Enantioselective transesterification of (RS)-1-chloro-3-(3,4-difluorophenoxy)-2-propanol using Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipases

Lipases from the bacterial strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from the soil by enrichment techniques, are assessed for the enantioselective transesterification of (RS)-1-chloro-3-(3,4-difluorophenoxy)-2-propanol (rac-CDPP) to (R)-1-chloro-3-(3,4-difluorophenoxy)-2-propanol, a key intermediate in the synthesis of the chiral drug (S)-Lubeluzole. The lipases produced by the organism yielded the (S)-ester and the (R)-alcohol as the remaining substrate with an excellent yield (>49.9%) and almost complete enantioselectivity (ee >99.9%) in the presence of vinyl butyrate as an acyl donor in an organic medium. In contrast, purified and expensive commercially available lipases of Candida rugosa and porcine pancreas achieved much lower conversion with enantioselectivities of 15% and 5%, respectively. A well-mixed (∼1000 rev min⁻¹) batch reactor having the aqueous phase finally dispersed in hexane was used in these studies. The parameters of the transesterification reaction were optimized and the optimal concentrations of rac-CDPP and vinyl butyrate were found to be 5 and 150 mM at 30 °C. A preparative-scale reaction yielded the (S)-ester at 42% conversion and ee >99%.     

Novel and enantioselective syntheses of (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid: a synthon for sitagliptin and its derivatives

A new synthetic strategy for (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid, a building block in the preparation of sitagliptin and its derivatives, was developed. Pd(OAc)₂ catalyzed coupling of 2,4,5-trifluoro-1-iodobenzene with allyl alcohol gave 3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propanal in a yield of 95%. l-Proline catalyzed reaction of the 3-phenylpropanal (in only 1.2 molar equiv) with nitrosobenzene followed by reduction with NaBH₄ and Pd/C catalyzed hydrogenation gave (R)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol with >99% ee and 65% yield. Selective tosylation of primary hydroxyl group of the 1,2-propandiol unit followed by cyanide displacement afforded (R)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanenitrile (80%). The nitrile was converted to the title β-hydroxy acid under basic hydrolysis in a yield of 90%. Thus, (R)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid was prepared enantioselectively from the starting material in four steps and 45% overall yield. The reaction sequence was repeated with d-proline as the catalyst to give (S)-3-hydroxy-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid in 45% overall yield and >99% enantiomeric excess.     

Microwave-mediated ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogen transfer

Ru-catalyzed hydrogen transfer from propan-2-ol to acetophenone under microwave conditions using monotosylated (R,R)-diphenylethylenediamine as the chiral source afforded (R)-1-phenylethanol in >90% yield and 82% e.e. within 9 min, while use of ephedrine or norephedrine gave the same compound in high yield with 70 and 46% e.e., respectively. t-Butylphenylketone was reduced to (R)-2,2-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1-propanol under the same conditions in close to quantitative yield, although with low enantioselectivity.     

Synthesis of Duloxetine Intermediate (S)-3-Chloro-1-(2-thienyl)-1-propanol with Liquid-Core Immobilized Candida pseudotropicalis 104

(S) -3-Chloro-1-(2-thienyl)-1-propanol was synthesized by the asymmetric reduction of 3-chloro-1-(2-thienyl)propanone with liquid-core immobilized Candida pseudotropicalis 104. The optimum time was 28?h for the re-cultivation of immobilized cells. The optimum film solvent for the liquid-core capsule was 0.3?% chitosan (M _w 1.0?×?10⁵). Conversion decreased with the increase of the liquid-core capsule diameter and with the addition of more substrates at the same reduction time. The immobilized cells show good reduction ability in a potassium phosphate buffer (pH 6.6~7.2). The material outside the spread speed of immobilized cells was not restricted when the shaking speed was higher than 160?r/min. Liquid-core immobilized cells can be reused 11 times. Compared with the batch reduction, the continuous reduction of 3-chloro-1-(2-thienyl)propanone in the membrane reactor with liquid-core immobilized cells as catalyst can relieve the inhibition from a high-concentration substrate. Conversion and enantiometric excess of (S)-3-chloro-1-(2-thienyl)-1-propanol reached 100?% and >99?% in a continuous reduction of 12?g/L 3-chloro-1-(2-thienyl)propanone for 10?days.     

Lipase-mediated kinetic resolution of (RS)-1-bromo-3-[4-(2-methoxy-ethyl)-phenoxy]-propan-2-ol to (R)-1-bromo-3-(4-(2-methoxyethyl) phenoxy) propan-2-yl acetate

A novel biocatalytic method for the enantioselective synthesis of (R)-bromo-3-[4-(2-methoxy-ethyl) phenoxy]-2-propanol [(R)-BMEPP], a precursor for the synthesis of (S)-metoprolol, an anti hypertensive drug is described. We have developed kinetic resolution of rac-BMEPP by transesterification using Candida rugosa lipase and vinyl acetate as the acyl donor affording the product with excellent conversion (49%) and ee (>99%). Various reaction parameters (source of enzyme, reaction media, and concentration of substrate and acylating agent) for the enzymatic kinetic resolution have been reported.     

