Enantiopure alkaloid analogues and iminosugars from proline derivatives: stereocontrol in sequential processes

An alternative to the use of expensive auxiliaries or catalysts in the synthesis of chiral 2-substituted pyrrolidines is described. Thus, commercial, cheap 4-(S)-hydroxyproline was readily transformed into optically pure pyrrolidines, using a one-pot decarboxylation-alkylation reaction as the key step. In this reaction, an acyliminium intermediate was generated, which was trapped by carbon nucleophiles. As postulated by Woerpel, the addition of the nucleophiles to the five-membered ring iminium ions took place stereoselectively, affording 2,4-cis-disubstituted pyrrolidines in high de. The hydroxy group at C-4 can then be removed, or alternatively, it can be used to create new functionalities in the molecule. In this way, optically pure alkaloid analogues and iminosugars were prepared.     

Hydroxylated pyrrolidines. Enantiospecific synthesis of all-cis 2,3,4,5-substituted pyrrolidine derivatives from serine

We report the enantiospecific synthesis of the sterically congested all-cis 2,3,4,5-substituted pyrrolidines 4, 5, and 6, from either D- or L-serine. Hemiaminal intermediate 13 is converted to the fully substituted pyrrolidine 15 by way of a tandem Wittig-Michael reaction. The endo stereochemistry of the C-3 methyl group of compound 15 is set by stereoselective reduction of the double bond in 11, driven by a preference for hydrogenation from the rear side of the molecule. The all-cis configuration of these fully substituted pyrrolidines has been established by X-ray analysis of compound 6. Removal of the benzenesulfonyl group from the highly substituted and functionalized intermediate 15 is successfully accomplished by sodium naphthalenide reduction.     

Synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles from sulfinimines (N-sulfinyl imines)

Polysubstituted 2-carboxylate and 2-phosphonate pyrroles are prepared by aromatization of the corresponding 3-oxo 2-carboxylate and 2-phosphonate NH-pyrrolidines using air. Reaction of electrophiles with 3-oxo pyrrolidine dianions readily introduces substituents, regioselectively at C-4 in these pyrrolidines.     

cis-Selective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines

A concise approach to cis-2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines is reported, which relies upon N-tert-butoxycarbonylmethyl substitution in a substrate derived from pyroglutamic acid. The method is especially noteworthy since a significant improvement in the conditions for a key Lawesson’s reaction have been established. Regioselective enolate generation and alkylation permits extension of the C-5 side chain.     

Synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted pyrrolidines and piperidines via one-pot oxidative decarboxylation-beta-iodination of amino acids.

A new synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted pyrrolidines and piperidines is described. This mild procedure is based on the one-pot oxidative decarboxylation-beta-iodination of alpha-amino acid carbamates or amides. The iodine is introduced at the previously unfunctionalized 3-position. Different substituents can be introduced at C-2, e.g., hydroxy, alkoxy, allyl, alkyl, etc. A trans relationship between the C-2 and C-3 substituents is exclusively obtained. The influence of the solvent and the ring size of the starting amino acid are studied, as well as the nature of the protecting group on the nitrogen. The stereoselectivity of the reaction was also studied using chiral methyl (2S,4S)-4-acetyloxyproline-1-carboxylate (8). The products obtained can be manipulated to give bicyclic systems present in many natural products. By using the tandem decarboxylation-iodination-alkylation reaction, 2-substituted-3-iodopyrrolidines are formed, which are precursors of 2-substituted-2,5-dihydropyrrols.     

Synthesis and applications of masked oxo-sulfinamides in asymmetric synthesis

This short perspective reports on the synthesis and applications of a class of chiral amino carbonyl compounds, masked oxo-sulfinamides where the amine is protected with an N-sulfinyl moiety and the carbonyl group is protected as the ketal or 1,3-dithiane. These polyfunctionalized chiral building blocks are prepared by addition of organometallic reagents to masked oxo-sulfinimines (N-sulfinyl imines) or the addition of oxo-organometallic reagents and lithio-1,3-dithianes to sulfinimines. Because unmasking of the amino and carbonyl groups results in cyclic imines, these chiral building blocks are particularly useful for the asymmetric synthesis of functionalized nitrogen heterocycles, including prolines, pipecolic acids, pyrrolidines, homotropinones, tropinones, and tropane alkaloids such as cocaine and C-1 cocaine analogues.     

Flexibility in the partial reduction of 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles: application to the synthesis of DMDP

[reaction: see text] The partial reduction of electron-deficient 2,5-disubstituted pyrroles has been developed into a flexible procedure that gives control of relative stereochemistry by variation of the reduction conditions. After the reaction, the pyrroline products were dihydroxylated at C-3,4 to give either the cis or trans isomers; this flexibility means that a variety of polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines can be prepared in a short sequence. Finally, this method was applied to a synthesis of the naturally occurring glycosidase inhibitor DMDP.     

