Synthesis of all four enantiomers of 1-aminoindane-2-carboxylic acid,a new cispentacin benzologue

Racemic cis- and trans-1-aminoindane-2-carboxylic acids (3 and 5) were prepared from indene by chlorosulphonyl isocyanate addition followed by ring opening and isomerisation. The intermediate racemic hydroxymethylated β-lactam 6 was resolved through the lipase-catalysed asymmetric acylation of the primary hydroxy group at the (R)-stereogenic centre. High enantioselectivities (E>200) were observed when the enzymatic reactions were performed with lipase AK or lipase PS as catalyst and vinyl acetate or vinyl butyrate as acyl donor. The hydrolysis and isomerisation resulted in all four enantiomers (9, 11, 13 and 14) of 1-aminoindane-2-carboxylic acid, a new benzologue of cispentacin.     

Improvement of catalytic activity of lipase in the presence of wide rim substituted calix[4]arene carboxylic acid-grafted magnetic nanoparticles

Candida rugosa lipase immobilized on calix[4]arene carboxylic acid-grafted magnetic nanoparticles using a sol–gel encapsulation technique was tested for activity, which was assessed both in the enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic Naproxen methyl ester and that of p-nitrophenylpalmitate. It has also been noticed that, compared to the free enzyme (E = 137) with an ee value of >98 %, S-Naproxen calix[4]arene carboxylic acid-grafted magnetic nanoparticles based on encapsulated lipase (Calix-1-MN and Calix-2-MN) offer excellent enantioselectivity (E = 373 and E = 381). Moreover, the results indicated that after the fifth reuse in the enantioselective reaction, the encapsulated lipase (Calix-2-MN) still retained about 43 % of its conversion power.     

Enzymatic desymmetrization of prochiral 2,3-bis(acetoxymethyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene and 2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene

Enzymatic desymmetrization of the title compound 1 is reported using various commercially available lipases in hydrolysis and alcoholysis reactions or ester synthesis. In this area, lipase Amano AK (Pseudomonas sp.) proved to be the best lipase whatever the experimental conditions used. The monoacetate product 2 is indifferently obtained with more than 95% enantiomeric excess (ee) as the levorotatory enantiomer 2a or the dextrorotatory one 2b.     

Enzyme-mediated preparation of enantioenriched forms of trans- and cis-p-menthan-1,8-dien-5-ol

The synthesis of the trans-p-menthan-5-ol (±)-1 was carried out by Diels–Alder cycloaddition of 3-keto-1-butenyl-acetate 3 with isoprene followed by Wittig methylenation. PS lipase resolution of the alcohol afforded acetate (−)-5 with 98% ee, which was hydrolysed to give (−)-1. Alternatively, enzymatic hydrolysis of a keto ester followed by Wittig methylenation and hydrolysis afforded the same alcohol with an ee of 86%. The cis-p-menthan-5-ol (−)-2 was obtained by Swern oxidation of (−)-1, followed by diastereoselective reduction with L-Selectride without lost of enantiomeric excess.     

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of piperoxan,prosympal, dibozane,and doxazosin

The synthesis of both enantiomers of 1,4-benzodioxan-2-carboxylic acid 1, a key synthetic intermediate for the therapeutic agents piperoxan, prosympal, dibozane, and doxazosin was achieved with good yields and high enantioselectivities via the Arthrobacter sp. lipase catalyzed kinetic resolution of ester (±)-17a. The influence of the co-solvents and the immobilization of the lipase upon kinetic resolution demonstrated that immobilized whole cells, in the presence of n-butanol as a co-solvent, resulted in the optimal resolution of the substrate (ee ～99%, E = 535) at 258 mmol (50 g/L) substrate concentration.     