Enantioselective bioreduction of (E)-1-phenyl-1,2-alkanedione 2-(O-methyloxime)

The baker's yeast reduction of (E)-1-phenyl-1,2-alkanedione 2-(O-methyloxime), PhC(O)C(NOMe)R (R=Me, Et, n-Pr, n-Bu), gave the corresponding optically active alcohols PhCH₂OHC(NOMe)R in 88–99% enantiomeric excess and 48–75% chemical yield. The R configuration was proposed for these alcohols based on circular dichroism analysis. Only the phenylglyoxal O-methylaldoxime (R=H) gave poor enantiomeric excess (65%) and chemical yield (14%). These compounds are potential chiral building blocks for the stereoselective synthesis of norephedrine analogs.     

Synthesis 5-(pyrazolin-3-ylmethylidene)-2-thiohydantoins and 2-alkylsulfanyl-5-(pyrazolin-3-ylmethylidene)-3,5-dihydro-4<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazol-4-ones

A reaction of 3-allyl- and 3-phenylthiohydantoins with 1,5-diphenyl- and 1-phenyl-substituted 3-formyl-2-pyrazolines was used to obtain a series of 5-(pyrazolin-3-ylmethylidene)-2-thioxotetrahydro-4H-imidazol-4-ones, the subsequent alkylation of which with methyl iodide or ethyl chloroacetate gave the corresponding 2-alkylthio-5-(pyrazolin-3-ylmethylidene)-3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol-4-ones in the yields from 30 to 77%. The oxidation of (5Z)-3-phenyl-5-[(1,5-diphenylpyrazolin-3-yl)methylidene]-2-methylsulfanyl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-4-one with lead tetraacetate led to the corresponding pyrazole in 48% yield.     

A new enzymatic strategy for the preparation of (2R,3S)-3-phenylisoserine: a key intermediate for the Taxol side chain

Burkholderia cepacia lipase PS-IM catalysed the hydrolysis of racemic ethyl 3-amino-3-phenyl-2-hydroxypropionate with excellent enantioselectivity (E >200), when the reaction was performed with added H₂O as a nucleophile, in iPr₂O, at 50 °C. The hydrolysis of the less reactive enantiomeric ethyl 3-amino-3-phenyl-2-hydroxypropionate with 18% HCl afforded the corresponding enantiomerically pure (2R,3S)-3-amino-3-phenyl-2-hydroxypropionic acid hydrochloride, a key intermediate for the Taxol side chain.     

Chiral separation of (R,S)-2-phenyl-1-propanol through cellulose acetate butyrate membranes

As the cellulose acetate butyrate possessed multichiral carbon atoms in its molecular structure unit, enantioselective membrane was prepared using cellulose acetate butyrate as membrane material. The flux and permselective properties of membrane using aqueous solutions of (R,S)-2-phenyl-1-propanol as feed solution was studied. The top surface and cross-section morphology of the resulting membranes were examined by scanning electron microscopy. When the membrane was prepared with 15 wt.% cellulose acetate butyrate and 20 wt.% DMF in the casting solution, and the operating pressure and feed concentration of racemate were 2 kgf/cm² and 5 mmol/L, respectively, over 98% of enantiomeric excess (e.e.) was obtained. This is a report, for the first time, that the cellulose acetate butyrate is used as optical resolution membrane material for isolating the optical isomers of (R,S)-2-phenyl-1-propanol.     

Asymmetric reductions of ethyl 2-(benzamidomethyl)-3-oxobutanoate by yeasts

The stereoselective reduction of ethyl 2-(benzamidomethyl)-3-oxobutanoate 1 using yeasts was investigated among a restricted number (12) of yeasts. Kluyveromyces marxianus var. lactis CL69 diastereoselectively produced (2R,3S)-ethyl 2-(benzamidomethyl)-3-hydroxybutanoate 2, whereas Pichia glucozyma CBS 5766 gave (2S,3S)-2 as the major stereoisomer. The biotransformations were independently optimized for minimizing by-product formation and maximizing the diastereoselectivity. Under optimized conditions, K. marxianus var. lactis CL 69 gave the (2R,3S)-ethyl 2-(benzamidomethyl)-3-hydroxybutanoate 2 with ee > 99% and de = 98%, while P. glucozyma CBS 5766 allowed for the production of (2S,3S)-2 with ee > 99% and de = 86%.     

