Transformations of N-heteroarylformamidines into derivatives of β-heteroarylamino-α,β-dehydro-α-amino acids, β-heteroarylamino-α-amino acids,and dipeptides

Transformations of N'-heteroaryl-N,N-dimethylformamidines 1 as a general method for the preparation of β-heteroarylamino-α,β-dehydro-α-amino acids, β-heteroarylamino-α-amino acid derivatives 5–9 , and dipeptides 10 , are described.     

The synthesis of β-heteroarylamino-α,β-dehydro-α-amino acid and β-heteroarylamino-α-amino acid derivatives

From heteroarylaminomethyleneoxazolones 4 , obtained from N-heteroarylformamidines 2 and 2-phenyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazole ( 3 ), the following β-heteroarylamino-α,β-dehydro-α-amino acid derivatives were prepared: methyl 8 and ethyl esters 9 , amides 10 and 11 , hydrazides 12 , and azides 15 . By catalytic hydrogenation the compounds 4 were converted into β-heteroarylamino substituted amides 18 and β-heteroarylamino-α-amino acids 20 .     

Synthesis of highly enantiomerically enriched N-Boc-α-amino ketones from pseudoephedrine N-Boc-α-amino acid amides

N-Boc-α-amino ketones are synthesized efficiently and in high enantiomeric excess by the addition of organolithium and Grignard reagents to pseudoephedrine amides of N-Boc-α-amino acids, themselves available by the alkylation of pseudoephedrine glycinamide followed by N- protection.     

Synthesis of 2-(ω-aminoalkyl)imidazolin-4-ones by ring chain transformation of lactam derivatives with α-aminoamides

Reaction of N-methylamides of biogenic (S)-α-amino acids 3 with lactam acetals 1 or lactim ethers 2 gives three types of products, i.e. N-methyl-α-lactamiminoamides 5 by condensation, 2-(ω-aminoalkyl)imidazolin-5-ones 7 or 2-(ω-lactamimmoalkyl)imidazolin-4-ones 8 by ring chain transformation. All products represent novel optically active derivatives of biogenic α-aminoacids.     

Preparation of N-Fmoc-Protected β2- and β3-Amino Acids and their use as building blocks for the solid-phase synthesis of β-peptides

N-Fmoc-Protected (Fmoc = (9H-fluoren-9-ylmethoxy)carbonyl) β-amino acids are required for an efficient synthesis of β-oligopeptides on solid support. Enantiomerically pure Fmoc-β³-amino acids β³: side chain and NH₂ at C(3)(= C(β)) were prepared from Fmoc-protected (S)- and (R)-α-amino acids with aliphatic, aromatic, and functionalized side chains, using the standard or an optimized Arndt-Eistert reaction sequence. Fmoc-β²- Amino acids (β² side chain at C(2), NH₂ at C(3)(= C(β))) configuration bearing the side chain of Ala, Val, Leu, and Phe were synthesized via the Evans' chiral auxiliary methodology. The target β³-heptapeptides 5–8 , a β³- pentadecapeptide 9 and a β²-heptapeptide 10 were synthesized on a manual solid-phase synthesis apparatus using conventional solid-phase peptide synthesis procedures (Scheme 3). In the case of β³-peptides, two methods were used to anchor the first β-amino acid: esterification of the ortho-chlorotrityl chloride resin with the first Fmoc-β-amino acid 2 (Method I, Scheme 2) or acylation of the 4-(benzyloxy)benzyl alcohol resin (Wang resin) with the ketene intermediates from the Wolff rearrangement of amino-acid-derived diazo ketone 1 (Method II, Scheme 2). The former technique provided better results, as exemplified by the synthesis of the heptapeptides 5 and 6 (Table 2). The intermediate from the Wolff rearrangement of diazo ketones 1 was also used for sequential peptide-bond formation on solid support (synthesis of the tetrapeptides 11 and 12 ). The CD spectra of the β²- and β³-peptides 5 , 9 , and 10 show the typical pattern previously assigned to an (M) 3₁ helical secondary structure (Fig.). The most intense CD absorption was observed with the pentadecapeptide 9 (strong broad negative Cotton effect at ca. 213 nm); compared to the analogous heptapeptide 5 , this corresponds to a 2.5 fold increase in the molar ellipticity per residue!     

