Alpha-phosphono lactone analogues of farnesyl pyrophosphate: an asymmetric synthesis via ring-closing metathesis

An alpha-phosphono lactone derivative of farnesol has been prepared, in both racemic and nonracemic forms, to provide a new type of farnesyl pyrophosphate analogue. Attempted preparation of the racemic alpha-phosphono lactone through rearrangement of a vinyl phosphate derived from the parent lactone resulted in both rearrangement and lactone ring opening, revealing that the farnesyl lactone was not stable to the excess of strong base required for the rearrangement. A procedure for C-P bond formation based on generation of the lactone enolate, reaction with a P(III) reagent, and oxidation was successful in providing the racemic alpha-phosphono lactone, in part, because only 1 equiv of strong base was required. The same strategy for phosphonate synthesis then was applied to the nonracemic farnesyl lactone, prepared through a sequence including allylation of farnesal with a nonracemic borane reagent, reaction of the product alcohol with acryloyl chloride, and formation of an unsaturated lactone through ring-closing metathesis. A similar strategy gave the corresponding racemic alpha-phosphono lactam through a six-step sequence from farnesal.     

Synthesis of N -Alkyl α-Phosphonolactams Via Enolate Chemistry

Phosphonate derivatives of a series of N-farnesyl lactams have been prepared through reaction of the enolate with diethylchlorophosphite and oxidation of the P(III) intermediate.     

Stereodivergent synthesis of enantiopure cis- and trans-3-Ethyl-4-piperidineacetates

[reaction: see text] Starting from a common chiral bicyclic lactam 11, enantiopure trans- or cis-3-ethyl-4-piperidineacetate derivatives are obtained by conjugate addition of an enolate or a cuprate to the unsaturated lactams 12 or 18, respectively.     

Catalytic Ring Expansion of Cyclic Hemiaminals for the Synthesis of Medium‐Ring Lactams

A mild and efficient intermolecular ring‐expansion approach was developed for the synthesis of medium‐ring lactams by using siloxy alkynes. Key to success is the suitable combination of a superior catalyst and an exceptional nitrogen‐protecting group. Control experiments indicated that the reaction is remarkably selective toward the desired lactam formation, even with many possible non‐productive pathways.     

Atropisomeric lactam chemistry: catalytic enantioselective synthesis, application to asymmetric enolate chemistry and synthesis of key intermediates for NET inhibitors

In the presence of (R)-SEGPHOS-Pd(OAc)₂ catalyst, the intramolecular N-arylation of ortho-tert-butyl-NH-anilides possessing an iodophenyl group proceeded in a highly enantioselective manner (89-98% ee) to give optically active atropisomeric lactams having an N-C chiral axis. MPLC purification of the enantio-enriched lactam products using an achiral silica gel column led to a further increase in the enantiomeric purity (>99% ee). The reaction of the lithium enolate prepared from the optically active atropisomeric lactam with various alkyl halides gave α-substituted and α,α-disubstituted lactam products with high diastereoselectivity. α-Alkylated lactam derivatives were efficiently converted to key intermediates for the synthesis of an NET inhibitor.     

An efficient synthesis of highly functionalized chiral lactams

A new method was developed to synthesize highly functionalized lactams via a one pot reductive amination/lactam formation reaction. This methodology is amenable for parallel synthesis and was used to prepare a large number of lactam analogs in a library format with good ee (de) retention.     

Carbopalladation of allenic hydrocarbons. : A new way to functionalized styrenes and 1,3-butadienes.

The palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of allenes, vinyl or aryl halides and stabilized carbanions is described : π-allyl palladium complexes are formed by addition of a vinyl or an aryl-palladium complex to an allenic hydrocarbon and trapped by the sodium enolate of diethyl malonate giving rise with good yields to β-butadienyl or β-styryl malonates. With monoalkyi allenes, the reaction is regiospecific with attack of the nucleophile on the unsubstituted carbon of the Intermediate π-allyl complex and in many cases highly stereoselective with the predominant formation of the E configuration for the trisubstituted double bond of the diene. This configuration was demonstrated by ¹H NMR using NOE difference spectroscopy.     

