Enantiodivergent Synthesis of (+)‐ and (−)‐Pyrrolidine 197B: Synthesis of trans‐2,5‐Disubstituted Pyrrolidines by Intramolecular Hydroamination

A highly efficient, diastereoselective, iron(III)‐catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination/cyclization reaction involving α‐substituted amino alkenes is described. Thus, enantiopure trans‐2,5‐disubstituted pyrrolidines and trans‐5‐substituted proline derivatives were synthesized by means of a combination of enantiopure starting materials, easily available from l ‐α‐amino acids, with sustainable metal catalysts such as iron(III) salts. The scope of this methodology is highlighted in an enantiodivergent approach to the synthesis of both (+)‐ and (?)‐pyrrolidine 197B alkaloids from l ‐glutamic acid. In addition, a computational study was carried out to gain insight into the complete diastereoselectivity of the transformation.     

Phosgene‐free synthesis of polypeptides: Useful synthesis for hydrophobic polypeptides through polycondensation of activated urethane derivatives of α‐amino acids

We report a useful synthetic method of polypeptides using a series of urethane derivative of α‐amino acids (l ‐leucine, l ‐phenylalanine, l ‐valine, l ‐alanine, l ‐isoleucine, l ‐methionine), which are readily synthesized by N‐carbamoylation of tetrabutylammonium salts of α‐amino acids with diphenyl carbonate. Heating these urethane derivatives in N,N‐dimethylacetamide in the presence of n‐butylamine successfully gave the corresponding polypeptides with well‐defined structures through polycondensation with the elimination of phenol and CO₂. The matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry investigation showed that the resulting polypeptides had an n‐BuNH₂‐incorporated initiating end and an amino group at propagating end. These results strongly indicated that primary amines served as an initiator in this polycondensation system. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3726–3731     

Synthesis of polypeptides from activated urethane derivatives of α‐amino acids

A series of activated urethane‐type derivatives of α‐amino acids were synthesized and applied to polypeptide synthesis. The urethane used herein, N‐(4‐nitrophenoxycarbonyl)‐α‐amino acids 1 , were synthesized by N‐carbamoylation of γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate, β‐benzyl‐L ‐aspartate, L ‐leucine, L ‐phenylalanine, and L ‐proline, with 4‐nitrophenyl chloroformate. When 1 was dissolved in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and heated at 60 °C, it was smoothly converted into the corresponding polypeptides with releasing 4‐nitrophenol and carbon dioxide. Spectroscopic analyses of the obtained polypeptides revealed that they were comparable with the authentic polypeptides synthesized by the ring‐opening polymerizations of amino acid N‐carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). Besides the successful polycondensations of a series of 1 , their polycondensations of 1a and other 1 were also successfully carried out to obtain the corresponding statistic copolypeptides. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2525–2535, 2008     

Bispalladacycle‐Catalyzed Michael Addition of In Situ Formed Azlactones to Enones

The development and further evolution of the first catalytic asymmetric conjugate additions of azlactones as activated amino acid derivatives to enones is described. Whereas the first‐generation approach started from isolated azlactones, in the second‐generation approach the azlactones could be generated in situ starting from racemic N‐benzoylated amino acids. The third evolution stage could make use of racemic unprotected α‐amino acids to directly form highly enantioenriched and diastereomerically pure masked quaternary amino acid products bearing an additional tertiary stereocenter. The step‐economic transformations were accomplished by cooperative activation by using a robust planar chiral bis‐Pd catalyst, a Brønsted acid (HOAc or BzOH; Ac=acetyl, Bz=benzoyl), and a Brønsted base (NaOAc). In particular the second‐ and third‐generation approaches provide a rapid and divergent access to biologically interesting unnatural quaternary amino acid derivatives from inexpensive bulk chemicals. In that way highly enantioenriched acyclic α‐amino acids, α‐alkyl proline, and α‐alkyl pyroglutamic acid derivatives could be prepared in diastereomerically pure form. In addition, a unique way is presented to prepare diastereomerically pure bicyclic dipeptides in just two steps from unprotected tertiary α‐amino acids.     