Diastereoselective and enantioselective alkaline-hydrolysis of 2-aryl-1-cyclohexyl acetate: a CAL-B catalyzed deacylation/acylation tandem process

Candida antarctica lipase proved to be a particularly efficient lipase for the resolution of racemic 2-arylcyclohexyl acetate in hydrolysis reaction with Na₂CO₃ in an organic medium. The (1R,2S)-trans-2-arylcyclohexanols 2a–2d were obtained with high ee values (up to >99%) and the selectivity reached E > 200. The influence of the enol ester and the solvent on (±)-trans-2-arylcyclohexanol in the CAL-B catalyzed acylation was also studied and compared with the deacylation. The CAL-B exhibits a better affinity for the alkaline hydrolysis reaction compared with acylation with the enol esters in the same organic solvents. The best conditions were applied to resolve a stereoisomeric mixture cis/trans-2-phenyl-1-cyclohexanol and its corresponding acetate by acylation and deacylation. The obtained results show a highly enantio- and diastereoselectivity of the CAL-B during the acylation and the deacylation in favor of the trans-(R)-enantiomer product. The resolution of a mixture of cis/trans-2-arylcyclohexanols was an easy, convenient approach to provide only one stereoisomer of a mixture of four with high enantiomeric excess.     

Preparation of a chiral synthon for an HBV inhibitor: enzymatic asymmetric hydrolysis of (1α,2β,3α)-2-(benzyloxymethyl)cyclopent-4-ene-1,3-diol diacetate and enzymatic asymmetric acetylation of (1α,2β,3α)-2-(benzyloxymethyl)cyclopent-4-ene-1,3-diol

Enantioselective asymmetric hydrolysis of (1α,2β,3α)-2-(benzyloxymethyl)-cyclopent-4-ene-1,3-diol diacetate 1 to the corresponding (+)-monoacetate 2 was carried out using lipase PS-30 from Pseudomonas cepacia or pancreatin. A reaction yield of 85 M % with an enantiomeric excess (ee) of 98% was obtained. Using pancreatin, a reaction yield of 75 M % with an ee of 98.5% was obtained. Asymmetric acetylation of (1α,2β,3α)-2-(benzyloxymethyl)-cyclopent-4-ene-1,3-diol 3 to the corresponding (−)-monoacetate 4 was carried out using lipase PS-30 with isopropenyl acetate as the acylating agent. A reaction yield of 80 M % with an ee of 98% was obtained for (−)-monoacetate 4.     

Enzymatic resolution of racemic secondary cyclic allylic alcohols

The resolutions of five racemic cyclic alcohols: 6,6-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol (±)-5, 4,4-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol (±)-7, 5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-ol (±)-11 and isomeric trans-(±)-13 and cis-piperitols (±)-14 are presented. They were resolved by enzymatic esterification with vinyl esters or by enzymatic hydrolysis of their racemic esters in phosphate buffer. The following lipases were used as biocatalysts: Novozyme 435 (Candida antarctica), Amano PS (Burkholderia cepacia) and lipase from Candida cylindracea. All isomers of alcohols were obtained with at least 96% ee.     

Efficient and practical synthesis of both enantiomers of 6-silyloxy-3-pyranone derivatives

Lipase catalyzed kinetic resolution of racemic cis-6-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-3-ol (rac)-1 was achieved in high enantiomeric excess. Transesterification of (rac)-1 with vinylacetate in ^tBuOMe yielded the alcohol (3S,6R)-1 in 99.0% ee, whereas (3R,6S)-1 was obtained, in 99.0% ee, by the lipase catalyzed ester hydrolysis of acetate (3R,6S)-2, which was obtained along with the transesterification. Both (3S,6R)-1 and (3R,6S)-1 were subjected to oxidation to provide the corresponding 6-silyloxy-3-pyranone (6R)-3 and (6S)-3, respectively. Application to the synthesis of 7, which is the key intermediate of asymmetric synthesis of pseudomonic acid A 9 is also described.     

Enzyme-mediated synthesis of EEHP and EMHP,useful pharmaceutical intermediates of PPAR agonists

A new scaleable synthetic route to the title compounds has been developed. The reaction pathway is based on the α-chymotrypsin-catalysed hydrolysis of the racemic ethyl 2-ethoxy-3-(p-methoxyphenyl)propanoate or of the racemic ethyl 2-methoxy-3-(p-methoxyphenyl)propanoate to give the corresponding resolved (S)-esters with excellent ee. The acids were easily separated from the (S)-esters by a simple acid–base work-up. The overall yields of 1 and 2 were 16% and 17%, respectively.     