Enantioselective synthesis of 3,3-disubstituted piperidine derivatives by enolate dialkylation of phenylglycinol-derived oxazolopiperidone lactams

The stereochemical outcome of the enolate dialkylation of simple phenylglycinol-derived oxazolopiperidone lactams is studied. High stereoselectivities in the generation of the quaternary stereocenter are obtained by the appropriate choice of both the configuration of the starting lactam and the order of introduction of the substituents. The usefulness of the methodology is illustrated by the conversion of some of the dialkylated lactams into known synthetic precursors of alkaloids and by the total synthesis of (-)-quebrachamine.     

O-(α-Phenylethyl)hydroxylamine as a ‘chiral ammonia equivalent’: synthesis and resolution of 5-oxopyrrolidine- and 6-oxopiperidine-3-carboxylic acids

An approach to the synthesis and resolution of five- and six-membered lactams (i.e., 5-oxopyrrolidine- and 6-oxopiperidine-3-carboxylic acids) is described. The method relies on the one-pot Michael reaction—cyclization of itaconic acid or diethyl homoitaconate and enantiopure O-(α-phenylethyl)hydroxylamine as a ‘chiral ammonia equivalent’. It is shown that this chiral auxiliary can be used for the separation of diastereomeric lactam products and then easily removed by catalytic hydrogenolysis.     

Electrophilic fluorination of pyroglutamic acid derivatives: application of substrate-dependent reactivity and diastereoselectivity to the synthesis of optically active 4-fluoroglutamic acids.

Electrophilic fluorination of enantiomerically pure 2-pyrrolidinones (4) derived from (L)-glutamic acid has been investigated as a method for the synthesis of single stereoisomers of 4-fluorinated glutamic acids. Reaction of the lactam enolate derived from 9 with NFSi results in a completely diastereoselective monofluorination reaction to yield the monocyclic trans-substituted alpha-fluoro lactam product 21. Unfortunately, a decreased kinetic acidity in 21 and other structurally related monofluorinated products renders them resistant to a second fluorination. In contrast, the bicyclic lactam 12 is readily difluorinated under the standard conditions described to yield the alpha,alpha-difluoro lactam 24. The difference in reactivity between the two types of related lactams is attributed mainly to the presence or lack of a steric interaction between the base used for deprotonation and the protecting group present in the pyrrolidinone substrates. This conclusion was reached based on analysis of the X-ray crystal structure of 21, molecular modeling, and experimental evidence. The key intermediates 21 and 24 are converted to (2S,4R)-4-fluoroglutamic acid and (2S)-4,4-difluoroglutamic acid, respectively.     

Studies on a total synthesis of the microbial immunosuppresive agent FR901483

A strategy is outlined for construction of the fungal immunosuppressant FR901483 (1). It was possible to convert 1,4-cyclohexanedione monoethylene ketal in five simple steps to iodoacetamide ketone 10, which was cyclized in good yield to the key bridged keto lactam 11 containing the A/B 2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane ring system of the natural product. This intermediate could be transformed to N-Boc lactam 16, whose derived enolate underwent stereoselective hydroxylation with the Davis oxaziridine to produce alcohol 17 having the desired C-2 configuration. Compound 17 was then converted in three steps to alkoxy carbamate 20. The N-acyliminium ion derived from intermediate 20 could be alkylated in good overall yield with p-methoxybenzylmagnesium chloride to afford a 5:4 mixture of the desired PMB product 21 and the epimer 23. In an attempt to improve the stereoselectivity in this alkylation, the inverted C-4 protected alcohol N-Boc lactam 33 was prepared and its enolate was hydroxylated. Inexplicably, the product of this reaction was the undesired equatorial alcohol 34. Some model systems were investigated toward annulation of the C-ring of the natural product. It was found that homoallylic amine 40 could be cyclized with PhSCl in the presence of silica gel to generate the desired 5-endo tetracyclic product 42 in moderate yield. This cyclization protocol was also successfully applied to the actual FR901483 system 22, leading to the requisite tricycle 43.     