Über einen neuartigen synthetischen Zugang zu β,γ-ungesättigten α-Aminocarbonsäuren

A New Synthetic Route to β,α-Unsaturated α-Amino Acids A versatile new synthetic pathway for the preparation of βγ-unsaturated α-amino acids ( 1 ) is presented. Cu(I)-catalyzed addition of ethyl isocyanoacetate ( 2 ) to α-chloro carbonyl compounds ( 3 ) gives 5-chloroalkyl-2-oxazolin-4-carboxylates ( 4 ) in high yields. A reductive elimination on 4 by means of zinc yields the N-formyl derivatives of βγ-unsaturated α-amino carboxylates ( 5 ), which on acid hydrolysis lead to the free amino acids 1 . The five different βγ-dehydro-α-amono acids 1b-1f have been prepared by this method.     

Synthesis of crosslinked poly(α-amino acids) with various functional groups

The esterification of the carboxyl group in copoly(γ-benzyl-L -glutamyl-L -glutamic acid) was carried out using N-hydroxysuccinimide and dicyclohexylcarbodimide to yield the activated site for the coupling reaction with amino compounds. The α-helix stability of the reactive copolymer thus obtained is remarkably affected in the presence of succinimide ring. This copolymer was proved to react nearly completely with amino alcohols such as 2-aminoethanol, 3-aminopropanol, and diethanolamine. The copoly(N⁵-hydroxyalkyl-L -glutamine) thus prepared is insoluble in water, since the benzyl ester remains in this copolymer. The copoly(α-amino acids) having another functional group were also prepared using aminoalkylsilane. Crosslinked poly(α-amino acids) were prepared by the reaction of the reactive copolymer with a low-molecular-weight polymer of PBLG having one amino group on each end of its main chain which was obtained from the corresponding NCA using p-diaminobenzene as an initiator. Another crosslinked polymer was prepared using an alkyl diamine such as 1,6-diaminohexane or 1,12-diaminododecane as a crosslinking reagent. The crosslinked copoly(α-amino acids) bearing the activated site are able to further react with various compounds having amino groups.     

Catalyst-Controlled Regiodivergent Synthesis of α/β-Dipeptide Derivatives via N-Allylic Alkylation of O-Alkyl Hydroxamates with MBH Carbonates

A controllable and regiodivergent N-allylation reaction involving readily available O-alkyl hydroxamates derived from natural α-amino acids has been developed, allowing regiospecific access to α/β-dipeptides containing α-unsaturated β-amino acids moieties in moderate to good yields. The regioselectivity could be conveniently switched by alternation of the catalysts and solvents.     

Enantioselective Syntheses of α-Amino Acids from 10-(Aminosulfonyl)-2-bornyl Esters and Di(tert-butyl) Azodicarboxylate. Preliminary Communication

Succesive treatment of chiral esters 1 with LiN(i-Pr)₂/Me₃SiCl and di(tert-butyl) azodicarboxylate/TiCl₄/Ti(i-PrO)₄ gave N,N′ -di[(tert-butoxy)carbonyl]hydrazino esters 9 which on deacylation, hydrogenolysis, transesterification, and acidic hydrolysis furnished (2S)-α-amino acids 6 in high enantiomeric purity with efficient recovery of the auxiliary alcohol 7 .     

A New General Approach to Enantiomerically Pure Cyclic and Open-Chain (R)- and (S)-α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acids

A wide range of cyclic and open-chain α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids 1a-p were prepared. The racemic N-acylated α,α-disubstituted amino acids were resolved by coupling to chiral amines 15-18 derived from (S)-phenylalanine to form diastereoisomers 19/20 or 21/22 that could be separated by crystallization and/or flash chromatography on silica gel (Scheme 3). Selective cleavage via the 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones 10a-p gave the corresponding optically pure α,α-disubstituted amino-acid derivatives 11 or 12 in high yield (Scheme 3). The absolute configurations of the α,α-disubstituted amino acids were determined from X-ray structures of the diastereoisomers 20, 21g′, 22d .     

Multichain copoly(α-amino acid). I. Multichain copoly(α-amino acid) prepared by reaction of copoly(L-lysine γ-methyl-L-glutamate) with N-carboxy anhydride of Nϵ-carbobenzyloxy-L-lysine

Polymerization of the N-carboxy anhydride of N^?-carbobenzyloxy-L -lysine in the presence of multifunctional polymeric initiator, copoly(L -lysine γ-methyl-L -glutamate) was studied in N,N-dimethylformamide containing 3% (v/v) of dimethyl sulfoxide. Multichain copoly(α-amino acid), i.e., multi-N^?-poly(N^?-carbobenzyloxy-L -lysine)copoly(L -lysine γ-methyl-L -glutamate), was obtained with linear poly(N^?-carbobenzyloxy-L -lysine) as by-product that could be removed by reprecipitation as was evidenced by gel-permeation chromatography. The degree of polymerization of the branch polymer chains estimated by the osmometric molecular weight determination and amino acid analysis was between 20 and 60, which decreased with increasing lysine content of the polymeric initiator. The stability of α-helical conformation of the multichain copoly(α-amino acid) was studied in the chloroform–dichloroacetic acid system at 25°C by the ORD technique. The α-helical conformation of poly(N^?-carbobenzyloxy-L -lysine) branches was less stable than those of linear poly(N^?-carbobenzyloxy-L -lysine) and the core molecular chains of the multichain copoly(α-amino acid).     