Primary amino acids: privileged catalysts in enantioselective organocatalysis

Despite the recent spectacular advances in asymmetric organocatalysis, proline and its analogues have been predominantly employed as organocatalysts in reactions utilizing enamine intermediates. Recent studies of enantioselective organocatalytic reactions promoted by primary amino acids and their derivatives are described in this account. The primary amino functions, rather than the secondary pyrrolidine moiety, have been shown to provide unique reactivity and stereoselectivity in asymmetric aldol and Mannich reactions.     

Chiral discrimination of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids using the kinetic method

Chiral discrimination of seven enantiomeric pairs of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids was studied by using the kinetic method and trimeric metal‐bound complexes, with natural and unnatural α‐amino acids as chiral reference compounds and divalent metal ions (Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺) as the center ions. The β‐3‐homo‐amino acids were selected for this study because, first of all, chiral discrimination of β‐amino acids has not been extensively studied by mass spectrometry. Moreover, these β‐3‐homo‐amino acids studied have different aromatic side chains. Thus, the emphasis was to study the effect of the side chain (electron density of the phenyl ring, as well as the difference between phenyl and benzyl side chains) for the chiral discrimination. The results showed that by the proper choice of a metal ion and a chiral reference compound, all seven enantiomeric pairs of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids could be differentiated. Moreover, it was noted that the β‐3‐homo‐amino acids with benzyl side chains provided higher enantioselectivity than the corresponding phenyl ones. However, increasing or decreasing the electron density of the aromatic ring by different substituents in both the phenyl and benzyl side chains had practically no role for chiral discrimination of β‐3‐homo‐amino acids studied. When copper was used as the central metal, the phenyl side chain containing reference molecules (S)‐2‐amino‐2‐phenylacetic acid (L ‐Phg) and (S)‐2‐amino‐2‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐acetic acid (L ‐4′‐OHPhg) gave rise to an additional copper‐reduced dimeric fragment ion, [Cu^I(ref)(A)]⁺. The inclusion of this ion improved noticeably the enantioselectivity values obtained. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Catalytic Asymmetric 1,2‐Addition of α‐Isothiocyanato Phosphonates: Synthesis of Chiral β‐Hydroxy‐ or β‐Amino‐Substituted α‐Amino Phosphonic Acid Derivatives

α‐Amino phosphonic acid derivatives are considered to be the most important structural analogues of α‐amino acids and have a very wide range of applications. However, approaches for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of such useful compounds are very limited. In this work, simple, efficient, and versatile organocatalytic asymmetric 1,2‐addition reactions of α‐isothiocyanato phosphonate were developed. Through these processes, derivatives of β‐hydroxy‐α‐amino phosphonic acid and α,β‐diamino phosphonic acid, as well as highly functionalized phosphonate‐substituted spirooxindole, can be efficiently constructed (up to 99 % yield, d.r. >20:1, and >99 % ee). This novel method provides a new route for the enantioselective functionalization of α‐phosphonic acid derivatives.     

Enantio‐ and Site‐Selective α‐Fluorination of N‐Acyl 3,5‐Dimethylpyrazoles Catalyzed by Chiral π–CuII Complexes

Catalytic enantioselective α‐fluorination reactions of carbonyl compounds are among the most powerful and efficient synthetic methods for constructing optically active α‐fluorinated carbonyl compounds. Nevertheless, α‐fluorination of α‐nonbranched carboxylic acid derivatives is still a big challenge because of relatively high pK_a values of their α‐hydrogen atoms and difficulty of subsequent synthetic transformation without epimerization. Herein we show that chiral copper(II) complexes of 3‐(2‐naphthyl)‐l ‐alanine‐derived amides are highly effective catalysts for the enantio‐ and site‐selective α‐fluorination of N‐(α‐arylacetyl) and N‐(α‐alkylacetyl) 3,5‐dimethylpyrazoles. The substrate scope of the transformation is very broad (25 examples including a quaternary α‐fluorinated α‐amino acid derivative). α‐Fluorinated products were converted into the corresponding esters, secondary amides, tertiary amides, ketones, and alcohols with almost no epimerization in high yield.     