Asymmetric synthesis of the four stereoisomers of 5-deoxystrigol

Two approaches to the strigolactone tricyclic lactone skeleton 2 were investigated using ketene/ketene-iminium cycloaddition to olefins. Finally, the first enantioselective access to the four stereoisomers of 5-deoxystrigol 1 is reported using an intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition of homochiral ketene-iminium salts 5. Very high asymmetric control was achieved with C-2 symmetric pyrrolidines as chiral auxiliary.     

Enantioselective synthesis of hydroxylated pyrrolidines via Sharpless epoxidation and olefin metathesis

The enantioselective synthesis of polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines from enantiomerically pure 2,3-epoxy-pent-4-en-1-ol 5 is described herein. The epoxy alcohol, readily available in any configuration by Sharpless epoxidation, was submitted to regioselective C-3 ring-opening with allyl amine, Boc-protection and ring-closing metathesis to yield dehydropyrrole derivative 7. From this key intermediate, 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-ribitol (+)-3 and 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-allitol (+)-4 were prepared in high yields. The enantiomers of these compounds can be obtained by the same sequence starting from an epoxy alcohol with the opposite configuration.     

Synthesis of pyrrolidines and tetrahydro-1H-azepines from 4-aryl-1-benzoyl(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl-1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridinium halides

4-Aryl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridinium quaternary salts which have a benzoylmethyl or ethoxycarbonylmethyl group on atom N-1 generate N-ylides when heated in the presence of NaH and they can rearrange in situ with contraction or expansion of the six-membered heterocycle to give substituted pyrrolidines (as a result of a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement) or 1H-tetrahydroazepine derivatives (via Stevens rearrangement). The presence of an aryl substituent at position C-4 in the tetrahydropyridine ring allows to avoid the formation of elimination products and changes the direction of the reaction towards the preparation of the tetrahydroazepines. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1670–1676, November, 2007.     

Fluorinated pyrido[2,3-c]pyridazines. II. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of 1,7-disubstituted 6-fluoro-4(1H)-oxopyrido[2,3-c]pyridazine-3- carboxylic acids

Chemical modification of pyridonecarboxylic acid antibacterials with a 1,8-naphthyridine ring, such as enoxacin and tosufloxacin, to their 2-aza derivatives was studied. A new series of 1,7-disubstituted 6-fluoro-4(1H)-oxopyrido[2,3-c]pridazine-3-carboxylic acids (25-27) was prepared by a route involving either alkylation of ethyl 6-fluoro-4(1H)-oxo-7-(p-tolylthio)pyrido[2,3-c]pyridazine-3-carbox ylate (7) or intramolecular cyclization of ethyl 2-(2,6-dichloro-5-fluoronicotinoyl)-2-[2-(p-fluorophenyl)hydraz ono]acetate, (20), followed by displacement reaction with cyclic amines at C-7; the N-1 substituent in these compounds included of ethyl, 2-fluoroethyl and p-fluorophenyl groups, and the C-7 functional group comprised variously-substituted piperazines and pyrrolidines. Antibacterial activities of these compounds were markedly inferior to those of enoxacin and tosufloxacin.     

A rapid and general method for the asymmetric synthesis of 2-substituted pyrrolidines using tert-butanesulfinamide

A new method for the asymmetric synthesis of 2-substituted pyrrolidines in three steps from commercially available starting materials is described. Addition of the Grignard reagent prepared from 2-(2-bromoethyl)-1,3-dioxane to N-tert-butanesulfinyl aldimines proceeds in high yields and with good diastereoselectivities. The sulfinamide products are then cleanly converted into pyrrolidines in one step.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 3-hydroxy-pyrrolidines via tin-lithium exchange and cyclization

We report a method for the synthesis of chiral pyrrolidines using tin-lithium exchange and cyclization reactions. The precursors are formed readily from simple starting materials and undergo tin-lithium exchange by treatment with n-butyllithium. Subsequent intramolecular carbolithiation is stereoselective to give highly enantiomerically enriched pyrrolidines in excellent yields.     