Preparation of (S,S)‐Fmoc‐β2hIle‐OH, (S)‐Fmoc‐β2hMet‐OH,and (S)‐Fmoc‐β2hTyr(tBu)‐OH for Solid‐Phase Syntheses of β2‐ and β2/β3‐Peptides

The preparation of three new N‐Fmoc‐protected (Fmoc=[(9H‐fluoren‐9‐yl)methoxy]carbonyl) β²‐homoamino acids with proteinogenic side chains (from Ile, Tyr, and Met) is described, the key step being a diastereoselective amidomethylation of the corresponding Ti‐enolates of 3‐acyl‐4‐isopropyl‐5,5‐diphenyloxazolidin‐2‐ones with CbzNHCH₂OMe/TiCl₄ (Cbz=(benzyloxy)carbonyl) in yields of 60–70% and with diastereoselectivities of >90%. Removal of the chiral auxiliary with LiOH or NaOH gives the N‐Cbz‐protected β‐amino acids, which were subjected to an N‐Cbz/N‐Fmoc (Fmoc=[(9H‐fluoren‐9‐yl)methoxy]carbonyl) protective‐group exchange. The method is suitable for large‐scale preparation of Fmoc‐β²hXaa‐OH for solid‐phase syntheses of β‐peptides. The Fmoc‐amino acids and all compounds leading to them have been fully characterized by melting points, optical rotations, IR, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR, and mass spectra, as well as by elemental analyses.     

Synthesis of new enantiomerically pure N-methyl-N-arylsulfonyl-α-aminonitriles from amino acids

New enantiomerically pure N-methyl-N-arylsulfonyl-α-aminonitriles were prepared starting from the corresponding α-amino acids by way of N-methyl-N-arylsulfonyl-α-amino amides. The key step of this sequence consists of the dehydration of amides by thionyl chloride which proceeded without a significant racemization. Enantiomeric purity of nitriles was determined by HPLC analysis.     

Selektive Amidspaltung bei Peptiden mit α,α-disubstituierten α-Aminosäuren

Selective Amide Cleavage in Peptides Containing α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acids A new synthesis of dipeptides with terminal α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids, using 2,2-disubtituted 3-amino-2H-azirines 1 as amino-acid equivalents, is demonstrated. The reaction of 1 with N-protected amino acids leads to the corresponding dipeptide amides in excellent yield. It is shown that the previously described selective hydrolysis (HCl, toluene, 80°, or HCl, MeCN/H₂O, 80°) of the terminal amide group results in an extensive epimerization of the second last amino acid. An acid-catalyzed enolization in the intermediate oxazole-5(4H)-ones is responsible for this loss of configurational integrity. In the present paper, a selective hydrolysis of the terminal amide group under very mild conditions is described: In 3_N HCl (THF/H₂O 1:1), the dipeptide N,N-dimethylamides or N-methytlanilides are hydrolized at 25–35° to the optically pure dipeptides in very good yield.     

Preparation of α-Bromo- and α-Chlorocarboxylic Acids from α-Amino Acids

Diazotization of α-amino acids in 48:52 (w/w) hydrogen fluoride/pyridine along with excess of potassium halide results in the corresponding α-halocarboxylic acids in good to excellent yields (Table 1 and 2).     

Multichain copoly(α-amino acid). II. Preparation and properties of multi-Nϵ-poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamyl)copoly(L-lysine γ-methyl-L-glutamate)

A number of multi-N^?-poly(γ-benzyl-L -glutamyl)copoly(L -lysine γ-methyl-L -glutamate)s with branches having various degrees of polymerization and with various intervals of the grafting sites in the core molecule were prepared in N,N-dimethylformamide containing dimethyl sulfoxide by the reaction of N-carboxy anhydride of γ-benzyl L -glutamate with random copoly(L -lysine γ-methyl-L -glutamate)s of different composition with various anhydride-initiator ratios. The relationship between the intrinsic viscosity measured in a coil solvent, dichloroacetic acid (DCA), and the number-average molecular weight determined by osmometry was found to be expressed by the Mark–Houwink–Sakurada equation for the multichain copoly(α-amino acid)s which were made from the same polymeric initiator. The observed α values of the multichain copoly(α-amino acid)s in the equation were lower than that of linear poly(γ-benzyl-L -glutamate). The solvent induced helix–coil transition of the multichain copolymer was investigated in the chloroform?DCA system by the ORD technique. Two kinds of transition regions were clearly distinguished: The α-helices of the core molecules underwent the transition at lower DCA concentration and those of the branch chains at higher DCA concentration. The reduced viscosity of the multichain copoly-(α-amino acid) increased slightly between the two transition regions, in contrast to the large decrease in the reduced viscosity of linear poly(γ-benzyl-L -glutamate) during the helix–coil transition.     

