Lessons from nature: biomimetic organocatalytic carbon-carbon bond formations

Nature utilizes simple C2 and C3 building blocks, such as dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), and the "active aldehyde" in various enzyme-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond formations to efficiently build up complex organic molecules. In this Perspective, we describe the transition from using enantiopure chemical synthetic equivalents of these building blocks, employing our SAMP/RAMP hydrazone methodology and metalated chiral alpha-amino nitriles, to the asymmetric organocatalytic versions developed in our laboratory. Following this biomimetic strategy, the DHAP equivalent 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-5-one (dioxanone) has been used in the proline-catalyzed synthesis of carbohydrates, aminosugars, carbasugars, polyoxamic acid, and various sphingosines. Proline-catalyzed aldol reactions involving a PEP-like equivalent have also allowed for the asymmetric synthesis of ulosonic acid precursors. By mimicking the "active aldehyde" nucleophilic acylations in Nature catalyzed by the thiamine-dependent enzyme, transketolase, enantioselective N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed benzoin and Stetter reactions have been developed. Finally, based on Nature's use of domino reactions to convert simple building blocks into complex and highly functionalized molecules, we report on our development of biomimetic asymmetric multicomponent domino reactions which couple enamine and iminium catalysis.     

Highly efficient aldol additions of DHA and DHAP to N-Cbz-amino aldehydes catalyzed by L-rhamnulose-1-phosphate and L-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolases in aqueous borate buffer

Aldol addition reactions of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) to N-Cbz-amino aldehydes catalyzed by L-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase (RhuA) in the presence of borate buffer are reported. High yields of aldol adduct (e.g. 70-90%) were achieved with excellent (>98?:?2 syn/anti) stereoselectivity for most S or R configured acceptors, which compares favorably to the reactions performed with DHAP. The stereochemical outcome was different and depended on the N-Cbz-amino aldehyde enantiomer: the S acceptors gave the syn (3R,4S) aldol adduct whereas the R ones gave the anti (3R,4R) diastereomer. Moreover, the tactical use of Cbz protecting group allows simple and efficient elimination of borate and excess of DHA by reverse phase column chromatography or even by simple extraction. This, in addition to the use of unphosphorylated donor nucleophile, makes a useful and expedient methodology for the synthesis of structurally diverse iminocyclitols. The performance of aldol additions of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to N-Cbz-amino aldehydes using RhuA and L-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase (FucA) catalyst in borate buffer was also evaluated. For FucA catalysts, including FucA F131A, the initial velocity of the aldol addition reactions using DHAP were between 2 and 10 times faster and the yields between 1.5 and 4 times higher than those in triethanolamine buffer. In this case, the retroaldol velocities measured for some aldol adducts were lower than those without borate buffer indicating some trapping effect that could explain the improvement of yields.     

Aldol additions of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to N-Cbz-amino aldehydes catalyzed by L-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase in emulsion systems: inversion of stereoselectivity as a function of the acceptor aldehyde

The potential of L-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase (FucA) as a catalyst for the asymmetric aldol addition of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to N-protected amino aldehydes has been investigated. First, the reaction was studied in both emulsion systems and conventional dimethylformamide (DMF)/H2O (1:4 v/v) mixtures. At 100 mM DHAP, compared with the reactions in the DMF/H2O (1:4) mixture, the use of emulsion systems led to two- to three-fold improvements in the conversions of the FucA-catalyzed reactions. The N-protected aminopolyols thus obtained were converted to iminocyclitols by reductive amination with Pd/C. This reaction was highly diastereoselective with the exception of the reaction of the aldol adduct formed from (S)-N-Cbz-alaninal, which gave a 55:45 mixture of both epimers. From the stereochemical analysis of the resulting iminocyclitols, it was concluded that the stereoselectivity of the FucA-catalyzed reaction depended upon the structure of the N-Cbz-amino aldehyde acceptor. Whereas the enzymatic aldol reaction with both enantiomers of N-Cbz-alaninal exclusively gave the expected 3R,4R configuration, the stereochemistry at the C-4 position of the major aldol adducts produced in the reactions with N-Cbz-glycinal and N-Cbz-3-aminopropanal was inverted to the 3R,4S configuration. The study of the FucA-catalyzed addition of DHAP to phenylacetaldehyde and benzyloxyacetaldehyde revealed that the 4R product was kinetically favored, but rapidly disappeared in favor of the 4S diastereoisomer. Computational models were generated for the situations before and after C-C bond formation in the active site of FucA. Moreover, the lowest-energy conformations of each pair of the resulting epimeric adducts were determined. The data show that the products with a 3R,4S configuration were thermodynamically more stable and, therefore, the major products formed, in agreement with the experimental results.     

