Highly efficient synthesis of chiral beta-amino acid derivatives via asymmetric hydrogenation

The Rh-TangPhos complex is an efficient hydrogenation catalyst for making chiral beta-amino acid derivatives. With the Rh-TangPhos system, high enantioselectivities (up to 99.6%) and turnover numbers have been obtained in the hydrogenation of E/Z isomeric mixtures of both beta-alkyl and beta-aryl beta-(acylamino)acrylates. [reaction: see text]     

Radical addition to oxime ethers for asymmetric synthesis of beta-amino acid derivatives

The diastereoselective alkyl radical addition to chiral oxime ethers was studied with a view to preparing enantiomerically pure alpha,beta-dialkyl-beta-amino acid derivatives. The phase transfer-catalyzed alkylation of Oppolzer's camphorsultam derivative of oxime ether proceeded smoothly to give the alkylated N-(beta-oximino)acyl derivatives. In the presence of BF3.OEt2, radical addition to the oxime ethers proceeded using triethylborane as the radical initiator to give alpha,beta-dialkyl-beta-amino acid derivatives with excellent diastereoselectivity.     

A catalytic asymmetric method for the synthesis of gamma-unsaturated beta-amino acid derivatives

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of beta-amino acid derivatives is an area of intense interest, due to the importance of these compounds as components in pharmaceutical agents and peptidomimetics. In this report, we present the first catalytic enantioselective method for the synthesis of gamma-unsaturated beta-amino acids and their corresponding 1,3-amino alcohol derivatives. This methodology takes advantage of a highly enantioselective vinylzinc addition to an aldehyde to set chirality. The resulting allylic alcohols are then transformed into the corresponding allylic amines via Overman's [3,3]-sigmatropic imidate rearrangement, and subsequent one-pot deprotection-oxidation of a pendant oxygen leads to the gamma-unsaturated beta-amino acid derivatives of high enantiopurity.     

Highly efficient synthesis of beta-amino acid derivatives via asymmetric hydrogenation of unprotected enamines

A direct asymmetric hydrogenation of unprotected enamino esters and amides is described. Catalyzed by Rh complexes with Josiphos-type chiral ligands, this method gives beta-amino esters and amides in high yield and high ee (93-97% ee). No acyl protection/deprotection is required.     

Recent developments in the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of alpha- and beta-amino acids

The stereoselective synthesis of amino acids is of great importance for the construction of optically active natural products and pharmaceuticals. Apart from enzymes, a broad repertoire of chiral reagents, auxiliaries, and catalysts can be used for the formation of amino acids. Asymmetric reactions using catalytic amounts of chiral molecules provide efficient methods for the generation of optically active proteinogenic and nonproteinogenic amino acids. This minireview collects recent work on catalytic asymmetric synthesis of alpha- and beta-amino acids.     

Cyclic beta-amino acid derivatives: synthesis via lithium amide promoted tandem asymmetric conjugate addition-cyclisation reactions

The product distribution upon conjugate addition of homochiral lithium N-benzyl-N-alpha-methylbenzylamide to dimethyl-(E,E)-nona-2,7-dienedioate can be controlled to give either the cyclic 1,2-anti-1,6-anti-beta-amino ester (derived from conjugate addition and intramolecular enolate cyclisation) or the acyclic bis-beta-amino ester derivative (derived from double conjugate addition) in high de. The introduction of a protected nitrogen functionality into the diester skeleton facilitates, after conjugate addition and intramolecular enolate cyclisation, the asymmetric construction of piperidines in high de; variation in the N-protecting group indicates that the highest stereoselectivity is observed with alpha-branched N-substituents. Tandem conjugate addition-aldol reactions can also be achieved stereoselectively, with lithium amide conjugate addition to epsilon- and zeta-oxo-alpha,beta-unsaturated esters giving the corresponding five and six membered cyclic beta-amino esters in high de. N-deprotection by hydrogenolysis of the products arising from these reactions furnishes a range of polyfunctionalised transpentacin and transhexacin derivatives in high de and ee.     

Efficient rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation for the synthesis of a new class of N-aryl beta-amino acid derivatives

[reaction: see text] N-Aryl beta-amino esters were obtained by asymmetric hydrogenation of a new class of N-aryl beta-enamino esters. High conversions and up to 96.3% ee values were achieved with a Rh-TangPhos catalyst.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of allylic thiol derivatives

The palladium(II) complex [(Rp,S)-COP-Cl]2 and its enantiomer catalyze the rearrangement of linear prochiral O-allyl carbamothioates under mild conditions to provide branched S-allyl carbamothioates in high yield and high enantiomeric purity.     

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of mycocerosic acid

The first catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of mycocerosic acid was achieved via the application of iterative enantioselective 1,4-addition reactions and allows for the efficient construction of 1,3-polymethyl arrays with full stereocontrol; further exemplified by the synthesis of tetramethyl-decanoic acid, a component of the preen-gland wax of the graylag goose, Anser anser.     

