Design and asymmetric synthesis of chiral diaryliodonium salts

The application of chiral hypervalent iodine reagents in asymmetric synthesis is highly desirable, as the reagents are metal-free, environmentally benign and employed under mild conditions. Three chiral diaryliodonium salts have been designed to provide chemoselectivity and asymmetric induction in asymmetric α-phenylation of carbonyl compounds. The synthetic routes to the selected targets are detailed herein, together with a structural investigation into the diastereoselectivity of the alkylation process.     

Carboxylate-stabilised sulfur ylides (thetin salts) in asymmetric epoxidation for the synthesis of glycidic acids. Mechanism and implications

The reaction of carboxylate-stabilised sulfur ylides (thetin salts) with aldehydes and ketones has been investigated. Using both achiral and chiral sulfur ylides, good yields were obtained with dimsylsodium or LHMDS as bases in DMSO or THF-DMSO mixtures. However, the enantioselectivities observed with a camphor-based sulfide were only moderate (up to 67%). The reaction was studied mechanistically by independent generation of the betaine (via the hydroxyl sulfonium salt) in the presence of a more reactive aldehyde, which resulted in incorporation of the more reactive aldehyde and showed that betaine formation was reversible. Thus, the moderate enantiomeric excess observed is a consequence of the enantiodifferentiating step being the ring closure step rather than the betaine forming step. We had expected betaine formation might be non-reversible because a carboxylate-stabilised ylide has only slightly higher stability than a phenyl-stabilised ylide, which does largely react non-reversibly with aldehydes. Evidently, a carboxylate-stabilised ylide is significantly more stable than a phenyl-stabilised ylide and as such reacts reversibly with aldehydes.     

Development of a recyclable fluorous chiral phase-transfer catalyst: application to the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of alpha-amino acids

[structure: see text] A recyclable fluorous chiral phase-transfer catalyst was synthesized and successfully applied for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of both natural and unnatural alpha-amino acids. The reaction involves alkylation of a glycine derivative followed by extractive recovery of the chiral phase-transfer catalyst using fluorous solvent.     

Umpolung reactivity of difluoroenol silyl ethers with amines and amino alcohols. application to the synthesis of enantiopure alpha-difluoromethyl amines and amino acids

Difluoroenol silyl ethers, produced in situ from acylsilanes and CF3TMS, react as electrophiles with amines to give difluoroimines, via the corresponding hemiaminal adduct, as evidenced by 19F NMR spectroscopy. Reaction with (R)-phenylglycinol led to 2-difluoromethyloxazolidines. After separation of the diastereomers, reduction with LAH and Strecker-type synthesis gave enantiopure alpha-difluoromethylamines and alpha-difluoromethyl-alpha-amino acids, respectively.     

Synthesis of enantiopure alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids from the asymmetric Strecker reaction products of aldehydes

Treatment of the enolates of 4 generated from the asymmetric Strecker reaction products with alkyl halides or aldehydes provided the corresponding functionalized products with high diastereoselectivity. Deprotection of these products afforded the corresponding enantiopure alpha,alpha-dialkyl amino acids.     

α-Vinylic amino acids: occurrence,asymmetric synthesis,and biochemical mechanisms

This report presents an overview of the family of naturally occurring ‘vinylic’ amino acids, namely those that feature a C–C double bond directly attached to the α-carbon, along the side chain. Strategies that have been brought to bear on the stereocontrolled synthesis of these olefinic amino acids are surveyed. The mechanistic diversity by which such ‘vinylic triggers’ can be actuated in a PLP (pyridoxal phosphate) enzyme active site is then highlighted by discussion of vinylglycine (VG), its substituted congeners, particularly AVG [4E-(2′-aminoethoxy)vinylglycine], and a naturally occurring VG-progenitor, SMM [(S)-methylmethionine].     

SN2 vs. E2 on quaternary centres: an application to the synthesis of enantiopure beta2,2-amino acids

S(N)2 and E2 competing reactions in cyclic sulfamidates can be modulated by the change of an amide group to an ester group attached to the quaternary carbon activated for the nucleophilic attack, allowing an easy approach to enantiopure alpha,alpha-disubstituted beta-amino acids.     