Enantioselective Organocatalytic Addition of Oxazolones to 1,1‐Bis(phenylsulfonyl)ethylene: A Convenient Asymmetric Synthesis of Quaternary α‐Amino Acids

A new, easy, and highly enantioselective method for the synthesis of quaternary α‐alkyl‐α‐amino acids based on organocatalysis is reported. The addition of oxazolones to 1,1‐bis(phenylsulfonyl)ethylene is efficiently catalyzed by simple chiral bases or thioureas. The reaction affords α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acid derivatives with complete C4 regioselectivity and with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. This methodology is complementary to previously reported enantioselective approaches to quaternary α‐amino acids and allows the synthesis of α‐phenyl‐α‐alkyl‐α‐amino acids and α‐tert‐butyl‐α‐alkyl‐α‐amino acids. It has distinct advantages in terms of operational simplicity, enviromentally friendly conditions, and suitability for large‐scale reactions.     

Practical Alkoxythiocarbonyl Auxiliaries for Iridium(I)‐Catalyzed C−H Alkylation of Azacycles

The development of new and practical 3‐pentoxythiocarbonyl auxiliaries for Ir^I‐catalyzed C−H alkylation of azacycles is described. This method allows for the α‐C−H alkylation of a variety of substituted pyrrolidines, piperidines, and tetrahydroisoquinolines through alkylation with alkenes. While the practicality of these simple carbamate‐type auxiliaries is underscored by the ease of installation and removal, the method's utility is demonstrated in its ability to functionalize biologically relevant l ‐proline and l ‐trans ‐hydroxyproline, delivering unique 2,5‐dialkylated amino acid analogues that are not accessible by other C−H functionalization methods.     

Expedient Synthesis of (+)‐Lycopalhine A

Two amino acids play a key role in the first total synthesis of lycopalhine A. l ‐glutamic acid serves as a convenient chiral starting material for the 13‐step synthesis, and l ‐proline promotes an unusual 5‐endo‐trig Mannich cyclization that generates the central pyrrolidine ring of the Lycopodium alkaloid. The bicyclo[3.3.0]octanol moiety of the molecule is formed through an intramolecular aldol addition that may occur spontaneously in nature.     

A Simple and Efficient Procedure for Synthesis of Optically Active 1,2,4‐Triazolo‐[3,4‐b]‐1,3,4‐Thiadiazole Derivatives Containing l‐Amino Acid Moieties

Some new and optically active 1,2,4‐triazolo thiadiazoles bearing N‐phthaloyl‐l ‐amino acids were synthesized by reaction of 4‐amino‐5‐(3‐ or 4‐)pyridyl‐3‐mercapto‐(4H)‐1,2,4‐triazoles with N‐phthaloyl‐l ‐amino acids in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride. All the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and elemental analysis.     

Nucleophile Promiscuity of Engineered Class II Pyruvate Aldolase YfaU from E. Coli

Pyruvate‐dependent aldolases exhibit a stringent selectivity for pyruvate, limiting application of their synthetic potential, which is a drawback shared with other existing aldolases. Structure‐guided rational protein engineering rendered a 2‐keto‐3‐deoxy‐l ‐rhamnonate aldolase variant, fused with a maltose‐binding protein (MBP‐YfaU W23V/L216A), capable of efficiently converting larger pyruvate analogues, for example, those with linear and branched aliphatic chains, in aldol addition reactions. Combination of these nucleophiles with N‐Cbz‐alaninal (Cbz=benzyloxycarbonyl) and N‐Cbz‐prolinal electrophiles gave access to chiral building blocks, for example, derivatives of (2S,3S,4R)‐4‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐methylpentanoic acid (68 %, d.r. 90:10) and the enantiomer of dolaproine (33 %, d.r. 94:6) as well as a collection of unprecedented α‐amino acid derivatives of the proline and pyrrolizidine type. Conversions varied between 6–93 % and diastereomeric ratios from 50:50 to 95:5 depending on the nucleophilic and electrophilic components.     

CuBr‐catalysed one‐pot multicomponent synthesis of 3‐substituted 2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives

A novel methodology is presented for the synthesis of 3‐substituted 2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives based on an efficient tandem multicomponent reaction using copper bromide as catalyst. This methodology is based on the multicomponent one‐pot reaction of methyl 2‐bromobenzoate, phenylisothiocyanate derivatives and sodium azide in the presence of copper bromide and l ‐proline under basic conditions. To show the generality of the method, various phenylisothiocyanates bearing electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing functionalities were used and the desired products were obtained in high isolated yields.     

