Regiospecific synthesis of α-arylsulfonoxy ketones from ketone derivatives

Isomeric enol ester, enamine, and silyl enol ether derivatives of unsymmetrical ketones are converted regiospecifically to α-arylsulfonoxy ketones with arylsulfonyl peroxides.     

Stereoselective synthesis of α,α-difluoro-β,γ-alkenyl ketones by free-radical reaction of iododifluoromethyl ketones with alkynes

A method for stereoselective synthesis of α,α-difluoro-γ-iodo-β,γ-alkenyl ketones via radical difluoroacetylation of iododifluoromethyl ketones with terminal and internal alkynes was reported. This methodology provides a straightforward access to 3,3-disubstitued allylic difluorides.     

Stereoselective reduction of N-phthaloyl α-amino ketones: an expeditious synthesis of statine

A highly diastereoselective synthesis of a protected statine derivative via syn-selective LiAlH(OBu-t)₃ reduction of a leucine derived N-phthaloyl α-amino ketone is described.     

Stereoselective synthesis of α-C-glycosides of N-acetylgalactosamine

Attempts to synthesise α-C-glycosides of N-acetylgalactosamine by selective deprotection at C-2′ of allyl α-C-galactoside 1 and subsequent amination failed, but opened the way to α-C-talopyranosides. The synthesis of α-C-glycosides of N-acetylgalactosamine was performed from allyl α-C-glucopyranoside 9, which was regioselectively deprotected, stereoselectively aminated at C-2′, and finally epimerised at C-4′.     

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of α-ketothioamides from ketones

In this paper, the conversion of acetophenone to α-ketothioamide was reported in the presence of CuI as the catalyst and S₈/DMF as the coupling partners. The presence of both KF and NaOH was found to be necessary to achieve the high yield of the product. Propiophenone and butyrophenone also reacted in the presence of phenylboronic acid as an additive. Willgerodt-Kindler products were not observed in these reactions.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 3,4,5,6-tetrahydroxycyclohexyl β-amino acid derivatives

Stereoselective syntheses of racemic (1S,2R,3R,4R,5S,6R)- and (1S,2R,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5,6-tetrahydroxy derivatives of 2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid have been achieved by a stereospecific Diels-Alder reaction between furan and maleic anhydride, a Curtius rearrangement and hydroxylation reactions.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of α-hydroxy aromatic ketones from α-bromo aromatic ketones in water

A reaction ofα-bromo aromatic ketones in water with microwave irradiation gave the correspondingα-hydroxy aromatic ketones in good yields.The use of microwaves was found to significantly improve yields and shorten the reaction time.This reaction afforded a very clean,convenient method for the synthesis ofα-hydroxy aromatic ketones.     

Asymmetric synthesis of α-chiral ketones by the reduction of enones with baker's yeast

Baker's yeast-mediated asymmetric reduction of α,β-unsaturated ketones (enones) having a pyridyl ring affords the corresponding optically active α-substituted ketones (α-chiral ketones) with excellent stereoselectivity. The position of the heteroatom, as well as the bulk of the α-substituent, plays an important role in governing the stereoselectivity in the reduction of a carboncarbon double bond.     

Stereoselective synthesis of the dolastatin units by organotrifluoroborates additions to α-amino aldehydes

Dolastatin units were synthesized from the 1,2-addition reactions of potassium allyl or crotyltrifluoroborate salts to aldehyde derivatives from natural amino acids. The reactions were carried out in presence of a phase-transfer catalyst in a biphasic medium at room temperature and excellent yields (>89-93%) and stereoselective (>90:10 to 98:2) were obtained. The dolastatin units 8 and 14a-b were obtained after three steps in good overall yields (50-62%).     

Stereoselective alkylation of chiral glycine enolate synthons. The enantioselective synthesis of α-amino acid derivatives.

The highly stereoselective alkylation (% de=99.6 to 97.6) of a new chiral glycine enolate synthon derived from D-2-phenylglycinol is described. Deprotection of the alkylation adducts in a one-pot three-step procedure provides the ethyl ester hydrochloride salts of the corresponding α-amino acids with no attending racemization.     

One-pot asymmetric synthesis of α-trifluoromethylated amines from α-trifluoromethyl ketones

Diastereoselective reduction of (Rs)-N-tert-butanesulfinyl α-trifluoromethyl ketimines formed in situ from the corresponding α-trifluoromethyl ketones and N-tert-butanesulfinamide has been achieved, and either diastereomer of N-tert-butanesulfinyl α-trifluoromethyl amines was obtained in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1 dr) using NaBH₄ and L-Selectride as the reductants, respectively.     