Design of N-spiro C2-symmetric chiral quaternary ammonium bromides as novel chiral phase-transfer catalysts: synthesis and application to practical asymmetric synthesis of alpha-amino acids

A series of C(2)-symmetric chiral quaternary ammonium bromides 10 and 11 have been designed as a new, purely synthetic chiral phase-transfer catalyst, and readily prepared from commercially available optically pure 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol as a basic chiral unit. The details of the synthetic procedures of each requisite chiral binaphthyl subunit have been disclosed, and the structures of the assembled N-spiro chiral quaternary ammonium bromides 11a and 11f were unequivocally determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The reactivity and selectivity of these chiral ammonium bromides as chiral phase-transfer catalysts have been evaluated in the asymmetric alkylation of the benzophenone Schiff base of glycine ester 7 under mild liquid-liquid phase-transfer conditions, and the optimization of the reaction variables (solvent, base, and temperature) has also been conducted. Further, the scope and limitations of this asymmetric alkylation have been thoroughly investigated with a variety of alkyl halides, in which the advantage of the unique N-spiro structure of 11 and dramatic effect of the steric as well as the electronic properties of the aromatic substituents on the 3,3'-position of one binaphthyl moiety have been particularly emphasized. Finally, the potential synthetic utility of the present method for the practical asymmetric synthesis of structurally diverse natural and unnatural alpha-amino acids has been demonstrated by its successful application to the facile asymmetric syntheses of (S)-N-acetylindoline-2-carboxylate, a key intermediate in the synthesis of the ACE inhibitor, and l-Dopa (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) ester and its analogue.     

Asymmetric synthesis of unsaturated, fused bicyclic proline analogues through amino alkylation of cyclic bis(allylsulfoximine)titanium complexes and migratory cyclization of delta-amino alkenyl aminosulfoxonium salts

Described is an asymmetric synthesis of new Delta(3a,4)-unsaturated, fused bicyclic proline analogues from cyclic bis(allylsulfoximine)titanium complexes and N-tert-butylsulfonyl imino ethyl ester. Treatment of the enantiomerically pure five-, six-, seven-, and eight-membered cyclic bis(allylsulfoximine)titanium complexes with the imino ester gave mixtures of the corresponding (E,syn)- and (Z,syn)-configured, delta-sulfoximine substituted, cyclic gamma,delta-unsaturated alpha-amino acid esters with high regio- and diastereoselectivities in good yields. Activation of the N-methyl sulfoximine group of these amino acid derivatives through methylation with Me(3)OBF(4) afforded in nearly quantitative yields the corresponding (dimethylamino)sulfoxonium salts. A novel migratory cyclization of these salts with DBU gave via an isomerization to the corresponding allylic (dimethylamino)sulfoxonium salts and an intramolecular substitution of the (dimethylamino)sulfoxonium group the enantio- and diastereomerically pure, bicyclic, N-tert-butylsulfonyl protected proline analogues having a six- and eight-membered unsaturated carbocyclic ring. Cyclization of the alkenyl (dimethylamino)sulfoxonium salts was independent of the configuration of the double bond. N,N-Dimethylphenylsulfinamide of > or =99% ee was obtained in good yield as a further reaction product. Conversion of the sulfinamide to N,S-dimethyl-S-phenylsulfoximine of > or =99% ee, the starting material for the synthesis of the allylic sulfoximines, had been accomplished previously. Finally, cleavage of the tert-butylsulfonyl protecting group with anhydrous acid furnished the fused bicyclic proline analogue containing an unsaturated six-membered ring in high yield.     

Rigid dipeptide mimics: synthesis of enantiopure C6-functionalized pyrrolizidinone amino acids

Enantiopure (3S,5S,6R,8S)- and (3S,5S,6S,8S)-6-hydroxypyrrolizidinone 3-N-(Boc)amino 8-methyl carboxylates (6R)- and (6S)-1 were synthesized in seven steps starting from (2S)-alpha-tert-butyl N-(PhF) aspartate beta-aldehyde (10). Carbene-catalyzed acyloin condensation of beta-aldehyde 10 followed by acetylation provided a separable mixture of diastereomeric (2S,5RS,7S)-diamino-4-oxo-5-acetoxysuberates (13). Reductive amination and lactam annulation of the respective alpha-acetoxy ketones 13 provided hydroxypyrrolizidinones (6R)- and (6S)-1 with retention of the C6-position stereochemistry. The X-ray crystallographic study of (6R)-1 indicated dihedral angles constrained within the heterocycle that were consistent with the ideal values for the i + 1 and i + 2 residues of a type II' beta-turn. Hydrogen-bonding studies on N'-methyl-N-(Boc)aminopyrrolizidin-2-one carboxamides (6R)- and (6S)-21 in DMSO-d6, demonstrated different NH chemical shift displacements and temperature coefficients for the amide and carbamate protons, indicative of solvent shielded and exposed hydrogens in a turn conformation. 6-Hydroxy pyrrolizidinone amino carboxylate 1 may thus find application as a constrained alaninylhydroxyproline dipeptide mimic. In addition, alkylation of the hydroxyl group provided orthogonally protected pyrrolizidinone amino dicarboxylate (6R)-25, demonstrating potential for expanding the diversity of these rigid dipeptide surrogates for the exploration of peptide conformation-activity relationships.     