Amino acid catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reactions: a bioorganic approach to catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions.

Direct asymmetric catalytic aldol reactions have been successfully performed using aldehydes and unmodified ketones together with commercially available chiral cyclic secondary amines as catalysts. Structure-based catalyst screening identified L-proline and 5,5-dimethyl thiazolidinium-4-carboxylate (DMTC) as the most powerful amino acid catalysts for the reaction of both acyclic and cyclic ketones as aldol donors with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to afford the corresponding aldol products with high regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities. Reactions employing hydroxyacetone as an aldol donor provide anti-1,2-diols as the major product with ee values up to >99%. The reactions are assumed to proceed via a metal-free Zimmerman-Traxler-type transition state and involve an enamine intermediate. The observed stereochemistry of the products is in accordance with the proposed transition state. Further supporting evidence is provided by the lack of nonlinear effects. The reactions tolerate a small amount of water (<4 vol %), do not require inert reaction conditions and preformed enolate equivalents, and can be conveniently performed at room temperature in various solvents. In addition, reaction conditions that facilitate catalyst recovery as well as immobilization are described. Finally, mechanistically related addition reactions such as ketone additions to imines (Mannich-type reactions) and to nitro-olefins and alpha,beta-unsaturated diesters (Michael-type reactions) have also been developed.     

Diarylprolinol as an Effective Organocatalyst in Asymmetric Cross-Aldol Reactions of Two Different Aldehydes

The aldol reaction is one of the most important carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions in organic chemistry. Asymmetric direct cross-aldol reaction of two different aldehydes has been regarded as a difficult reaction because of the side reactions such as self-aldol reaction and over reaction. We found that trifluoromethyl-substituted diarylprolinol, α,α-bis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-2-pyrrolidinemethanol ( 1 ), is an effective organocatalyst that promotes several cross-aldol reactions of aldehydes with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Acetaldehyde can be employed as a suitable nucleophilic aldehyde. Successful electrophilic aldehydes are ethyl glyoxylate, chloroacetaldehyde, dichloroacetaldehyde, chloral, α-alkyl-α-oxo aldehyde, trifluoroacetaldehyde, glyoxal, alkenyl aldehyde, alkynyl aldehyde, and formaldehyde. Some of the aldehydes are commercially available as a polymer solution, an aqueous solution, or in the hydrated form. They can be used directly in the asymmetric aldol reaction as a commercially available form, which is a synthetic advantage. Given that the obtained aldol products possess several functional groups along with a formyl moiety, they are synthetically useful chiral building blocks.     

New generation of nucleophilic glycine equivalents

A new generation of nucleophilic glycine equivalents, designed to contain a functional framework, that allows control over the physical properties as well as the reactivity, is described. The reactivity of these nucleophilic glycine equivalents have been compared to previously described examples with the application of various transformations such as alkyl halide alkylations, Michael additions, and aldol condensations.     

Stereoselective aldol additions catalyzed by dihydroxyacetone phosphate-dependent aldolases in emulsion systems: preparation and structural characterization of linear and cyclic iminopolyols from aminoaldehydes

