A class of readily available optically pure 7,7′-disubstituted BINAPs for asymmetric catalysis

A class of optically pure 7,7′-disubstituted BINAPs have been prepared starting with a catalytic asymmetric oxidative coupling reaction. A general, concise, and straightforward synthetic procedure has been established, and is suitable for all optically pure 7,7′-disubstituted BINAPs 1a-h, regardless of the substituents' structure in the 7,7′-positions. The catalytic potential of this class of ligands has been investigated in the highly enantioselective Rh-catalyzed 1,4-addition of aryl boronic acids to enones (up to 99.8% ee), and Ru-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of simple aromatic ketones (up to S/C=100,000, up to 98% ee) and β-ketoesters (up to S/C=10,000, up to 99.8% ee), respectively.     

An efficient synthesis of dexlansoprazole employing asymmetric oxidation strategy

An alternative and scalable synthesis of dexlansoprazole ((R)-(+)-1); the (R)-enantiomer of Lansoprazole with an enantiomeric excess of >99.8% is presented.     

Classical and dynamic resolution of 1-amino-3-methyl-1,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenzo[d]azepin-2-one

Two efficient production processes of enantioenriched 1-amino-3-methyl-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-benzo[d]azepin-2-one 1 were achieved using the readily available starting materials. A key step in the methodologies is a classical resolution or a dynamic resolution that provides excellent chemical (>80%) yields and enantiomeric excesses (>99.8% ee). The classical resolution was developed on a preparative scale while the dynamic resolution was implemented on a pilot plant scale.     

Xantphos as cis- and trans-chelating ligand in square-planar platinum(II) complexes. Hydroformylation of styrene with platinum-xantphos-tin(II)chloride system

Platinum(II) complexes of a diphosphine ligand xantphos (4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethyl-xanthene) have been synthesised and characterised by NMR, conductivity and catalytic investigations. In addition to the parent complex cis-PtCl₂(xantphos), trans-platinum(II) complexes of square-planar geometry containing xantphos as a trans-chelating ligand can be obtained due to the large bite angle of the ligand. The platinum-xantphos-tin(II)chloride system acts as active hydroformylation catalyst in the hydroformylation of styrene resulting in high chemo- and regio-selectivities of up to 99.8% and 88%, respectively.     

An efficient chemoenzymatic method to prepare optically active O-methyl-d-serine

Lacosamide is an important anti-epilepsy drug and O-methyl-d-serine is a relevant intermediate in the synthesis of lacosamide. Optically active O-methyl-d-serine was prepared by using a chemoenzymatic method from inexpensive acrylamide. Our method is a four-step reaction sequence: bromination of acrylamide; etherification of dibromopropionamide; ammonolysis of α-bromo-β-methoxy-propionamide; enzymatic racemization and selective hydrolysis. The double-enzyme catalyst system, which consists of α-amino-ε-caprolactam racemase (Locus, E01594) and d-stereospecific amino-acid amidase (Locus, AB026907), was successfully applied to produce enantiopure O-methyl-d-serine (ee >99.8%) in high yield (>98.5%). Optically active O-methyl-d-serine was obtained with a total yield of 81.3%.     

Stereospecific microbial reduction of ethyl 1-benzyl-3-oxo-piperidine-4-carboxylate

Microbial reduction of ethyl 1-benzyl-3-oxo-piperidine-4-carboxylate by the majority of evaluated microorganisms gave the ethyl cis-(3R,4R)-1-benzyl-3R-hydroxy-piperidine-4R-carboxylate as the major product in high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The 3R,4R-hydroxy ester was produced in 97.4% diastereomeric excess (de) and 99.8% enantiomeric excess (ee) by Candida parapsilosis SC16347, while 99.5% de and 98.2% ee were obtained from reduction by Pichia methanolica SC16415. A few of the evaluated microorganisms gave 10–40% of the ethyl trans-(3R,4S)-1-benzyl-3R-hydroxy-piperidine-4S-carboxylate as the minor product.     