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of (R)-5-hydroxymethyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclopent-1-en-1-yl trifluoromethylsulfonate,a potential chiral building block for multicyclic terpenoids

The chemo-enzymatic synthesis of (R)-5-hydroxymethyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclopent-1-en-1-yl trifluoromethylsulfonate, a potential chiral building block for polycyclic terpenoids containing a five–membered ring having isopropyl and angular methyl substituents, such as erinacin A and dolatriol, was achieved over 11 steps from ethyl 2-oxocyclopentane-1-carboxylate. The key synthetic precursor for this triflate was ethyl (1S,2R)-2-hydroxycyclopentanecarboxylate (>99% ee), which was prepared by a lipase-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of the corresponding racemic acetate. The antipodal (S)-triflate is expected to be the synthetic intermediate for another group of terpenoids involving hamigeran B and stolonidiol. Enantiomerically pure (1R,2S)-hydroxyester (>99% ee) was prepared in high yield using the asymmetric reduction of the oxoester with commercially available carbonyl reductase, “Chiralscreen® OH”-E001.     

Asymmetric synthesis of triepoxyzerumbol

The achiral sesquiterpene zerumbone 1, which is readily available from wild ginger, has a unique functionality and reactivity making it a convenient starting material for its conversion into useful compounds, such as paclitaxel. Optically active triepoxyzerumbol (−)-3 and its acetate (+)-4 were synthesized by lipase-catalyzed enantioselective transesterification of racemic 3. Under optimized conditions, a lipase from Alcaligenes sp. (Meito QL) catalyzed the reaction of racemic 3 with isopropenyl acetate in THF at 35 °C to afford (1S)-3 and (1R)-4 with an E-value of 79. The absolute configuration of (1R)-4 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction of its ester with a chlorine atom using the anomalous dispersion effect.     

Calix[n]arene Carboxylic Acid Derivatives as Regulators of Enzymatic Reactions: Enhanced Enantioselectivity in Lipase-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of (R/S)-Naproxen Methyl Ester

Candida rugosa lipase was immobilized with a sol–gel encapsulation procedure in the presence and absence of a calix[n]arene carboxylic acid derivative grafted onto magnetic nanoparticles or in the presence of the calix[n]arene carboxylic acid derivative with Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles as an additive. Through the enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic naproxen methyl ester and the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylpalmitate, the relative enzyme activity was evaluated and tested. These results show that the encapsulated lipase without supports has lower conversion and enantioselectivity compared to the Calix[n]COOH-based encapsulated lipase. It has also been observed that the Calix[4]COOH-based encapsulated lipase has excellent enantioselectivity (enantiomeric ratio (E)?>?400) as compared to encapsulated-free lipase enantioselectivity (E?=?137), and it also has an enantiomeric excess value of ~98 % for S-naproxen.     

Influence of the position of the substituent on the efficiency of lipase-mediated resolutions of 3-aryl alkanoic acids

Hydrolase-catalysed kinetic resolutions to provide enantioenriched α-substituted 3-aryl alkanoic acids are described. (S)-2-Methyl-3-phenylpropanoic acid (S)-1a was prepared in 96% ee by Pseudomonas fluorescens catalysed ester hydrolysis, while, Candida antarctica lipase B (immob) resolved the α-ethyl substituted 3-arylalkanoic acid (R)-1b in 82% ee. The influence of the position of the substituent relative to the ester site on the efficiency and enantioselectivity of the biotransformation is also explored; the same lipases were found to resolve both the α- and β-substituted alkanoic acids. Furthermore, the steric effect of substituents at the C2 stereogenic centre relative to that for their C3 substituted counterparts on the efficiency and stereoselectivity is discussed.     

Pheromone synthesis. Part 249: Syntheses of methyl (R,E)-2,4,5-tetradecatrienoate and methyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate,the pheromone components of the male dried bean beetle,Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)

The enantiomers of methyl (E)-2,4,5-tetradecatrienoate (1), a component of the male pheromone of Acanthoscelides obtectus, were synthesized from the enantiomers of 1-undecyn-3-ol (6), which were obtained via asymmetric acetylation of (±)-1-trimethylsilyl-1-undecyn-3-ol (4) with vinyl acetate as catalyzed by lipase PS (Amano). The ortho ester Claisen rearrangement of 6 with triethyl orthoacetate was the key-step to generate the chiral allenic system. A new synthesis of (±)-1 was also executed starting from (±)-6. Three different syntheses of methyl (2E,4Z)-2,4-decadienoate (2), another component of the male pheromone of A. obtectus, were achieved by means of either palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction or a Claisen and an Al₂O₃ catalyzed thermal rearrangements.     