The potential of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP)-dependent aldolases to catalyze stereoselective aldol additions is, in many instances, limited by the solubility of the acceptor aldehyde in aqueous/co-solvent mixtures. Herein, we demonstrate the efficiency of emulsion systems as reaction media for the class I fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (RAMA) and class II recombinant rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase from E. coli (RhuA)-catalyzed aldol addition between DHAP and N-benzyloxycarbonyl (N-Cbz) aminoaldehydes. The use of emulsions improved the RAMA-catalyzed aldol conversions by three to tenfold relative to those in conventional DMF/water mixtures. RhuA was more reactive than RAMA towards the N-Cbz aminoaldehydes regardless of the reaction medium. With (S)- or (R)-Cbz-alaninal, RAMA exhibited preference for the R enantiomer, while RhuA had no enantiomeric discrimination. The linear N-Cbz aminopolyols thus obtained were submitted to catalytic intramolecular reductive amination to afford the corresponding iminocyclitols. This reaction was diastereoselective in all cases examined; the face selectivity was controlled by the stereochemistry of the newly formed hydroxyl group originating from the aldehyde. Characterization of the resulting iminocyclitols allowed the assessment of the diastereoselectivity of the enzymatic aldol reactions with respect to the N-protected aminoaldehyde. RAMA formed single diastereoisomers from N-Cbz-glycinal and from both enantiomers of N-Cbz-alaninal, while 14 % of the epimeric product was observed from N-Cbz-3-aminopropanal. Diastereoselectivity from RhuA was lower than that observed from RAMA. Interestingly, a single diastereoisomer was formed from (S)-Cbz-alaninal, whereas only a 34 % diastereomeric excess was observed from its enantiomer (i.e., (R)-Cbz-alaninal).     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions of aldehydes and ketones catalyzed by siloxyproline in the presence of water

Proline-based organocatalysts have been developed for a highly enantioselective, direct aldol reaction of aldehydes and ketones in the presence of water. While several surfactant-proline combined catalysts have proved effective, proline derivatives with a hydrophobic moiety such as trans-siloxy-L-proline and cis-siloxy-D-proline, both of which are easily prepared from the same commercially available 4-hydroxy-L-proline, have been found to be the most effective organocatalysts examined in this study, affording the aldol product with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities, these two catalysts generating opposite enantiomers. Water affects the selectivity, and poor results are obtained under neat reaction conditions or in dry organic solvents. More than three equivalents of water are required for the best diastereo- and enantioselectivities, while three equivalents is the recommended amount from a synthetic point of view. The reaction proceeds in the organic phase, and also proceeds in the presence of a large amount of water. The large-scale preparation of aldols with the minimal use of an organic solvent, including in the purification step, is described.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis, structural study and biological activity of novel indolizidine and quinolizidine iminocyclitols

The synthesis, conformational study and inhibitory properties of diverse indolizidine and quinolizidine iminocyclitols are described. The compounds were chemo-enzymatically synthesized by two-step aldol addition and reductive amination reactions. The aldol addition of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to N-Cbz-piperidine carbaldehyde derivatives catalyzed by L-rhamnulose 1-phosphate aldolase from Escherichia coli provides the key intermediates. The stereochemical outcome of both aldol addition and reductive amination depended upon the structure of the starting material and intermediates. The combination of both reactions furnished five indolizidine and six quinolizidine type iminocyclitols. A structural analysis by NMR and in silico density functional theory (DFT) calculations allowed us to determine the population of stereoisomers with the trans or cis ring fusion, as a consequence of the inversion of configuration of the bridgehead nitrogen. The trans fusion was by far the most stable, but for certain stereochemical configurations of the 3-hydroxymethyl and hydroxyl substituents both trans and cis fusion stereoisomers coexisted in different proportions. Some of the polyhydroxylated indolizidines and quinolizidines were shown to be moderate to good inhibitors against α-L-rhamnosidase from Penicillium decumbens. Indolizidines were found to be moderate inhibitors of the rat intestinal sucrase and of the exoglucosidase amyloglucosidase from Aspergillus niger. In spite of their activity against α-L-rhamnosidase, all the compounds were ineffective to inhibit the growth of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis.     

Short and efficient synthesis of a stock material of dihydroxyacetone phosphate from glycidol

As enzymatic syntheses are expensive for a large-scale preparation of DHAP, a precursor leading to DHAP was synthesized in three steps starting from (±) glycidol; the stable benzylated stock material afforded by hydrogenolysis DHAP in high purity, which may be used directly without purification in enzymatic aldol synthesis.     

Synthesis of Branched‐Chain Sugars with a DHAP‐Dependent Aldolase: Ketones are Electrophile Substrates of Rhamnulose‐1‐phosphate Aldolases

Dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP)‐dependent rhamnulose aldolases display an unprecedented versatility for ketones as electrophile substrates. We selected and characterized a rhamnulose aldolase from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (RhuABthet) to provide a proof of concept. DHAP was added as a nucleophile to several α‐hydroxylated ketones used as electrophiles. This aldol addition was stereoselective and produced branched‐chain monosaccharide adducts with a tertiary alcohol moiety. Several aldols were readily obtained in good to excellent yields (from 76 to 95 %). These results contradict the general view that aldehydes are the only electrophile substrates for DHAP‐dependent aldolases and provide a new C?C bond‐forming enzyme for stereoselective synthesis of tertiary alcohols.     

Asymmetric synthesis of beta-hydroxy amino acids via aldol reactions catalyzed by chiral ammonium salts

The Cinchona alkaloid derived chiral ammonium salt developed by Park and Jew functions as an effective catalyst for the synthesis of beta-hydroxy alpha-amino acids via asymmetric aldol reactions under homogeneous conditions. The syn diastereomers are obtained in good ee, and aryl-substituted aliphatic aldehydes are the best substrates for the reaction. These results represent the highest ee's obtained to date in direct aldol reactions of glycine equivalents catalyzed by inexpensive, readily prepared chiral ammonium salts.     

Versatile asymmetric synthesis of the kavalactones: first synthesis of (+)-kavain

[reaction: see text] Three asymmetric pathways to the kavalactones have been developed. The first method is chiral auxiliary-based and utilizes aldol reactions of N-acetyl thiazolidinethiones followed by a malonate displacement/decarboxylation reaction. The second approach uses the asymmetric catalytic Mukaiyama additions of dienolate nucleophile equivalents developed by Carreira and Sato. Finally, tin-substituted intermediates, prepared by either of these routes, can serve as advanced general precursors of kavalactone derivatives via Pd(0)-catalyzed Stille couplings with aryl halides.     

A four-step enzymatic cascade for the one-pot synthesis of non-natural carbohydrates from glycerol

A total of four enzymatic steps were combined, in a one-pot reaction, to synthesize carbohydrates starting from glycerol. First, phosphorylation of glycerol by reaction with pyrophosphate in the presence of phytase at pH 4.0 in 95% glycerol afforded racemic glycerol-3-phosphate in 100% yield. The L-enantiomer of the latter underwent selective aerobic oxidation to dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) at pH 7.5 in the presence of glycerolphosphate oxidase (GPO) and catalase. Subsequently, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase catalyzed the aldol reaction of DHAP with butanal. Finally, dephosphorylation of the aldol adduct was mediated by phytase at pH 4 affording 5-deoxy-5-ethyl-D-xylulose in 57% yield from L-glycerol-3-phosphate. The phytase on/off-switch by pH was the key to controlling phosphorylation and dephosphorylation.     

Mimicking dihydroxy acetone phosphate-utilizing aldolases through organocatalysis: a facile route to carbohydrates and aminosugars

[reaction: see text] A practical and environmentally friendly organocatalytic strategy designed to mimic the DHAP aldolases has been developed and shown to be effective in the preparation of carbohydrates and aminosugars. (S)-Proline and (S)-2-pyrrolidine-tetrazole catalyzed the aldol reaction between dihydroxy acetone variants such as 1,3-dioxan-5-one and 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-5-one with aldehydes to give the corresponding polyols in good yields with very high ees.     

Current progress in the asymmetric aldol addition reaction

Control of stereochemistry during aldol addition reactions has attracted considerable interest over the years as the aldol reaction is one of the most fundamental tools for the construction of new carbon-carbon bonds. Several strategies have been implemented whereby eventually any single possible stereoisomeric aldol product can be accessed by choosing the appropriate procedure. With earlier methods, stoichiometric quantities of chiral reagents were required for efficient asymmetric induction, with the auxiliary most often attached covalently to the substrate carbonyl. Lewis acid catalyzed addition reactions of silyl enolates to aldehydes (Mukaiyama reaction) later opened the way for catalytic asymmetric induction. In the last few years, both chiral metal complexes and small chiral organic molecules have been found to catalyse the direct aldol addition of unmodified ketones to aldehydes with relatively high chemical and stereochemical efficiency. These techniques along with the more recent developments in the area are discussed in this tutorial review.     

Biosynthesis of a Tricyclo[6.2.2.02,7]dodecane System by a Berberine Bridge Enzyme-Like Aldolase

The aldol reaction is one of the most fundamental stereocontrolled carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions and is mainly catalyzed by aldolases in nature. Despite the fact that the aldol reaction has been widely proposed to be involved in fungal secondary metabolite biosynthesis, a dedicated aldolase that catalyzes stereoselective aldol reactions has only rarely been reported in fungi. Herein, we activated a cryptic polyketide biosynthetic gene cluster that was upregulated in the fungal wheat pathogen Parastagonospora nodorum during plant infection; this resulted in the production of the phytotoxic stemphyloxin II ( 1 ). Through heterologous reconstruction of the biosynthetic pathway and in vitro assay by using cell-free lysate from Aspergillus nidulans, we demonstrated that a berberine bridge enzyme (BBE)-like protein SthB catalyzes an intramolecular aldol reaction to establish the bridged tricyclo[6.2.2.0^2,7]dodecane skeleton in the post-assembly tailoring step. The characterization of SthB as an aldolase enriches the catalytic toolbox of classic reactions and the functional diversities of the BBE superfamily of enzymes.     

Unusual reversal of regioselectivity in antibody-mediated aldol additions with unsymmetrical methyl ketones

A catalytic regio- and enantioselective aldol reaction of various unsymmetrical methyl ketones with para-nitrobenzaldehyde has been developed using aldolase antibodies as the catalysts. It has been found that the sense and level of regioselectivity for the reactions catalysed by antibody 38C2 and 33F12 are highly dependent on the structure of both the donor and the acceptor but in contrast, antibodies 84G3 and 93F3 catalyse the exclusive formation of the linear regioisomer independent of the structure of the reactants examined. The level of enantiocontrol is very high for most reactions. Both linear aldol enantiomers could be accessed through aldol or retro-aldol reactions using the same antibody. Theoretical studies on regioisomeric α- and β-heteroatom substituted enamines derived from unsymmetrical ketones suggest that most of the linear aldol products formed in the presence of antibodies 84G3 and 93F3 must be formed from intermediate enamines which are not the thermodynamically most favourable.     

Influence of N-amino protecting group on aldolase-catalyzed aldol additions of dihydroxyacetone phosphate to amino aldehydes

This work examines the influence of N-protecting groups on the conversion and stereoselectivity of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) dependent aldolase-catalyzed aldol additions of DHAP to N-protected-3-aminopropanal. Phenylacetyl-(PhAc-), tert-butyloxycarbonyl- (^tBoc-) and fluoren-9-ylmethoxycarbonyl- (Fmoc-)-3-aminopropanal were evaluated as substrates for d-fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from rabbit muscle (RAMA), and l-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase (RhuA) and l-fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase (FucA), both from Escherichia coli. Using PhAc and ^tBoc ca. 70% conversions to the aldol adduct were achieved, whereas Fmoc gave maximum conversions of ca. 25%. The stereoselectivity of the DHAP-aldolases did not depend on the N-protected-3-aminopropanal derivative. Moreover, inversion of FucA stereoselectivity relative to that obtained with the natural l-lactaldehyde was observed. Both N-PhAc and ^tBoc adduct product derivatives were successfully deprotected by penicillin G acylase (PGA)-catalyzed hydrolysis at pH 7 and by treatment with aqueous TFA (6% v/v), respectively. However, the corresponding cyclic imine sugars could not be isolated, presumable due to the presence of a highly reactive primary amine and a keto group in the molecule, which lead to a number of unexpected reactions.     

Rhodium-catalyzed reductive aldol reactions using aldehydes as the stoichiometric reductants

Chelated acyl rhodium hydrides, generated from the addition of [Rh(dppe)]ClO4 to beta-sulfide-substituted aldehydes, can function as the stoichiometric reductants in reductive aldol processes. Unsaturated nitriles, esters, and ketones can be used as enolate equivalents, and a variety of simple alpha- and beta-substituted aldehydes can be employed. The use of a second, more electrophilic, aldehyde allows three-component reactions to be performed.