Stereoselective synthesis of α- and β-glycofuranosyl amides by traceless ligation of glycofuranosyl azides

A highly stereoselective synthesis of α- or β-glycofuranosyl amides based on the traceless Staudinger ligation of glycofuranosyl azides of the galacto, ribo, and arabino series with 2-diphenylphosphanyl-phenyl esters has been developed. Both α- and β-isomers can be obtained with excellent selectivity from a common, easily available precursor. The process does not depend on the anomeric configuration of the starting azide but appears to be controlled by the C2 configuration and by the protection/deprotection state of the substrates. A mechanistic interpretation of the results, supported by (31)P NMR experiments, is offered and merged with our previous mechanistic analysis of pyranosyl azide ligation reactions.     

One-pot synthesis of α,β-epoxy ketones by palladium-catalyzed epoxidation-oxidation of terminal allylic alcohols

Described herein is a one-pot synthesis of α,β-epoxy ketones using a palladium-catalyzed epoxidation-oxidation sequence. Functionalized terminal allylic alcohols are treated with m-CPBA under mild reaction conditions to obtain the α,β-epoxy ketones. The main benefit of this approach is that the epoxidation of the terminal double bond and the oxidation of the secondary alcohol occured in the same reaction under mild reactions and both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing functionalities are tolerated in the reaction sequence.     

Versatile synthesis of α, β-acetylenic ketones by oxidative nucleophilic addition of vanadium acetylides

Treatment of aldehydes with vanadium acetylides generated from equimolar amounts of vanadium trichloride and acetylenic Grignard or lithium compounds gave α,β-acetylenic ketones via oxidative nucleophilic addition.     

Syntheses and transformations of α-azido ketones and related derivatives

Organic azides are known and utilized in the synthetic organic chemistry as amine precursors, potential sources of nitrenes, dipoles useful in 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions and starting materials of phosphoranes for a long time, and their literature has been overviewed by several authors. On the other hand, there are some special subclasses within the azides which possess peculiar and interesting properties differing from those of the majority and offering extra synthetic possibilities. In this critical review we wish to give an exhaustive overview on the synthesis and synthetic potential of α-azido ketones and related systems, an underestimated group of compounds. The enhanced acidity of the α-hydrogen offers various new synthetic applications including the creation of a new C-C bond, while the joint presence of the carbonyl and vinyl functions of α-azido-α,β-unsaturated ketones results in a special reactivity, too. Chemo- and stereoselectivity issues also represent important points which are discussed in detail. Finally, the usefulness of the titled derivatives in the synthesis of various heterocycles is reviewed (273 references).     

Synthesis of α,β-dibromo ketones by photolysis of α-bromo ketones with N-bromosuccinimide: Photoinduced β-bromination of α-bromo ketones

Irradiation of α-bromopropiophenones in the presence of NBS results in the formation of α,β-dibromopropiophenones, which can be viewed as β-bromination of α-bromopropiophenones. The reaction is believed to go through a series of reactions; photoinduced C–Br bond cleavage, elimination of HBr to give α,β-unsaturated ketone intermediates, and addition of Br₂, which are formed by the reaction between HBr and NBS. From mechanistic studies of the reaction, we have also found a very convenient method for α-debromination of the α,β-dibromopropiophenones which is by simple irradiation of the dibromo ketones in acetone or 2-propanol without the use of any additives. Our results demonstrate that bromine can be added into or eliminated from the alpha, beta, or both positions to the carbonyl group by photochemical methods, which make synthetic options of bromine containing carbonyl compounds versatile.     

Inhibition of dextransucrase by α-D-Glucose derivatives

alpha-D-Glucopyranosyl fluoride was modified at positions 2, 3, or 5 and these analogs were tested as substrates and inhibitors of dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512F. The analogs studied were 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride, 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride, 3-deoxy-3-thio-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride, and 5-thio-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride. Kinetic constants for alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride were also determined. None of the alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluorides were accepted as substrates for dextransucrase. 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride, 3-deoxy-3-fgluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride, and 3-deoxy-3-thio-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride were competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 63, 93, and 53 mM, respectively. The Km for alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride was found to be 26 mM. The data indicate that the hydroxyl groups at C2 and C3 are important for proper binding of alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride for the active site of dextransucrase and that the C3-hydroxyl probably acts as a hydrogen-bond donor.     

Stereocontrolled synthesis of α-amino-α'-alkoxy ketones by a copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of peptidic thiol esters and α-alkoxyalkylstannanes

A stereocontrolled synthesis of α-amino-α'-alkoxy ketones is described. This pH-neutral copper(I) thiophene-2-carboxylate (CuTC)-catalyzed cross-coupling of amino acid thiol esters and chiral nonracemic α-alkoxyalkylstannanes gives α-amino-α'-alkoxy ketones in good to excellent yields with complete retention of configuration at the α-amino- and α-alkoxy-substituted stereocenters.