Umpolung Strategy for α‐Functionalization of Aldehydes for the Addition of Thiols and other Nucleophiles

Nucleophile–nucleophile coupling is a challenging transformation in organic chemistry. Herein we present a novel umpolung strategy for α‐functionalization of aldehydes with nucleophiles. The strategy uses organocatalytic enamine activation and quinone‐promoted oxidation to access O‐bound quinol‐intermediates that undergo nucleophilic substitution reactions. These quinol‐intermediates react with different classes of nucleophiles. The focus is on an unprecedented organocatalytic oxidative α‐thiolation of aldehydes. The reaction scope is demonstrated for a broad range of thiols and extended to chemoselective bioconjugation, and applicable to a large variety of aldehydes. This strategy can also encompass organocatalytic enantioselective coupling of α‐branched aldehydes with thiols forming quaternary thioethers. Studies indicate a stereoselective formation of the intermediate followed by a stereospecific nucleophilic substitution reaction at a quaternary stereocenter, with inversion of configuration.     

Organocatalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Additions to Cyclopent‐1‐enecarbaldehyde: A Critical Assessment of Organocatalytic Approaches towards the Telaprevir Bicyclic Core

In the context of a programme directed at the manufacture of telaprevir, eight possible approaches to its bicyclic α‐amino acid core, based on organocatalytic enantioselective conjugate additions to cyclopent‐1‐enecarbaldehyde, were identified and preliminarily explored. Four reactions, delivering advanced intermediates en route to the target amino acid, were selected for a thorough optimisation. Three of this reactions involved iminium ion catalysis with a prolinol catalyst (addition of nitromethane, nitroacetate and acetamidomalonate) and one was based on a Cinchona‐derived phase‐transfer catalyst (addition of glycine imines). A careful choice of additives allowed lowering of the catalyst loading to 0.5 mol % in some cases. The preparation of intermediates that would give access to the core of telaprevir in good yields and enantioselectivities by exploiting readily available substrates and catalysts, highlights the potential of organocatalytic technology for a cost‐effective preparation of pharmaceuticals.     

Arrangement of Proteinogenic α‐Amino Acids on a Cyclic Peptide Comprising Alternate Biphenyl‐Cored ζ‐Amino Acids

Aiming at precisely arranging several proteinogenic α‐amino acids on a folded scaffold, we have developed a cyclic hexapeptide comprising an alternate sequence of biphenyl‐cored ζ‐amino acids and proteinogenic α‐amino acids such as l ‐leucine. The amino acids were connected by typical peptide synthesis, and the resultant linear hexapeptide was intramolecularly cyclized to form a target cyclic peptide. Theoretical analyses and NMR spectroscopy suggested that the cyclic peptide was folded into an unsymmetrical conformation, and the structure was likely to be flexible in CHCl₃. The optical properties including UV/Vis absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) were also evaluated. Furthermore, the cyclic peptide became soluble in water by introducing three carboxylate groups at the periphery of the cyclic skeleton. This α/ζ‐alternating cyclic peptide is therefore expected to serve as a unique scaffold for arranging several functionalities.     

Liquid chromatographic resolution of proline and pipecolic acid derivatives on chiral stationary phases based on (+)‐(18‐crown‐6)‐2,3,11,12‐tetracarboxylic acid

Two liquid chromatographic chiral stationary phases based on (+)‐(18‐crown‐6)‐2,3,11,12‐tetracarboxylic acid were applied to the resolution of the amide derivatives of cyclic α‐amino acids including proline and pipecolic acid. Among the five amide derivatives of proline, aniline amide was resolved best on the first chiral stationary phase, which contains two N–H tethering amide groups, with the separation factor of 1.31 and the resolution of 2.60, and on the second chiral stationary phase, which contains two N–CH₃ tethering amide groups, with the separation factor of 1.57 and the resolution of 5.50. Among the five amide derivatives of pipecolic acid, 2‐naphthyl amide was resolved best on the first chiral stationary phase with the separation factor of 1.30 and the resolution of 1.75, but 1‐naphthylmethyl amide was resolved best on the second chiral stationary phase with the separation factor of 1.30 and the resolution of 2.26. In general, the second chiral stationary phase was found to be better than the first chiral stationary phase in the resolution of the amide derivatives of cyclic α‐amino acids. In this study, the second chiral stationary phase was first demonstrated to be useful for the resolution of secondary amino compounds.     