Carboranylphosphites—new effective ligands for rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate

Novel monodentate phosphites containing ortho- and meta-closo-dodecarboranyl groups have been synthesized and applied in the asymmetric Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate, providing excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99.8% ee in CH₂Cl₂ and up to 93% ee in supercritical CO₂).     

Efficient biocatalysis for the production of enantiopure (S)-epoxides using a styrene monooxygenase (SMO) and Leifsonia alcohol dehydrogenase (LSADH) system

Herein we report the production of enantiopure epoxides through biocatalysis using recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing Rhodococcus sp. ST-10 styrene monooxygenase (SMO) and Leifsonia sp. S749 alcohol dehydrogenase (LSADH) genes are described. Rhodococcus sp. ST-10 SMO catalyzed the epoxidation of various alkenes, including styrene derivatives, vinyl pyridines, and linear alkenes, to give (S)-epoxides. NADH was regenerated by the reduction of NAD⁺ by LSADH with 2-propanol. The E. coli biocatalyst was used in an aqueous/organic biphasic reaction system and the reaction conditions were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, 170 mM of (S)-styrene oxide was obtained from styrene in the organic phase with excellent enantiomeric excess (99.8%). This biocatalytic process was used to synthesize various (S)-epoxides.     

The analysis of slag for copper,total iron,iron(II) and iron(III) by titration,controlled potential coulometry and electrodeposition

The interference of copper in the titrimetric determination of iron(II), iron-(III) and total iron in slags is discussed. The titration of iron(II) suggested by Bowen and Schairer is accurate and can be conducted with a reproducibility of ±0.29% at the 95% confidence level. Electrolytic copper-iron separation techniques were adapted to copper-containing iron-silicate slag, to obtain a reliable method for copper and total iron analysis. The theoretical and practical limitations for performing potentiostatic determinations of iron(III) in copper-containing slag are reviewed. Some determinatons were made but initial results were unreliable. Complete analyses of copper-gold alloys were made potentiostatically. Copper plus gold recoveries were ca. 99.8%.     

Enzymatic resolution of methyl (1RS)-N-tBoc-6-hydroxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinoline-1-carboxylate by Seaprose S

An efficient biocatalytic process has been developed for the resolution of methyl (1RS)-N-tBoc-6-hydroxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-isoquinoline-1-carboxylate rac-1 by means of Seaprose S-mediated enantioselective hydrolysis to afford (1S)-2 and (1R)-1 in 87% and 93% isolated yield, 101% and 96% potency, and ee >99.8% and >99.5%, respectively.     

Assay of mixtures of chlorpheniramine maleate,pyrilamine meleate and phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride in cold-allergy tablets by difference spectrophotometry

Mixtures of chlorpheniramine maleate (CPM) and phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride (PPA), with and without pyrilamine maleate (PRM), are assayed by u.v. difference spectrophotometry without prior separation. The spectra for CPM and PRM in solutions at pH 1 and pH 6 show differences whereas the spectra for PPA remain the same at pH 1 and 6. For PPA, quantitation is based on the spectral change on oxidation to benzaldehyde with metaperiodate; this oxidation does not affect CPM and PRM. Calibration plots are linear for 6.7–99.9 μg ml^?1 CPM (r = 0.9992), 12.7–50.6 μg ml^?1 PRM (r = 0.9997) and 25–115.3 μg ml^?1 PPA (r = 0.9980) in the presence of one another. Average recoveries (± RSD) from simulated PPA/CPM tablets were: PPA, 98.4 ± 0.4% (without PRM, n = 3), 99.8 ± 0.4% (with PRM, n = 5); CPM, 99.3 ± 0.6% (without PRM, n = 3), 99.2 ± 0.4% (with PRM, n = 5); and PRM, 99.5 ± 0.2% (in PPA/CPM/PRM tablets, n = 5). The method was successfully applied to commercial cold-allergy tablets containing these compounds.     