Synthesis of α-(aminomethylene)-9H-purine-6-acetic acid derivatives

α-(Aminornethylene)-9H-purine-6-acetamide ( 3a ) and the corresponding ethyl acetate 9 have been synthesized by catalytic hydrogenation of 6-cyanomethylenepurine derivatives 2 and 7 which were obtained by the substitution of 6-chloropurine derivatives with α-cyanoacetamide and ethyl cyanoacetate, respectively. Substitution of α-(aminomethylene)-9-(tetrahydrofuran)-9H-purine-6-acetamide ( 3b ) with amines gave the corresponding N-alkyl- and N-arylamines 5 , which were treated with acid to give N-substituted α-(aminomethylene)-9H-purine-6-acetamides 6 . Substitution of 9 with amines gave the corresponding N-alkyl- and N-aryl substituted amines 10 .     

α-Alkylation of Amino Acids without Racemization. Preparation of Either (S)- or (R)-α-Methyldopa from (S)-Alanine

Enantiomerically pure cis- and trans-5-alkyl-1-benzoyl-2-(tert-butyl)-3-methylimidazolidin-4-ones ( 1, 2, 11, 15, 16 ) and trans-2-(tert-butyl)-3-methyl-5-phenylimidazolidin-4-one ( 20 ), readily available from (S)-alanine, (S)-valine, (S)-methionine, and (R)-phenylglycine are deprotonated to chiral enolates (cf. 3, 4, 12, 21 ). Diastereoselective alkylation of these enolates to 5,5-dialkyl- or 5-alkyl-5-arylimidazolidinones ( 5, 6, 9, 10, 13a-d, 17, 18, 22 ) and hydrolysis give α-alkyl-α-amino acids such as (R)- and (S)-α-methyldopa ( 7 and 8a , resp.), (S)-α-methylvaline ( 14 ), and (R)-α-methyl-methionine ( 19 ). The configuration of the products is proved by chemical correlation and by NOE ¹H-NMR measurements (see 23, 24 ). In the overall process, a simple, enantiomerically pure α-amino acid can be α-alkylated with retention or with inversion of configuration through pivaladehyde acetal derivatives. Since no chiral auxiliary is required, the process is coined ‘self-reproduction of a center of chirality’. The method is compared with other α-alkylations of amino acids occurring without racemization. The importance of enantiomerically pure, α-branched α-amino acids as synthetic intermediates and for the preparation of biologically active compounds is discussed.     

Asymmetric Dihydroxylations of β-Substituted N-(α,β-Enoyl)bornane-10,2-sultams

Pure (E)- or (Z)-enoylsultams 2 were Oxidized with OsO₄/N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide in a stereospecific and highly π-face-selective manner. Acetalization of the resulting 1,2-diols furnished, after purification, the stable, crystalline acetals 6 in >99% d.e. and in 63–74% overall yield from 2 . Reductive or hydrolytic cleavage of 6 gave enantiomerically pure alcohols 8 or carboxylic acids 9 with recovery of the sultan auxiliary 1 .     

Asymmetric Alkylations of a Sultam-Derived Glycine Equivalent: Practical preparation of enantiomerically pure α-amino acids

Alkylation of the chiral glycine derivative 2 with “activated” organohalides under ultrasound-assisted phasetransfer catalysis or with activated and nonactivated organohalides in anhydrous medium provides (mostly crystalline) alkylation products 3 . Acidic hydrolysis of the pure products 3 gives (aminoacyl)sultams 4 which by mild saponification furnish pure α-amino acids 5 in good overall yields from 2 , along with recovered auxiliary 1 (Scheme 1). Pure ω-protected α,ω-diamino acids and α-amino-ω-(hydroxyamino)acids 12–16 are readily accessible from (ω-haloacyl)sultams 3 via reaction with N-nucleophiles followed by acidic and basic hydrolyses (Scheme 2). A reliable determination of the enantiomeric purity of α-amino acids using HPLC analysis of their N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)prolyl derivatives 17 is presented.