Cyclic sulfamidates as versatile lactam precursors. An evaluation of synthetic strategies towards (-)-aphanorphine

A full account of studies which led to the efficient asymmetric synthesis of (-)-aphanorphine is reported. Two routes to the key cyclic sulfamidate intermediate are described, the first was based on a chiral auxiliary approach and the second utilised asymmetric hydrogenation methodology. A range of C(3)-substituted lactams (, and ) were synthesised and evaluated as precursors for Pd(0) catalysed entries (based on (i) alpha-arylation of a lactam enolate and (ii) reductive Heck reaction) to the 3-benzazepine core of . These approaches were less effective than an aryl radical cyclisation which allowed the completion of a synthesis of in 12 steps from anisaldehyde.     

Synthesis of strained cyclic peptides via an aza-Michael-acyl-transfer reaction cascade

A new method is presented to prepare strained lactams. Esterification of the C-terminus of a dipeptide with β-nitrostyrene or quinoline-type auxiliaries is followed by lactam formation by an intramolecular aza-Michael-acyl-transfer reaction cascade. Ultimately, the cyclic tetrapeptide cyclo[Phe-Tyr-Ala-Gly] has been prepared.     

Novel [1,2]- and [2,3]-Wittig rearrangements of alpha-benzyloxy beta-CF(3)-beta-lactam enolates

[reaction: see text] alpha-Benzyloxy alpha-CF(3)-beta-lactams are shown to offer the first examples of the enolate [1,2]- and enolate ortho-[2,3]-Wittig rearrangements which provide a unique entry to the alpha-benzyl-alpha-hydroxy lactams and the alpha-aryl-alpha-hydroxy lactams, respectively. Both products are potential precursors of new trifluoromethyl isoserines, and the latter is not accessible via the usual alkylation methodology.     

Synthesis of N-Fmoc-(2S,3S,4R)-3,4-dimethylglutamine: An application of lanthanide-catalyzed transamidation

N-Fmoc-(2S,3S,4R)-3,4-dimethylglutamine (6) was synthesized from tert-butyl N-Boc-(2S,3S,4R)-dimethylpyroglutamate (13). This synthesis involved selective deprotection of a Boc group from a lactam nitrogen in the presence of a tert-butyl ester, Fmoc protection of the lactam, and a lanthanide-catalyzed transamidation reaction of the Fmoc-protected lactam, using ammonia and dimethylaluminum chloride. The scope of Lewis acid-catalyzed transamidation of acylated lactams was explored through the variation of lanthanide, lactam, acyl group, amine, and aluminum reagent. The reactivity of various metal triflates was found to vary in the following qualitative order: Yb approximately Sc > Er approximately Eu approximately Sm > Ce approximately Ag(I) > Cu(II) approximately Zn. Intriguingly, catalysis was only observed when ammonia was the nitrogen nucleophile; addition of other amidoaluminum complexes to acyl lactams was found to be insensitive to the addition of lanthanides.     

A general strategy for the synthesis of azapeptidomimetic lactams

A selection of azapeptidomimetics containing constraining lactam rings have been prepared by Mitsunobu cyclization of serine/homologated serine-azaalanine derivatives. These include sterically-congested β-lactams, as well as γ-butyrolactam and δ-valerolactam analogs. A novel azaamino acid acylation method was developed to prepare the sterically demanding α-benzyl-serine-azaalanine precursor. In all cases, the Mitsunobu conditions were highly efficient in forming the desired azapeptidomimetic lactams. The reported process represents a general strategy for the synthesis of peptidomimetic structures with a constraining lactam ring.     