Synthesis of diastereo- and enantiomerically pure anti-3-methyl-1,4-pentanediol via lipase catalysed acylation

Racemic trans-4,5-dimethylhydrofuran-2(3H)-one was synthesised from 5-methyl-furan-2(3H)-one, (α-angelica lactone). The key reaction in the synthesis was the 1,4-conjugate addition of an organocuprate to 5-methylfuran-2(5H)-one (β-angelica lactone). Different types of organocuprates were tested with the highest anti:syn ratio of 99.4:0.6 being obtained by the use of a Gilman organocuprate reagent. The enantioselective acylation of racemic 3-methyl-pentan-1,4-diol, catalysed by a variety of lipases in organic media, was investigated. The highest enantioselectivity (E > 400) was obtained when Novozyme 435 was used as the catalyst at a water activity of a_w ∼ 0. Thus, both enantiomers, (3S,4R)- and (3R,4S)-3-methyl-pentan-1,4-diol, were obtained in very high diastereomeric (>99% de) and enantiomeric purities (>99.8% and >97.4% ee, respectively).     

An efficient synthesis of highly functionalized dinucleotide cap analogs

An efficient synthesis of new cap analogs containing aminoallyl linkers such as m⁷G[5′]pppp[5′]U-aminoallyl and m₂^7,3′OG[5′]pppp[5′]U-aminoallyl is reported. The final cap analog has been isolated with high purity (>99.8%) after ion-exchange column purification.     

Preparative access to medicinal chemistry related chiral alcohols using carbonyl reductase technology

Libraries of highly enantioenriched secondary alcohols in both enantiomeric forms were synthesised by enzymatic reduction of their parent ketones using selectAZyme? carbonyl reductase (CRED) technology. Commercially available CREDs were able to reduce a range of substrate classes efficiently and with very high enantioselectivity. Matching substrate classes to small subsets of CREDs enabled the fast development of preparative bioreductions and the rapid generation of 100–1500 mg samples of chiral alcohols in typically >95% ee and the majority in ?99.0% ee. The conditions for small scale synthesis were then scaled up to 0.5 kg to deliver one of the chiral alcohols, (S)-1-(4-bromophenyl)-2-chloroethanol, in 99.8% ee and 91% isolated yield.     

Rapid identification and classification of Mycobacterium spp. using whole-cell protein barcodes with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry in comparison with multigene phylogenetic analysis

The need of quick diagnostics and increasing number of bacterial species isolated necessitate development of a rapid and effective phenotypic identification method. Mass spectrometry (MS) profiling of whole cell proteins has potential to satisfy the requirements. The genus Mycobacterium contains more than 154 species that are taxonomically very close and require use of multiple genes including 16S rDNA for phylogenetic identification and classification. Six strains of five Mycobacterium species were selected as model bacteria in the present study because of their 16S rDNA similarity (98.4–99.8%) and the high similarity of the concatenated 16S rDNA, rpoB and hsp65 gene sequences (95.9–99.9%), requiring high identification resolution. The classification of the six strains by MALDI TOF MS protein barcodes was consistent with, but at much higher resolution than, that of the multi-locus sequence analysis of using 16S rDNA, rpoB and hsp65. The species were well differentiated using MALDI TOF MS and MALDI BioTyper™ software after quick preparation of whole-cell proteins. Several proteins were selected as diagnostic markers for species confirmation. An integration of MALDI TOF MS, MALDI BioTyper™ software and diagnostic protein fragments provides a robust phenotypic approach for bacterial identification and classification.     

Gold-nanoparticle on the surface of L-cysteine modified gold electrode and its application

A sensor based on gold nanoparticle on the surface of L-cysteine modified gold electrode is prepared. Electrochemical behavior of dopamine hydrochloride is investigated. The linear relation between peak current of dopamine hydrochloride and scan speed in the range of 10 to 1000 mV s^?1 indicates that a diffusion-adsorption controls the process. The linearity range is 1.05 × 10^?5–7.38 × 10^?4 M with detection limit of 1.05 × 10^?6 M. The recoveries were in the range from 99.8 to 101.5% with relative standard deviations of 1.3 ～ 2.3% (n = 6). The modified electrode under ambient conditions over a period of 2 weeks has an excellent repeatability and reproducibility.     