Nitrile biotransformations for the practical synthesis of highly enantiopure azido carboxylic acids and amides, ‘click’ to functionalized chiral triazoles and chiral β-amino acids

Under very mild conditions, biotransformations of racemic azido nitriles using Rhodococcus erythropolis AJ270, a nitrile hydratase/amidase-containing microbial whole-cell catalyst, afforded highly enantiopure, (R)-α-arylmethyl- and (+)-α-cyclohexylmethyl-β-azidopropanoic acids and their (S)- and (−)-carboxamide derivatives in excellent yields. The resulting functionalized chiral organoazides were converted in a straightforward fashion to a pair of antipodes of α-benzyl-β-amino acids (R)-13 and (S)-13. Azido carboxamide (S)-11a and azido carboxylic acid (R)-12a underwent ‘click’ reactions with diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate and phenylacetylene to produce functionalized chiral triazoles 14 and 15, respectively. The easy preparation of the starting nitrile substrates, highly efficient and enantioselective biotransformation reactions, and versatile utility of the resulting functionalized azido carboxylic acids and amide derivatives, render this method very attractive and practical in organic synthesis.     

Rapid asymmetric synthesis of amino acids via NiII complexes based on new fluorine containing chiral auxiliaries

New fluorine-containing chiral auxiliaries (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-(2-fluorobenzyl)-, (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-(3-fluorobenzyl)-, and (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide and their Ni^II complexes of Schiff bases with glycine and alanine have been synthesized. The greater efficiency of the complexes in terms of faster reaction rates and stereoselectivities in the asymmetric synthesis of (S)-α-amino acids has also been demonstrated.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure isoprenoid building blocks: application in the synthesis of apple leafminer pheromones

The first catalytic asymmetric procedure capable of preparing all 4 diastereoisomers (ee > 99%, de > 98%) of a versatile saturated isoprenoid building block was developed and the value of this new method was demonstrated in its application to the concise total synthesis of two pheromones.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis with rh-diene complexes: 1,4-addition of arylboronic acids to unsaturated esters

A general route to enantioenriched tert-butyl 3,3-diarylpropanoates is presented. These useful building blocks are prepared via an asymmetric rhodium-catalyzed conjugate addition of arylboronic acids to unsaturated tert-butyl esters in the presence of chiral dienes as ligands. The addition of both electron-poor and electron-rich boronic acids proceeds smoothly with various enoates in 63-90% yield with high enantioselectivites (89-94% ee). [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis of new chiral imidazolium salts derived from amino acids: their evaluation in chiral molecular recognition

A family of new imidazolium salts derived from natural amino acids has been synthesized and tested for NMR enantiodiscrimination, as chiral shift reagents, of carboxylic acids. These imidazolium receptors contain different structural modifications and the splitting of the signals of the acids, after addition of the corresponding CSRs, depends on these structural variables. Compound 8b exhibited the strongest chiral solvating properties for racemic Mosher acid and was recognized as a suitable CSR for the determination of its enantiomeric composition.     

m-Carborane-based chiral NBN pincer-metal complexes: synthesis, structure, and application in asymmetric catalysis

We have succeeded in synthesizing m-carborane-based chiral NBN-pincer ligands, 1,7-bis(oxazolinyl)-1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (Carbox) (7-9). The combination of bis(hydroxyamides) and 3 equiv of diethylaminosulfur trifluoride (DAST) is a key step for cyclization to form oxazoline rings in excellent yields. X-ray crystal structures of these ligands confirmed three donor sites, one central B and two flanking N atoms in fixed positions. The electrophilic halogenation of the Carbox pincer ligands with iodine and a catalytic amount of Lewis acid led to ring-opening of the oxazolines and afforded bis(haloamides) (13 and 14). The air- and moisture-stable Carbox pincer complexes of rhodium(III), nickel(II), and palladium(II) were synthesized by the oxidative addition of RhCl(3)·3H(2)O, Ni(COD)(2), and Pd(CH(3)CN)(4)[BF(4)](2) to the Carbox pincer ligands (7-9), respectively. The catalytic activity of the rhodium(III) complexes (18-20) was examined for the asymmetric conjugate reduction of α,β-unsaturated esters and reductive aldol reaction. Among these catalysts, [(S,S)-Carbox-iPr]Rh(OAc)(2)·H(2)O (18) showed the highest enantioselective catalytic ability for both asymmetric conjugate reduction and reductive aldol reaction.