyl ester, and (2S)‐ethyl‐2‐methoxy propanate were used as solvents for acetophenone reduction by boron hydrides. Moderate enantiomeric excess up to 60% was obtained in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of ZnCl₂. There is evidence for an intermediate between the solvents, the Lewis acid and the ketone, as the prerequisite for chirality transfer. The importance of the Lewis acid is to strengthen interaction between solvent and educt compared to the hydroxy group.     

Asymmetric Induction From Ethyl Lactate in the Reduction of Acetophenone to Phenylethanol

Ethyl lactate was used for the first time as a solvent for acetophenone reduction to phenylethanol by borane and sodium tetrahydridoborate. Moderate enantiomeric excess was obtained with the pure reducing agents that could be improved up to 46% by employing stoichiometric amounts of the Lewis acid ZnCl₂. These are the highest e.e. values published for solvent‐induced chiral synthesis.     

Asymmetric reduction of acetophenone and propiophenone by NaAl(IPTOLate)H2 combined with enantiomeric enrichment of the reaction product as an inclusion complex with IPTOL

An improved procedure was developed for asymmetric reduction of acetophenone and propiophenone by the chiral reagent NaAl(IPTOLate)H₂. This procedure is based on isolation of the chiral alcohol that formed as a crystalline host—guest complex with the IPTOL ligand. The enantiomeric enrichment of the product was as high as 97% ee. The ability of IPTOL and its analogs to form host—guest complexes with a number of ether-type solvents, 1-phenylethanol, and 1-phenylpropan-1-ol as well as thermal stabilities of IPTOL-containing complexes with these alcohols were studied.     

Chiral (R)- and (S)-allylic alcohols via a one-pot chemoenzymatic synthesis

Chiral (R)- and (S)-allylic alcohols with an enantiomeric excess exceeding 99% have been prepared in good to high overall isolated yields through a two-step one-pot chemoenzymatic process based on the palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction of aryl iodides with butenone followed by an enzymatic reduction of the resultant vinylic substitution products. Alcohol dehydrogenases from Lactobacillus brevis and Thermoanaerobacter species were used to attain (R)- and (S)-stereoselectivity, respectively.     

Reduction of acetophenone using supercritical 2-propanol: the substituent effect and the deuterium kinetic isotope effect

The reductions of several substituted acetophenones using supercritical 2-propanol were carried out to estimate the Hammett's reaction constant (ρ=0.33). Also, the reduction of acetophenone using supercritical deuteriated 2-propanol was carried out to determine the rate-determining step. The kinetic isotope effects were observed in the reduction using 2-deuterio-2-propanol (k_H/k_D=1.6) and O-deuterio-2-propanol (k_H/k_D=2.0). These findings suggest that the reaction proceeds via a cyclic transition state between acetophenone and 2-propanol similar to that of the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction.