Differentiation of Epoxide Enantiomers in the Confined Spaces of an Homochiral Cu(II) Metal-Organic Framework by Kinetic Resolution

TAMOF-1 , a homochiral metal-organic framework (MOF) constructed from an amino acid derivative and Cu(II), was investigated as a heterogeneous catalyst in kinetic resolutions involving the ring opening of styrene oxide with a set of anilines. The branched products generated from the ring opening of styrene oxide with anilines and the unreacted epoxide were obtained with moderately high enantiomeric excesses. The linear product arising from the attack on the non-benzylic position of styrene oxide underwent a second kinetic resolution by reacting with the epoxide, resulting in an amplification of its final enantiomeric excess and a concomitant formation of an array of isomeric aminodiols. Computational studies confirmed the experimental results, providing a deep understanding of the whole process involving the two successive kinetic resolutions. Furthermore, TAMOF-1 activity was conserved after several catalytic cycles. The ring opening of a meso-epoxide with aniline catalyzed by TAMOF-1 was also studied and moderate enantioselectivities were obtained.     

An efficient enzymatic synthesis of benzocispentacin and its new six- and seven-membered homologues

A very efficient enzymatic method was developed for the synthesis of new enantiomeric benzocispentacin and its six- and seven-membered homologues through the Lipolase (lipase B from Candida antarctica) catalyzed enantioselective (E > 200) ring opening of 3,4-benzo-6-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one, 4,5-benzo-7-azabicyclo[4.2.0]octan-8-one, and 5,6-benzo-8-azabicyclo[5.2.0]nonan-9-one with H2O in iPr2O at 60 degrees C. The (1R,2R)-beta-amino acids (ee > or = 96%, yields > or = 40%) and (1S,6S)-, (1S,7S)-, and (1S,8S)-beta-lactams (ee > 99%, yields > or = 44%) produced could be easily separated. The ring opening of racemic and enantiomeric beta-lactams with 18% HCl afforded the corresponding beta-amino acid hydrochlorides.     

Asymmetric ring-opening of cyclohexene oxide with trimethylsilyl azide in the presence of titanium isopropoxide/chiral ligand

trans-2-Azidocyclohexanol of enantiomeric excess up to 24% is obtained in the ring opening of cyclohexene oxide by use of trimethylsilyl azide in the presence of stoechiometric amount of titanium tetraisopropoxide and chiral diols or aminoalcohols.     

Regiodivergent epoxide opening (REO) via electron transfer: control elements

The first regiodivergent opening of unbiased epoxides (REO) providing the ring-opened products in high enantiomeric excess from racemic and exceptionally high enantiomeric excess from enantioenriched substrates in a double asymmetric process has been devised. It constitutes a more general case of the very important enantioselective openings of meso-epoxides. The dependence of the selectivity of ring opening on the epoxide’s substitution pattern was studied.     

Enantioselective synthesis of trans-4-methylpipecolic acid

An asymmetric synthesis for the preparation of both enantiomers of trans-methylpipecolic acids is described. It is based on Sharpless epoxidation as a chirality source, regioselective ring opening with allylamine, and ring-closing metathesis to construct the piperidine ring. The stereogenic center at C-4 is set by stereoselective hydrogenation that is directed by the alcohol functionality of an intermediate and proceeds with good diastereomeric control (trans/cis 16/1). Crystallization of the Boc-protected amino acid afforded the target products with excellent chemical (98% de) and enantiomeric purity (99% ee).     

Catalytic asymmetric ring opening of epoxides to chlorohydrins with mild chloride donors and enantiopure titanium complexes

The ring opening of symmetric and racemic epoxides with dilithium tetrachlorocuprate or trimethylsilyl chloride in the presence of titanium (R,R)-(+)-TADDOLates or a titanium (R)-(+)-BINOL complex gave vicinal chlorohydrins or their TMS ethers with maximum 36% enantiomeric excess.     

Regio- and diastereoselective synthesis of bifunctionalized limonenes

High regio- and diastereoselective ring opening of limonene aziridines with a variety of nucleophiles is described. The resulting novel chiral derivatives are readily accessible from limonene aziridine in either enantiomeric form in 35-94% yield.     

Enantioselective ring-opening reaction of meso-epoxides with ArSH catalyzed by a C2-symmetric chiral bipyridyldiol-titanium complex

This study describes a C₂-symmetric ligand comprising a central bipyridine-pinene-derived core and two functionalized diphenylmethanol subunits. [8′-(Hydroxy-diphenyl-methyl)-10,10,10′,10′-tetramethyl-[5,5′]bi[6-aza-tricyclo[7.1.1.0^2,7]undecyl]-2(7),3,5,2′(7′),3′,5′-hexaen-8-yl]-diphenyl-methanol 1 is an effective catalyst in the asymmetric ring opening (ARO) of meso-epoxides with PhSH and inductions of up to 69% ee. Importantly, there was a correlation between Hammett substituent constants and enantiomeric excesses; the electron-donating substituents at the meta- and para-positions of the substituted stilbene oxides had good enantioselectivity during the epoxide ring opening using PhSH.     

Organocatalytic synthesis of beta-alkylaspartates via beta-lactone ring opening

Cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed reaction of ethyl glyoxylate with substituted ketenes, formed in situ, gives disubstituted beta-lactones in moderate yield and high enantiomeric excess. Subsequent azide ring opening, reduction, and ester hydrolysis allows access to chiral beta-alkyl aspartates.     

Nucleophilic addition of phenol derivatives to methyl 1-nitrocyclopropanecarboxylates

Nucleophilic ring opening of methyl 1-nitrocyclopropanecarboxylates by phenol derivatives in the presence of Cs2CO3 is described. The reaction tolerates a variety of substituents on both the aromatic alcohol and the cyclopropane and affords the products in good yields (53-84%) and with complete preservation of the enantiomeric excess at C-4. The methodology was applied in an enantioselective synthesis of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine (Strattera).     

Synthesis of the enantiomers of 4-substituted γ-lactones with known absolute configuration

The highly pure enantiomers of several 4-alkyl (or alkenyl)-γ-lactones of known absolute configuration were synthesized from glutamic acid enantiomers. The key step is selective tosylate displacement rather than ring opening of the lactone tosylate (7→1) by lithium dialkylcuprate or dialkenylcuprate. The enantiomeric purity of synthesized γ-caprolactone was confirmed within the limitations of Pirkle's chiral solvating agent. The enantiomers of synthesized (Z)-6-dodecen-4-olide were used for reference to determine the enantiomeric composition of the pheromone isolated from the black-tailed deer.     

Chiral Ti(IV) complexes of hexadentate Schiff bases as precatalysts for the asymmetric addition of TMSCN to aldehydes and the ring opening of cyclohexene oxide

Chiral dinuclear titanium(IV) complexes (generated in situ from hexadentate Schiff bases and titanium tetra-isopropoxide) have been found to be more effective catalysts for the asymmetric addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide to aldehydes and the ring opening of cyclohexene oxide than their mononuclear analogues. The best results were obtained for benzaldehyde (86% enantiomeric excess) and cyclohexene oxide (89% enantiomeric excess).     

Ring opening of cyclic ethers by sulfuric acid ‐ acetic anhydride

Cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran or tetrahydropyran were easily cleaved at room temperature by sulfuric acid ‐ acetic anhydride providing the corresponding diacetoxyalkanes in good yield. The ring opening was applicable to saturated cyclic ethers, regardless of the presence of substituent groups.     

A concise enantioselective entry to the synthesis of deoxy-azasugars

[reaction: see text] A concise enantioselective preparation of oxazolidinylpiperidine 4, a key intermediate in the synthesis of glycosidase inhibitors such as 1-deoxymannojirimycin or 1-deoxygalactostatin, has been developed. Sharpless catalytic asymmetric epoxidation of (E)-2,4-pentadienol followed by treatment with allyl isocyanate afforded epoxy carbamate 8. Regioselective intramolecular ring opening promoted by sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide and ring-closing metathesis provided the bicyclic intermediate 4 in high enantiomeric purity. The four-step sequence takes place in 51% overall yield.     

Intramolecular ring opening of a 2,3-epoxy alcohol by a xanthate anionic center; stereospecific preparation of 2-mercapto-1,3-diol units

Stereospecific ring openings of optically active 2,3-epoxy alcohols were performed by the reaction of 1 , 3 , 5 , and 7 with carbon disulfide and sodium hydride to give the five-membered xanthates 2 , 4 , 6 , and 8 . Both enantiomers of 2-mercapto-1,3-diol triacetates, 11 and 14 , were derived from 4 and 6 , respectively. The ring opening reaction proceeded at −78°C to −30°C, and the yields were around 80%. However, at a higher temperature between 0°C to room temperature, a complicated reaction took place and led to the formation of two isomers of the cyclic thiol carbonates 15 and 16 from 1 or 5 . These processes were also stereospecific, and mechanisms have been proposed. In the case of the 3,4-epoxy alcohol 20 , the epoxide ring opening gave the six-membered xanthate 21 stereospecifically.     

Synthesis of C 2-Symmetric Chiral Amino Alcohols: Their Usage as Organocatalysts for Enantioselective Opening of Epoxide Ring

A series of β-amino alcohols derivatives were synthesized from (R)-2-amino-1-butanol and (S)-1,2-propanediol, and they have been used as organocatalaysts in the racemic ring opening of epoxide in good yields with high enantiomeric excess (up to 97%).     

A novel synthetic method for optically active terpenes by the ring-opening reaction of (R)-(+)-β-methyl-β-propiolactone

Optically active terpene such as (R)-(+)-citronellol, (R)-(+)-pulegone or (S)-ar-turmerone is prepared in high enantiomeric excess from an intermediate, (R)-(+)-citronellic acid or (S)-(+)-3-p-tolylbutyric acid, which is easily prepared by the Sn2 type of ring opening reaction of (R)-(+)-β-methyl-β-propiolactone with homoprenylmagnesium bromide in the presence of a copper(I) salt or di-p-tolylcuprate.     

A new class of biodegradable hydrogels stereocomplexed by enantiomeric oligo(lactide) side chains of poly(HEMA‐g‐OLA)s

Two enantiomeric amphiphilic graft copolymers consisting of water soluble poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (HEMA) and biodegradable oligo(L ‐lactide) (OLLA) or oligo(D ‐lactide) (ODLA) were synthesized by free radical copolymerization. HEMA‐OL(D)LA macromonomers were synthesized by ring opening polymerization of L ‐ or D ‐lactide. Both HEMA‐OLA macromonomers and graft copolymers were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. Graft copolymers and their stereocomplexes were analyzed by wide angle X‐ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Due to the formation of stereocomplex crosslinks between poly(HEMA) main chains, amphiphilic, biodegradable hydrogels prepared by blending of two enantiomeric poly(HEMA‐g‐OLLA) and poly(HEMA‐g‐ODLA) degraded more slowly in phosphate buffered saline than individual optically pure poly‐(HEMA‐g‐OL(D)LA).     

Nondynamic kinetic resolution of configurationally stable biaryl lactones by reduction with oxazaborolidine-activated borane: AM1 studies and experimental verification

The complete mechanistic course of the atroposelective ring opening of a lactone-bridged biaryl, dinaphth[2,1-c:1',2'-e]oxepin-3-(5H)-one (3), with a chiral oxazaborolidine-BH3 complex was calculated using the semiempirical AM1 method. The first hydride transfer to the activated carbonyl function of the adduct complexes was elaborated to be the selectivity-determining step in the postulated five-step mechanism. The calculated enantioselectivity is in good accordance with the experimental results, so that related calculations were performed on the atroposelective ring opening of a sterically strongly hindered and therefore also configurationally stable six-membered biaryl lactone, 1,3-di-tert-butyl-6H-benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]pyran-6-one (6f). These calculations predicted a highly (M)-selective reduction of 6f (kM/kP = 358 at -78 degrees C), which, after the smooth preparation of 6f by intramolecular biaryl coupling in high yields, was fully confirmed experimentally (kM/kP > 200 at -78 degrees C). Isolation of the intermediate hydroxy aldehyde (M)-14 at the beginning of the reaction with the same enantiomeric excess as found for the corresponding alcohol (M)-7f conclusively showed the first hydride transfer step to determine the selectivity of this process. The good agreement of computationally predicted and experimentally confirmed values proves the suitability of the AM1 method for mechanistic studies on even such complex reactions and opens a most efficient overall synthesis of sterically highly hindered biaryls, in excellent chemical (for the ring closure) and optical (for the ring cleavage) yields and for any desired axial configuration.     

Cu(I)-catalyzed enantioselective [2 + 2] cycloaddition of 1-methoxyallenylsilane with alpha-imino ester: chiral synthesis of alpha,beta-unsaturated acylsilanes

[reaction: see text] The catalytic, enantioselective [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of 1-methoxyallenylsilanes with alpha-imino ester has been achieved by means of the [Cu(MeCN)(4)]BF(4)/(R)-Tol-BINAP catalyst to afford 3-methylene-azetidine 2-carboxylates in good yields and with excellent enantiomeric excesses. The acid-catalyzed ring opening of the azetidines afforded chiral acylsilanes quantitatively.