Diastereoselective Zwitterionic Aza-Claisen Rearrangement: The Synthesis of Bicyclic Tetrahydrofurans and a Total Synthesis of (+)-Dihydrocanadensolide

The zwitterionic Claisen rearrangement of optically-active N-allyl pyrrolidines and various acid chlorides proceeds with high simple diastereoselection (internal asymmetric induction) and high 1,2-asymmetric induction, generating a new C-C bond adjacent to a chiral C-O function. The resulting gamma,delta-unsaturated amides were cyclized to the corresponding optically active gamma-butyrolactones, which are useful intermediates in natural product synthesis. On one hand, a diastereoselective iodocyclization of several lactones led to tetrahydrofurans with a substitution pattern representing a key intermediate of an oxa-prostaglandin synthesis. On the other, a one-pot procedure of a Swern oxidation and consecutive Grignard reaction of one gamma-lactone allowed a diastereoselective chain elongation. The final oxidation/cyclization sequence completed a highly efficient synthesis of the (+)-dihydrocanadensolide or its C-3 epimer, respectively.     

Diastereoselective preparation of azetidines and pyrrolidines

Iodine-mediated cyclization of homoallyl amines at room temperature delivered cis-2,4-azetidine through a 4-exo trig cyclization. Isomerization of iodo-azetidines to cis-pyrrolidines could be achieved by heating, with complete stereocontrol. The relative stereochemistry of the iodo-azetidines and pyrrolidines was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Further functionalization was achieved through nucleophilic displacement of iodine to deliver substituted azetidines and pyrrolidines. 1,2,3-Triazole-appended azetidines and pyrrolidines were also prepared.     

Asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formations in conjugate additions of lithiated N-Boc allylic and benzylic amines to nitroalkenes: enantioselective synthesis of substituted piperidines,pyrrolidines, and pyrimidinones

(-)-Sparteine mediated lithiations of N-Boc-allylic and benzylic amines provide configurationally stable intermediates which on conjugate additions to nitroalkenes provide highly enantioenriched enecarbamate products in good yields, and with high diastereoselectivities. Straightforward transformations of these adducts offer general routes to substituted 3,4-substituted piperidines, 3,4-substituted pyrrolidines, and 4,5-substituted pyrimidinones. Diastereoselective substitutions of intermediate lactams followed by reduction provide 3,4,5-substituted piperidines and 3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidines. Lithiation adjacent to nitrogen of 3,4-substituted piperidines and pyrrolidines followed by diastereoselective substitution opens a route to 2,4,5- and 2,4,5,6-substituted piperidines as well as 2,3,4- and 2,3,4,5-substituted pyrrolidines. The enantiomers of the enecarbamate and 3,4-substituted piperidine products may be accessed by stannylation/transmetalation sequences as well as by further manipulation of 4-substituted piperidones. The methodology is used to synthesize both enantiomers of an aspartic peptidase inhibitor intermediate, 3-hydroxy-4-phenylpiperidine, as well as the antidepressant (+)-femoxetine.     

Brønsted acid catalyzed regioselective aza-Ferrier reaction: a novel synthetic method for alpha-(N-Boc-2-pyrrolidinyl) aldehydes

The 1,4-elimination reaction of (Z)-N-Boc-2-(4-methoxy-2-alkenyloxy)pyrrolidines is shown to proceed with high (1E,3E)-stereoselectivity to afford N-Boc-2-(1,3-dienyloxy)pyrrolidines; the Br?nsted acid catalyzed aza-Ferrier reaction of the N-Boc-2-(1,3-dienyloxy)pyrrolidines (3) provides alpha-(N-Boc-2-pyrrolidinyl) aldehydes in excellent yields with high alpha-regioselectivities.     

A highly diastereoselective MgI2-mediated ring expansion of methylenecyclopropanes

[reaction: see text] A highly diastereoselective MgI(2)-mediated ring expansion of methylenecyclopropane amides to functionalized pyrrolidines has been developed using chiral aromatic sulfinimines. The 2,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidines were isolated in generally good to excellent yields and in excellent diastereoselectivities for aromatic and heterocyclic sulfinimines.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically pure 2,2,3,4,5-pentasubstituted pyrrolidines by phenylsulfanyl migration

[reaction: see text] Enantiomerically pure 2,2,3,4,5-pentasubstituted pyrrolidines can be prepared, in high overall yield, from alpha,beta-unsaturated esters. Asymmetry is introduced via a Michael addition, and additional stereogenic centers are introduced by an aldol reaction. A novel stereospecific ring-forming reaction, proceeding via a thiiranium (episulfonium) ion, yields pyrrolidines from beta-hydroxy sulfides. In this manner, 2,2,3,4,5-pentasubstituted pyrrolidines, containing three contiguous stereogenic centers around the ring, can be prepared in 44% overall yield from ethyl crotonate.     

Acid-catalyzed regioselective sulfamination of γ-amino-alkenes and stereoselective rearrangement of pyrrolidines to piperidines

This paper describes efficient acid-catalyzed regioselective sulfamination of γ-amino-alkenes to form pyrrolidines and stereoselective rearrangement of pyrrolidines to piperidines. A possible reaction mechanism has been proposed.