A General Synthesis of α-Substituted Acrylonitriles

During a study of synthetic approaches to naturally-occurring sesquiterpene lactones, a new synthesis of the α-methylene-y-butyrolactone group was developed¹ and has subsequently been applied to the synthesis of various types of α-methylenecarbonyl compounds.² The synthetic scheme suggested that α-substituted acrylonitriles would also be available by this method.     

N-Boc-Protected α-Amino Acids by 1,3-Migratory Nitrene C(sp3)−H Insertion

N-Boc-protected α-amino acids are synthesized in two steps from linear or branched carboxylic acid feedstocks. In the first step, the carboxylic acid is coupled with tert-butyl aminocarbonate (BocNHOH) to generate azanyl ester (acyloxycarbamate) RCO₂NHBoc. In the second step, this azanyl ester undergoes a stereocontrolled iron-catalyzed 1,3-nitrogen migration to generate the N-Boc-protected non-racemic α-amino acid. This straightforward protocol is applicable to the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of α-monosubstituted α-amino acids with aryl, alkenyl, and alkyl side chains. Furthermore, α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids are accessible in an enantioconvergent fashion from racemic carboxylic acids. The new method is also advantageous for the synthesis of α-deuterated α-amino acids. N-Boc-protected α-amino acids synthesized using this two-step protocol are ready-to-use building blocks.     

A convenient route to α-amido-β-lactams

Dedicated to Professor John C. Sheehan on the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday. A method for the synthesis of α-amido-β-lactams without the intermediacy of an α-amino-β-lactam is described. The appropriate β-keto ester is used for preparing a vinylamino β-lactam via a “Dane salt” by a previously reported method. Oxidation with ruthenium tetroxide and periodic acid of this product leads directly to the desired “V”, or “G” or analogous α-amido side chain.     

Rearrangement of N-tert-butanesulfinyl α-halo imines with alkoxides to N-tert-butanesulfinyl 2-amino acetals as precursors of N-protected and N-unprotected α-amino carbonyl compounds

Reaction of N-tert-butanesulfinyl α-halo imines with alkoxides afforded new N-tert-butanesulfinyl 2-amino acetals in good to excellent yield. These N-tert-butanesulfinyl 2-amino acetals are convenient precursors for the TMSOTf-promoted synthesis of the corresponding N-protected α-amino aldehydes and ketones, as well as for the HCl-promoted synthesis of 2-amino acetal hydrochlorides and α-amino ketone and α-amino aldehyde hydrochlorides in high yield. Via this method, an asymmetric synthesis of (S)-cathinone hydrochloride (er 94:6) was achieved.     

New Possibilities of the Kabachnik–Fields and Pudovik Reactions in the Phthalocyanine-Catalyzed Syntheses of α-Aminophosphonic and α-Aminophosphinic Acid Derivatives

The results of systematic studies demonstrated wide possibilities of the three-component Kabachnik–Fields and two-component Pudovik reactions catalyzed by metal phthalocyanines in the synthesis of structurally diverse α-aminophosphonates. Extension of this catalytic method to the synthesis α-aminophosphinates gave rise to a series of α-amino- and α-hydrazinophosphinates based on biogenic amino acids. A number of α-hydrazinophosphonates showed a good antioxidant activity.     

Asymmetric dihydroxylation of vinyl sulfones: routes to enantioenriched α-hydroxyaldehydes and the enantioselective syntheses of furan-2(5H)-ones

The asymmetric dihydroxylation of α,β-unsaturated sulfones under Sharpless conditions affords enantioenriched α-hydroxyaldehydes in a complex mixture of dimeric species. These mixtures undergo olefination generating the corresponding α,β-unsaturated esters or furan-2(5H)-ones with high levels of enantiomeric excess. The application of this method for the rapid stereoselective synthesis of the furanone natural products; quercus lactone and maritolide, are described.     