Preparation of (R)- and (S)-4-chloro-3-acetoxybutyronitrile using microbial resolution

A new preparation of optically active 4-chloro-3-acetoxybutyronitrile (AcBN) was developed using the resting cells of bacteria. The resolution was based on enantioselective hydrolysis of the ester function of the substrate. (R)-AcBN was prepared using Pseudomonas sp. DS-K-717, and the resulting (R)-AcBN was obtained with high enantiomeric excess of >98% with a yield of 36% during the microbial resolution step. (S)-AcBN was prepared in the same manner using the resting cells of Pseudomonas sp. DS-K-19 and showed a high enantiomeric excess of >98% with a yield of 32%. The enzyme activity was enhanced and induced by the addition of AcBN, particularly the (R)-ester hydrolysis, which was enhanced 20-fold.     

Synthesis and electrochemical studies of CoII complex with 3-phenyl-5(Z)-(pyridin-2-ylmethylidene)-2-selenohydantoin

A reaction of the sodium salt of 3-phenyl-5(Z)-(pyridin-2-ylmethylidene)-2-selenoxoimidazolidin-4-one (NaL) with CoCl₂·6 H₂O in MeCN gave rise to the complex CoL₂ in 56% yield. Cyclic voltammetry showed that the coordination compound formed was reversibly reduced “at the metal”. According to the CVA data, the product of its reduction, in contrast to the earlier synthesized sulfur-containing analog, undergoes alkylation with n-butyl iodide at the organic ligand fragment.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of (3S,4S)- and (3R,4R)-3-methoxy-4-methylaminopyrrolidine

Facile chemoenzymatic enantioselective synthesis of (3S,4S)-3-methoxy-4-methylaminopyrrolidine, a key intermediate for a new quinolone antitumor compound AG-7352 has been described. This methodology illustrates the preparation of 3-azido-1-benzyloxycarbonyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidine starting from diallylamine via 1-benzyloxycarbonyl-3-pyrroline obtained by ring-closing metathesis (RCM) employing Grubbs’ catalyst. Enzymatic transesterification employing PS-C lipase gave (3S,4S)-3-azido-1-benzyloxycarbonyl-4-hydroxypyrrolidine in >99% ee, which upon methylation of the hydroxyl group followed by sequential reactions gave the desired intermediates, (3S,4S)-1-tert-butoxycarbonyl-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-methoxypyrrolidine.     

A novel synthesis of (2S)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol by sharpless asymmetric epoxidation method

Synthesis of (2S)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol by the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation reaction has been achieved. 2,4,5-Trifluorobenzaldehyde with methyl 2-(triphenyl-λ⁵-phosphanylidene)acetate gave methyl (E)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)acrylate in 83% yield. The reduction of ester group with DibalH followed by Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation gave ((2R,3R)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)oxiran-2-yl)methanol. Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation of epoxy alcohol furnished (2S)-3-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)propane-1,2-diol with >90% ee and 71% yield.     

Synthesis of chiral C/N-functionalized morpholine alcohols: study of their catalytic ability as ligand in asymmetric diethylzinc addition to aldehyde

A broad variety of chiral C/N-functionalized morpholine alcohols sharing a common structural motif in the 3-(hydroxymethyl)morpholine 6 were prepared from enantiomerically pure serine for the purpose of studying their catalytic ligand properties. The asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde in the presence of 10 mol % of chiral C/N-functionalized morpholine alcohols gave 1-phenyl-1-propanol in 59–81% yield with 10–30% ee. The addition of 10 mol % of n-butyl lithium to the reaction mixture resulted in a significant enhancement of the stereoselectivity in the case of ligands bearing the two geminal phenyl substituents on the backbone. In the presence of n-butyl lithium and using (S)-3-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)morpholine (S)-19 as the chiral promoter, (S)-1-phenyl-1-propanol was obtained in 81% yield with 76% ee. The geminal diphenyl-class of morpholine ligands was examined for the diethylzinc addition to four different aldehydes in the presence of n-butyl lithium. (S)-N-Benzyl-3-(hydroxydiphenylmethyl)morpholine (S)-27 was found to be most enantioselective in the case of 4-methoxybenzaldehyde to give (R)-alcohol in 87% yield with 80% ee. Catalysts (S)-19 and its N-methyl derivative (S)-26 gave alcohols with an (S)-absolute configuration while the N-benzylated derivative (S)-27 gave the opposite enantiomeric products. The tentative transition state models to account for the observed product stereoselectivity with morpholine ligands holding the geminal diphenyl group on the β-amino alcohol segment are proposed.     