Radical carbonylation of ω-alkynylamines leading to α-methylene lactams. Synthetic scope and the mechanistic insights

Tin hydride mediated radical carbonylation and cyclization reaction was investigated using a variety of ω-alkynyl amines as substrates. In this reaction α-methylene and α-stannylmethylene lactams having five to eight membered rings were obtained as principal products. In cases where the nitrogen has a substituent capable of giving stable radicals, such as an α-phenethyl group, the lactam ring formation again took place with extrusion of an α-phenethyl radical. Coupled with the subsequent protodestannylation procedure (TMSCl plus MeOH), these reactions provide a useful entry to α-methylene lactams with incorporation of CO as a lactam carbonyl group. In cases where the amines do not have a substituent acting as a radical leaving group, a reaction course involving a 1,4-H shift is chosen so as to liberate tin radicals ultimately. Thus the proposed mechanism involves (i) nucleophilic attack of amine nitrogen onto a carbonyl group of α,β-unsaturated acyl radicals/α-ketenyl radicals via lone pair-π* interaction, which leads to zwitterionic radical species, (ii) the subsequent proton shift from N to O to give hydroxyallyl radicals, (iii) 1,4-hydrogen shift from O to C, and (iv) β-scission to give lactams with liberation of tin radicals. DFT calculations reveal that the 1,4-hydrogen shifts, the key step of the reaction mechanism, can proceed under usual reaction conditions. On the other hand, an S(H)i type reaction to give lactams may be the result of the β-scission of the similar zwitterionic radical intermediates. DFT calculations also predict that an S(H)i type reaction would result when the intermediate has a good (radical) leaving group such as a phenethyl group.     

Catalytic enantioselective alkylative aldol reaction: efficient multicomponent assembly of dialkylzincs, allenic esters, and ketones toward highly functionalized delta-lactones with tetrasubstituted chiral centers

A general catalytic asymmetric alkylative aldol reaction is described as a new entry to the catalytic asymmetric multicomponent reaction (CAMCR). Highly functionalized delta-lactones were produced in the presence of a catalytic amount of the Cu(OAc)2-DIFLUORPHOS complex through three-component assembly of dialkylzincs, allenic esters, and unactivated ketones. This CAMCR constructs two C-C bonds and one tetrasubstituted chiral center simultaneously. Conjugate addition of alkylcopper species to an allenic ester produced highly active copper enolate in situ, and the successive asymmetric aldol addition to ketones followed by lactonization afforded the desired products. The addition of MS4A and Lewis base (Ph2S=O, DMSO, or HMPA) is important for obtaining a high yield, with suppression of the undesired alpha-addition pathway. Control/crossover experiments suggest that the addition of a Lewis base facilitated the retro-aldol reaction of the alpha-adducts (proofreading effect). The ketone and copper enolate generated through the retro-aldol reaction were converted to the desired lactone through the gamma-aldol pathway, which was trapped by irreversible lactone formation.     

Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Modular Synthesis of Cyclic Tertiary Amines from Lactams

Reported is the development of a novel catalytic cascade reaction facilitating the modular synthesis of cyclic tertiary amines from simple lactam substrates and secondary alcohols. Using a single molecular ruthenium‐triphos catalyst in the presence of molecular hydrogen enabled the versatile formation of various amines in high yield with excellent selectivity. Extending the reaction system to using an alcohol as the hydrogen transfer reagent allowed the reduction of lactams without the need for molecular hydrogen.     

Carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions of α-thioaryl carbonyl compounds for the synthesis of complex heterocyclic molecules

Strategies for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds from the α-thioaryl carbonyl products of substituted lactams are described. Although direct functionalization is possible, a two step process of oxidation and magnesium-sulfoxide exchange has proven optimal. The oxidation step results in the formation of two diastereomers that exhibit markedly different levels of stability toward elimination, which is rationalized on the basis of quantum mechanical calculations and X-ray crystallography. Treatment of the sulfoxide with i-PrMgCl results in the formation of a magnesium enolate that will undergo an intramolecular Michael addition reaction to form two new stereogenic centers. The relationship between the substitution patterns of the sulfoxide substrate and the efficiency of the magnesium exchange reaction are also described.