A Convenient Synthesis of β-Amino Acid

We have reported the reductive cleavage of azlactones¹ and phenylhydrazones² of carbonyl compounds in the presence of a suitable catalyst. In this paper a general method involving a one step synthesis of β-amino acid^3,4, in good yield, through catalytic reduction of oximes of α-β-unsaturated acid is reported. This method involves the reaction of α, β-unsaturated acid with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in the presence of sodium acetate. Markovnikov's rule is followed in the synthesis of oximes of α, β-unsaturated acids.     

A convenient synthesis of α-amino-β-lactams

A safe and convenient method is described for the synthesis of α-amido-β-lactams starting with glycine and an azomethine. The amino group of glycine is protected by reaction with a β-dicarbonyl compound following the method of Dane etal. and the carboxyl group is activated through the formation of a mixed anhydride or an active ester. Condensation between these glycine derivatives and acyclic or cyclic imino compounds (including thioimidates) in presence of triethylamine leads to stereospecific synthesis of 3-(β-carbonyl-vinylamino)-2-azetidinones in 40–60% yield. The vinylamino side chain can be hydrolyzed under mild acid conditions to form 3-amino-2-azetidinones which can be acylated to α-amido-β-lactams. Alternatively, the vinylamino side chain can be converted to an amido side chain by ozonolysis. The molecular parameters of a 3-(β-carbonyl-vinylamino)-2-azetidinone were determined by X-ray crystallography. Usefulness of this α-amido-β-lactam synthesis is illustrated by the preparation of isotopelabeled β-lactams and intermediates for some β-lactam antibiotics.     

A synthesis, including asymmetric synthesis, of α-quaternary α-amino aldehydes from ketones and chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide via sulfinylaziridines

Treatment of 1-chlorovinyl p-tolyl sulfoxides, prepared from ketones and chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide, with N-lithio arylamines resulted in the formation of sulfinylaziridines in good to high yields. The sulfinylaziridines were treated with N-lithio aniline or N-lithio p-chloroaniline to afford α-quaternary α-amino aldehydes in good yields. From α-quaternary α-amino aldehydes, α-quaternary α-amino acid esters and β-quaternary β-amino alcohols were obtained. When optically active chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide was used in this procedure, a method for the synthesis of optically active α-quaternary α-amino aldehydes was realized. The reaction mechanism, including asymmetric induction, for the formation of the sulfinylaziridines is described.     

Solid-phase synthesis of α-alkylserines via phase-transfer catalytic alkylation of polymer-supported 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline-4-carboxylate

Described is the development of a new solid-phase synthetic method for α-alkylserines in which phase-transfer catalytic alkylation of polymer-supported 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline-4-carboxylate (12) is the key step. The easy preparation of the polymer-supported substrate 12, the high chemical yield (up to 93%), and the mild cleavage conditions could make this method very practical for the synthesis of α-alkylserines.     

Efficient enantioselective synthesis of orthogonally protected (R)-α-alkylserines compatible with the solid phase peptide synthesis

The Schöllkopf methodology for the asymmetric synthesis of α-amino acids, which was previously not applicable to the construction of quaternary α-amino acids, has been rendered not only suitable but also practical for this purpose and applied to a highly efficient enantioselective synthesis of orthogonally protected (R)-α-alkylserines suitable for the solid phase synthesis.     

The Synthesis of β,γ- and α,β-Unsaturated Aldehydes via Polyene Epoxides

A substitute for the Darzens glycidic ester synthesis for converting unsaturated ketones or aldehydes into the homologated β,γ- or α,β-unsaturated aldehydes employing sulfur ylides is described. The carbonyl group is converted into the unsaturated oxirane which is then rearranged to the new aldehyde. High yields of isomerically pure aldehydes are available by this method and the process is of practical importance in the conversion of β-ionone into the β-C₁₄-aldehyde, a key intermediate in the Isler synthesis of vitamin A. The efficient preparation of α- and β-cyclocitral by the novel process is also described.     