Nitro group photoreduction of 4-(2-nitrophenyl)- and 4-(3-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridines

The photoprocesses of nifedipine, a 4-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine, and nimodipine and nitrendipine, two 3-nitrophenyl Hantzsch-type analogues, were studied by steady-state and time-resolved methods. The intramolecular photoreduction of nifedipine into its nitrosophenyl product takes place within a few ns. The quantum yield of conversion is Φ_red = 0.3 and does not depend significantly on the oxygen concentration and solvent properties. Formation of the fully reduced 4-(2-aminophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine as minor product is indicated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The photoreduction of nimodipine and nitrendipine is inefficient, Φ_red = 0.002 in acetonitrile, but markedly enhanced in the presence of donors such as triethylamine (TEA) and 2-propanol, e.g. for TEA Φ_red is up to 0.03. The triplet states of nimodipine and nitrendipine were characterized. They react intermolecularly with TEA and 2-propanol, forming radicals as intermediates and eventually several reduction products.     

Hydroxide-promoted redox reactions in water of α-Phenyl-4-nitro-benzenemethanol, α-(p-Nitrophenyl)-4-pyridinemethanol,and α-(p-Nitrophenyl)-4-Pyridinemethanol N-Oxide steric inhibition of resonance

α-Phenyl-4-nitrobenzenemethanol ( 3 ) reacted with 1 M sodium hydroxide to yield 4, 4′-dibenzoyl-azoybenzene ( 5 ) (51%), 4-hydroxy-4′-benzoylazobenzene ( 6 ) and benzoic acid (12% each), and smaller amounts of 4-aminobenzophenone and 4-nitrobenzophenone. Both α-phenyl-2-nitrobenzenemethanol ( 9 ) and 3, 5-dimethyl-4-nitrobenzenemethanol ( 10a ) did not react with 1 M sodium hydroxide, presumably due to steric hindrance. α-(p-Nitrophenyl)-4-pyridinemethanol ( 14 ) and its N-oxide 11 with 1 M sodium hydroxide yielded 4,4′-diaroylazoxybenzenes 15a and 12a , respectively, 4,4′-diaroylazobenzenes 15b and 12b , respectively, as well as 4-hydroxy-4′-aroylazobenzenes 16 and 13 , respectively. The relative reaction rates were 11 > 14 > 3 . Studies with 11 showed that the nitro group is involved in the redox reaction in preference to the N-oxide group.     

Resolution of (RS)-2-phenylpropanoic acid by enantioselective esterification with dry microbial cells in organic solvent

The microbial direct esterification of racemic 2-phenyl-1-propanoic acid with ethanol by lyophilized mycelium of Aspergillus oryzae MIM and Rhizopus oryzae CBS 112.07 in organic solvents has been investigated. Dry cells of Rhizopus oryzae CBS 112.07 gave the (R)-ethyl ester with high enantiomeric excess (>97%) when the biotransformation was carried out in heptane or pentadecane. Dry mycelium of Aspergillus oryzae MIM furnished the ethyl ester of (S)-(+)-2-phenylpropanoic acid with 90% enantiomeric excess when used in toluene in a temperature range of 20–40°C.     

Enantioselective enzymatic acylation of 1-(3′-bromophenyl)ethylamine

An efficient biocatalytic process has been developed for the resolution of 1-(3′-bromophenyl)ethylamine (RS)-1 by way of enantioselective lipase-mediated (R)-selective acylation with ethyl 2-methoxyacetate to afford (S)-amine (S)-1 and (R)-2″-methoxyacetamide ((R)-2) in 91–95% and 90–92% isolated yield, respectively, and both with >99% ee.     

A study of the Claisen rearrangement of 7-(3-phenyl-2-propenyloxy)-3-phenyl-(4H)-1-benzopyran-4-one derivatives

Summary The Claisen rearrangement of 7-(3-phenyl-2-propenyloxy)-3-phenyl-(4H)-1-benzopyran-4-one (2 a) gave 7-hydroxy-8-(1-phenyl-2-propenyl)-3-phenyl-(4H)-1-benzopyran-4-one (3 a) and 2,3-dihydro-2,6-diphenyl-3-methyl-(7H)furo[2,3-h]-1-benzopyran-7-one (7 a). 2-Methyl-7-(3-phenyl-2-propenyloxy)-3-phenyl-(4H)-1-benzopyran-4-one (2 b) afforded4 b and7 b. 8-Methyl-7-(3-phenyl-2-propenyloxy)-3-phenyl-(4H)-1-benzopyran-4-one (12) gave only the alkali soluble product 7-hydroxy-8-methyl-6-(1-phenyl-2-propenyl)-3-phenyl-(4H)-1-benzopyran-4-one (13).3 a,4 b, and13 were further cyclized in acidic medium to9 a,10 b, and14 followed by dehydrogenation.This paper is dedicated to Dr. F. M. Dean, Department of Organic Chemistry, Robert Robinson Laboratories, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, U. K., on his retirement