A highly enantioselective route to either enantiomer of both alpha- and beta-amino acid derivatives

This report describes the unprecedented use of unmodified aldehydes as donors in a catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reaction. The proline-catalyzed reaction of N-PMP-protected alpha-imino ethyl glyoxylate with unmodified aliphatic aldehydes provided a general and very mild entry to either enantiomer of beta-amino and alpha-amino acids and derivatives in high yield and stereoselectivity. Six of the seven aldehydes studied yielded products with ee values of 99% or greater. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction increased with the bulkiness of the substituents of the aldehyde donor in the order R = Me < Et < i-Pr < n-Pent. In five of the cases studied, excellent syn stereoselectivities were achieved. In addition, the corresponding chiral beta-amino aldehyde adducts can be readily converted to the corresponding amino acid derivatives. Most significantly, this approach provides facile access to substituted beta-lactams.     

Asymmetric synthesis of fluorinated cyclic beta-amino acid derivatives through cross metathesis

The asymmetric synthesis of several fluorinated cis-2-aminocycloalkane carboxylic acids (cis-2-ACACs) with a cross metathesis (CM) reaction as the key step has been carried out, constituting the first time a metathesis protocol has been undertaken with fluorinated imidoyl chlorides. Subsequent chemoselective hydrogenation of the olefin moiety, Dieckmann condensation, and stereoselective reduction of the iminic double bond afforded the corresponding beta-amino esters with several ring sizes. The asymmetric version of the process was achieved by using (-)-8-phenylmenthol as a chiral auxiliary.     

Catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of aromatic amines to fumarate derivatives: asymmetric synthesis of aspartic acid derivatives

The catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of aromatic amines to fumarate derivatives promoted by chiral palladium complexes is described. Treatment of aniline derivatives with fumaryl pyrrolidinone as Michael acceptor under mild reaction conditions afforded the corresponding chiral aspartic acid derivatives with excellent enantiomeric excesses (83–96% ee).     

Stereoselective synthesis of quaternary center bearing azetines and their beta-amino acid derivatives

We describe here the use of a stable, four-membered azetine heterocycle for the preparation of highly substituted beta-amino acid derivatives. Imidazolidinone chiral auxiliaries were found to eliminate a competitive reaction pathway that had been present under previously reported conditions for azetine synthesis. The ephedrine derived imidazolidin-2-one 21 was allowed to react as its chlorotitanium enolate with O-methyl or -benzyl oximes under optimized conditions to gain improved access to azetines at the gram scale. The azetines were further found to undergo alkylation with complete diastereocontrol, affording the creation of a quaternary center. Subsequent ring opening with benzoyl chloride and auxiliary cleavage provided the corresponding beta2,2,3-amino carbonyl derivatives in good yields.     

Modular asymmetric synthesis of P-chirogenic beta-amino phosphine boranes

A short concise route to beta-aminophosphine boranes is presented via the desymmetrization of prochiral phosphine boranes, forming P-chirogenic aldehydes that are rapidly transformed to the target compounds employing reductive amination under microwave irradiation. This sequence provides a modular route to P-chirogenic P,N ligands, and in addition, the intermediate aldehydes are versatile P-chiral building blocks for ligand design in general. An alternative pathway via the corresponding alpha-carboxyphosphines is also described. The ligands were subsequently evalutated in the asymmetric conjugate addition of diethylzinc to trans-beta-nitrostyrene.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of fluorinated,seven-membered beta-amino acid derivatives via ring-closing metathesis

[reaction: see text] Cis and trans seven-membered gamma,gamma-difluorinated beta-amino acid derivatives (III) have been prepared with a sequence that starts with imidoyl halides (I), which are condensed with suitable ester enolates to give intermediates (II). These, in turn, can be cyclized by means of a ring-closing olefin metathesis reaction and the product stereoselectively reduced to yield compounds (III) in good overall yields.     

A concise,asymmetric synthesis of tetramic acid derivatives

[reaction: see text] A simple, asymmetric synthesis of tetramic acid derivatives is described in this paper. The key step is a carbonyl transfer from carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) to alpha-diimines (I) to form N-alkyl-4-alkylamino-5-methylenepyrrol-2-ones (II). In turn, these compounds can be easily transformed into tetramic acid derivatives (III) in two additional steps.     

Direct access to enantiomerically enriched alpha-amino phosphonic acid derivatives by organocatalytic asymmetric hydrophosphonylation of imines

A simple and efficient organocatalytic enantioselective hydrophosphonylation of imines to enantiomerically enriched alpha-amino phosphonates is reported. By using 10 mol % of quinine as the catalyst in the enantioselective addition of diethyl phosphite to N-Boc protected imines, alpha-amino phosphonates are obtained in moderate to good yields and with up to 94% ee.