一种新型纺锤状α-Fe_2O_3纳米晶的合成、表征及其表面性能(英文)

合成了一种新型的具有单晶结构的α-Fe2O3纳米晶(NFO-1).在我们的合成方法中,样品的形貌和结构在低反应浓度体系中运用无机盐和有机模板进行双重调控,同时用溶剂挥发诱导自组装(EISA)来加速反应和在不改变形貌结构的前提下获得高产率样品.所得α-Fe2O3纳米晶的形貌和结构对其表面修饰功能有明显的影响,NFO-1因其特殊的纺锤状形貌而与表面功能试剂(多巴胺)之间的化学作用有明显的增强.并且,本文所描述的合成方法同样适用于其他过渡金属氧化物纳米单晶的合成.我们预期,这种方法可为新型纳米材料的合成提供新的途径.     

Improved Schöllkopf construction of quaternary α-amino acids: efficient enantioselective synthesis of integrin LFA-1 antagonist BIRT-377

The Schöllkopf methodology for the asymmetric synthesis of α-amino acids which was previously not applicable to the construction of α,α-dialkylated (quaternary) α-amino acids, has been rendered practical for this purpose and applied in a highly efficient enantioselective synthesis of integrin LFA-1 antagonist BIRT-377.     

Rapid synthesis of indole cis-enamides via hydroamidation of indolic alkynes

The synthesis of indolic cis-enamides using a ruthenium-mediated hydroamidation of indole alkynes with primary oxalamides or α-keto amides is reported. Using this method the total synthesis of igzamide and Z-coscinamides A and B has been achieved.     

Facile synthesis of α-hydroxy carboxylic acids from the corresponding α-amino acids

An effective and improved procedure is developed for the synthesis of α-hydroxy carboxylic acids by treatment of the corresponding protonated α-amino acid with tert-butyl nitrite in 1,4-dioxane–water. The amino moiety must be protonated and located α to a carboxylic acid function in order to undergo initial diazotization and successive hydroxylation, since neither β-amino acids nor acid derivatives such as esters and amides undergo hydroxylations. The method is successfully applied for the synthesis of 18 proteinogenic amino acids.     

Efficient three-step sequence for the deamination of α-aminoesters. Application to the synthesis of CysLT1 antagonists

A practical and efficient three-step sequence for the deamination of α-aminoesters is reported. This method is based on the NaBH₄-mediated selective reduction of α-diazoesters to α-hydrazonoesters and has been successfully applied to the deamination of several representative α-aminoesters including some l-cysteine ethyl ester derivatives, key intermediates in the synthesis of a series of CysLT1 antagonists.     

Facile solid phase synthesis of N-cycloguanidinyl-formyl peptides

A novel strategy of solid phase synthesis of N-cycloguanidinyl-formyl peptides has been established and investigated which involved coupling orthogonal protected diaminoacid with resin bound peptide, α-amino group deprotection, guanidinylation of α-amino group by bis-Cbz-1H-pyrazole-1-carboxamidine followed by cleavage and cyclization in solution, and finally removing Cbz by palladium catalyzed hydrogenation. Through this method, cycloguanidine could be introduced to either N-terminus or sidechain of designated peptides. The reaction conditions were facile, straightforward, and totally adaptive to common solid phase peptide synthesis strategy.     

Asymmetric Aminations and Kinetic Resolution of Acyclic α-Branched Ynones

An efficient method for asymmetric synthesis of acyclic α-tertiary amine derivatives has been achieved through enantioselective aminations of α-branched ynones with azodicarboxylates enabled by chiral phosphoric acid catalysis.Moreover,kinetic resolution of racemic starting material was realized under these conditions,which gave access to valuable enantioenriched α-substituted ketones.     

Multicomponent diversity and enzymatic enantioselectivity as a route towards both enantiomers of α-amino acids—a model study

A model study on a new, enantioconvergent method for the synthesis of chiral, nonracemic α-amino acids is presented. α-Acetoxyamides obtained in a Passerini multicomponent reaction are selectively hydrolyzed by Wheat Germ lipase. Studies on conversion of the thus obtained, enantiomerically enriched α-hydroxyamides into α-aminoamides are presented. Products of these reactions are then hydrolyzed to give α-amino acids.