Application of the asymmetric hydrogenation of enamines to the preparation of a beta-amino acid pharmacophore

(3R)-3-[N-(tert-Butoxycarbonyl)amino]-4-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butanoic acid 7a has been synthesized by an asymmetric hydrogenation of enamine ester 3 using chiral ferrocenyl ligands I and II in conjunction with [Rh(COD)Cl]₂. The direct reduction of 3 provides amino ester 1b in 93% ee, which was isolated as an (S)-camphorsulfonic acid salt to upgrade the enantiomeric excess to >99%. A more concise approach was developed involving the in situ protection of 1b using di-tert-butyldicarbonate. This approach provided the desired N-Boc amino ester 7b directly from the hydrogenation with 97% ee, which was upgraded to >99% ee upon crystallization.     

Stereospecific enzymatic hydrolysis of racemic epoxide: a process for making chiral epoxide

Among various microbial cultures evaluated, Rhodotorula glutinis SC 16293 and Aspergillus niger SC 16311 catalyzed the stereospecific hydrolysis of the racemic epoxide, RS-1-{2′,3′-dihydrobenzo[b]furan-4′-yl}-1,2-oxirane, 1 to the corresponding R-diol, R-1-{2′,3′-dihydrobenzo[b]furan-4′-yl}-ethane-1,2-diol, 3. The S-epoxide, S-1-{2′,3′-dihydrobenzo[b]furan-4′-yl}-1,2-oxirane, 2 remained unreacted in the reaction mixture. A reaction yield of 45–50% (theoretical maximum yield is 50%) and an enantiomeric excess (ee) of >95% were obtained for unreacted S-epoxide 2 using each culture. Addition of 10% methyl tert-butyl ether to an aqueous reaction mixture during hydrolysis by R. glutinis improved the ee of the unreacted S-epoxide 2 to >99% (yield 48%) and that of the R-diol 3 to 79%. Unlike R. glutinis, hydrolysis of racemic epoxide 1 in the presence of 10% methyl tert-butyl ether by A. niger showed an adverse effect and gave S-epoxide 2 in 54% yield and 49% ee.     

Efficient lipase-catalysed route for the kinetic resolution of salsolidine and its ß-carboline analogue

Racemic 1-methyl-6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline 1 and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-ß-carboline 3 were resolved through lipase-catalysed asymmetric acylation on the secondary amino group. High enantioselectivities (E?>200) were observed when the acylation of racemic 1 was performed with phenyl allyl carbonate in the presence of Candida rugosa lipase in toluene at 40?°C or with Candida antarctica lipase B in tert-butyl methyl ether at 50?°C. Excellent enantioselectivity (E?>200) characterised the CAL-B-catalysed acylation of racemic 3 with phenyl allyl carbonate in the presence of triethylamine in tert-butyl methyl ether at 50?°C. The product (R)-carbamates (ee?>97%) were hydrolysed into the corresponding (R)-enantiomers of the free amines 1 and 3 (ee?=?99%) with the use of Pd₂(dba)₃·CHCl₃ catalyst.     

Synthesis of racemic and each enantiomer of 3-methylnonacosanol,a new plant growth regulator from Lowsonia inermis

An efficient synthesis of the title compound I in racemic and enantiomeric forms has been developed starting from 10-undecenoic acid. For the enantiomeric synthesis, a lipase catalyzed acylation strategy was employed to prepare the required methyl branched chiron which was subsequently derivatized to give the enantiomers of I. The plant growth regulatory (PGR) assay of I, carried out with hypocotyl cuttings of French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Steinberg's nutrient medium revealed appreciable activity at a concentration of 2.5 ppm. The PGR activities of the compound both in racemic and enantiomeric forms were better than 1-triacontanol, the enantiomer, (S)-I being the best test candidate.     

A novel building block for the synthesis of isofagomin analogues

The de novo synthesis of the novel potent building blocks phenyl (R)-3-acetoxymethyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyridine-1-carboxylate (−)-7 and phenyl (S)-3-butyryl-oxymethyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-pyridine-1-carboxylate (+)-8 starting from commercially available methyl-1-benzyl-4-oxo-3-piperidinecarboxylate is described. The key steps are the enantioselective esterification of the racemic alcohol 6 and the enantioselective hydrolysis of the racemic acetate 5, respectively, using lipase P from Pseudomonas caepacia.