Hydroxyl‐tolerated polymerization of N‐phenoxycarbonyl α‐amino acids: A simple way to polypeptides bearing hydroxyl groups

Differing from the moisture‐sensitive α‐amino acid N‐carboxyanhydrides (AA‐NCAs) monomers, N‐phenoxycarbonyl α‐amino acids (AA‐NPCs) can be prepared and stored in open air. In this contribution, we report that the controlled polymerizations of AA‐NPC monomers of O‐tert‐butyl‐dl ‐serine (BRS‐NPC), N^ε‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐l ‐lysine (ZLL‐NPC) and N^ε‐trifluoroacetyl‐l ‐lysine (FLL‐NPC) initiated by amines are surprisingly able to tolerate common nucleophilic impurities such as water and alcohols at a level of monomer concentration. The structures of polypeptides synthesized in the presence of water or alcohols agree well with the designed ones in the case of repeated chain extensions. Detailed mechanism study and density functional theory calculation reveal that the low concentration of AA‐NCA and the high activity of amines are the key factors to the controllability of AA‐NPC polymerizations. The water‐ and alcohol‐tolerant property in polymerizations of AA‐NPCs encourages the following studies on unprotected (phenolic) hydroxyl groups containing AA‐NPCs. The controllable polymerizations of N‐phenoxycarbonyl l ‐tyrosine (LT‐NPC) and N‐phenoxycarbonyl S‐(3‐hydroxypropyl)‐l ‐cysteine (HLC‐NPC) initiated by amines are confirmed and reported for the first time, which extends the library of AA‐NPCs and polypeptides as well. All the universality of library, the convenience of monomer preparation, and the controllability and water‐ and alcohol‐tolerant property of polymerization of AA‐NPCs significantly enhance the feasibility of polypeptide synthesis, making AA‐NPC approach a promising synthetic method of polypeptides. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 907–916     

Expression,Purification and Characterization of Human α‐l‐Fucosidase

α‐l ‐Fucosidases (EC 3.2.1.51) are exo‐glycosidases. On the basis of the multi‐alignment of amino acid sequence, α‐l ‐fucosidases were classified into two families of glycoside hydrolases, GH‐29 and GH‐95. They are responsible for the removal of l ‐fucosyl residues from the non‐reducing end of glycoconjugates. Deficiency of α‐l ‐fucosidase results in Fucosidosis due to the accumulation of fucose‐containing glycolipids, glycoproteins and oligosaccharides in various tissues. Recent studies discovered that the fucosylation levels are increased on the membrane surfaces of many carcinomas, indicating the biological function of α‐l ‐fucosidases may relate to this abnormal cell physiology. Although the gene of human α‐l ‐fucosidase (h‐fuc) was cloned, the recombinant enzyme has rarely been overexpressed as a soluble and active from. We report herein that, with carefully control on the growing condition, an active human α‐l ‐fucosidases (h‐Fuc) was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli for the first time. After a series steps of ion‐exchange and gel‐filtration chromatographic purification, the recombinant h‐Fuc with 95% homogeneity was obtained. The molecular weight of the enzyme was analyzed by SDS‐PAGE (～50 kDa) and confirmed by ESI mass (50895 Da). The recombinant h‐Fuc was stable up to 55 °C with incubation at pH 6.8 for 2 h; the optimum temperature for h‐Fuc is approximately 55 °C. The enzyme was stable at pH 2.5–7.0 for 2 h; the enzyme activity decreased greatly for pH greater than 8.0 or less than 2.0. The K_m and k_cat values of the recombinant h‐Fuc (at pH 6.8) were determined to be 0.28 mM and 17.1 s^?1, respectively. The study of pH‐dependent activity showed that the recombinant enzyme exhibited optimum activity at two regions near at pH 4.5 and pH 6.5. These features of the recombinant h‐Fuc are comparable to the native enzyme purified directly from human liver. Studies on the transfucosylation and common intermediate of the enzymatic reaction by NMR support that h‐Fuc functions as a retaining enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of substrate via a two‐step, double displacement mechanism.