Optimization of 2-alkoxyacetates as acylating agent for enzymatic kinetic resolution of chiral amines

In this study, the activity of acetic acid esters modified with electron withdrawing 2-alkoxy-groups was investigated as acylating agent in kinetic resolution (KR) of racemic amines. A homologous series of the isopropyl esters of four 2-alkoxyacetic acids (2-methoxy-, 2-ethoxy-, 2-propoxy- and 2-butoxyacetic acids) were prepared and investigated for enantiomer selective N-acylation, catalyzed by lipase B from Candida antarctica, under batch and continuous-flow conditions. In the first set of experiments, isopropyl 2-propoxyacetate showed the highest effectivity with all of the four racemic amines [(±)-1-phenylethylamine, (±)-4-phenylbutan-2-amine, (±)-heptan-2-amine and (±)-1-methoxypropane-2-amine] in the set enabling excellent conversions (≥46%) and enantiomeric excess values (ee?≥?99%) with each amines in continuous-flow mode KRs under the optimized reaction conditions. In a second set of experiments, KRs of five additional amines – being substituted derivatives of (±)-1-phenylethylamine – further demonstrated the usefulness of isopropyl 2-propoxyacetate – being the best acylating agent in the first set of KRs – in KRs leading to (R)-N-propoxyacetamides with high ee values (≥99.8%).     

Titrimetric determination of aminobenzoic acids via lodination

A simple, rapid, and accurate titrimetric method for determination of 50–2000 μg of o-, m-, or p-aminobenzoic acid is developed. The method is based on iodination of these compounds. The resulting iodide, after removal of excess iodine, is oxidized with bromine to iodate which is determined by the Leipert amplification procedure. The recoveries range from 96.8–99.8% and the coefficients of variation do not exceed 0.9% for above 500 μg of aminobenzoic acid, but they increase to 1.5% at the 50 μg level.     

Development and kilogram-scale synthesis of mGlu5 negative allosteric modulator VU0424238 (auglurant)

This communication details the kilogram-scale synthesis of N-(5-fluoropyridin-2-yl)-6-methyl-4-(pyrimidin-5-yloxy)picolinamide (VU0424238, auglurant), a novel mGlu₅ negative allosteric modulator (NAM) developed as an alternative treatment for depression. The process highlights a challenging pyridine N-oxidation sequence, an S_NAr reaction, and the elimination of all chromatography steps (required in the medicinal chemistry route) with replacement by highly efficient recrystallizations (save one silica plug). The improved process was utilized for the preparation of a 1.2 kg toxicology batch, as well as a 2.82 kg GMP batch to support the Phase I trial, in very high purity (99.8%).     

Isolation of antioxidants from Psoralea corylifolia fruits using high-speed counter-current chromatography guided by thin layer chromatography-antioxidant autographic assay

A combinative method using high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) as an antioxidant autographic assay was developed to separate antioxidant components from the fruits of Psoralea corylifolia. Under the guidance of TLC bioautography, eight compounds including five flavonoids and three coumarins were successfully separated from the fruits of P. corylifolia by HSCCC with an optimized two-phase solvent system, n-hexane–ethyl acetate–methanol–water (1:1.1:1.3:1, v/v/v/v). The separation produced 5.91 mg psoralen, 6.26 mg isopsoralen, 3.19 mg psoralidin, 0.92 mg corylifol A, and 2.43 mg bavachinin with corresponding purities of 99.5, 99.8, 99.4, 96.4, and 99.0%, as well as three sub-fractions, in a single run from 250 mg ethyl acetate fraction of P. corylifolia extract. Following an additional clean-up step by preparative TLC, 0.4 mg 8-prenyldaidzein (purity 91.7%), 4.18 mg neobavaisoflavone (purity 97.4%) and 4.36 mg isobavachalcone (purity 96.8%) were separated from the three individual sub-fractions. The structures of the isolated compounds were identified by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. The results of antioxidant activity estimation by electron spin resonance (ESR) method showed that psoralidin was the most active antioxidant with an IC₅₀ value of 44.7 μM. This is the first report on simultaneous separation of eight compounds from P. corylifolia by HSCCC.