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.     

Stereoselective Access to Fluorinated and Non‐fluorinated Quaternary Piperidines: Synthesis of Pipecolic Acid and Iminosugar Derivatives

The preparation of optically pure quaternary piperidines, both fluorinated and non‐fluorinated, has been achieved from a chiral imino lactone derived from (R)‐phenylglycinol. In the case of the fluorinated derivatives, the addition of (trifluoromethyl)trimethylsilane (TMSCF₃) followed by iodoamination and migration of the CF₃ group allowed access to four derivatives of α‐(trifluoromethyl)pipecolic acid. A theoretical study of the CF₃‐group rearrangement has been carried out to help establish the reaction mechanism of this uncommon transformation. Moreover, a route to trifluoromethyl‐substituted iminosugars was also developed through the diastereoselective dihydroxylation of suitable synthetic intermediates. Conversely, alkylation of the starting substrate and subsequent cross‐metathesis and aza‐Michael reactions led to α‐alkyl derivatives of the target compounds.     

Sulfonamide‐Promoted Palladium(II)‐Catalyzed Alkylation of Unactivated Methylene C(sp3)H Bonds with Alkyl Iodides

The alkylation of unactivated β‐methylene C(sp³)? H bonds of α‐amino acid substrates with a broad range of alkyl iodides using Pd(OAc)₂ as the catalyst is described. The addition of NaOCN and 4‐Cl‐C₆H₄SO₂NH₂ was found to be crucial for the success of this transformation. The reaction is compatible with a diverse array of functional groups and proceeds with high diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, various β,β‐hetero‐dialkyl‐ and β‐alkyl‐β‐aryl‐α‐amino acids were prepared by sequential C(sp³)? H functionalization of an alanine‐derived substrate, thus providing a versatile strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of unnatural β‐disubstituted α‐amino acids.     

Tyrosine‐Based Ionic Liquid Crystals: Switching from a Smectic A to a Columnar Mesophase by Exchange of the Spherical Counterion

Synthetic strategies were developed to prepare l ‐tyrosine‐based ionic liquid crystals with structural variations at the carboxylic and phenolic OH groups as well as the amino functionality. Salt metathesis additionally led to counterion variation. The liquid‐crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and X‐ray diffraction (WAXS, SAXS). The symmetrical ILC chlorides bearing the same alkyl chain at both the ester and ether but either an acyclic or cyclic guanidinium group displayed enantiotropic SmA₂ mesophases with phase widths of 31–88 K irrespective of the head group. It was particularly the replacement of chloride in the acyclic guanidinium ILC by hexafluorophosphate that induced a phase change from SmA₂ to Col_r. This phase change was attributed to a higher curvature of the interface due to the larger anion, which increased the effective head group cross‐sectional area of the amphiphilic ILC. The unsymmetrical acyclic guanidinium chlorides, bearing a constant C₁₄ ester and variable alkyl chains on the phenolic position, formed enantiotropic SmA₂ phases. The derivative with the largest difference in chain lengths, however, displayed a Col_r phase, resulting from discoid aggregates of the cone‐shaped guanidinium chloride. The results are discussed in terms of the packing parameters, which indicate that the phase behaviour of the thermotropic tyrosine‐based ILCs shows analogies to those of lyotropic liquid crystals.     

Effect of alkyl chain length in the terminal ester group on mesomorphic properties of new chiral lactic acid derivatives

Two series of new liquid crystalline lactic acid derivatives with a terminal ester group have been synthesised. The effect of this ester unit and the length of its alkyl chain on the mesomorphic and dielectric properties of the compounds exhibiting a broad temperature range of chiral smectic phases have been studied. We found that the mesomorphic behaviour and phase transition temperatures are strongly affected by the molecular architecture. Depending on the alkyl chain length in the terminal ester unit, the studied materials exhibited paraelectric smectic A*, ferroelectric tilted smectic C* and antiferroelectric smectic C_A* phases over a broad temperature range. The physical properties of the compounds have been studied by optical polarising microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, electro-optic measurements, small-angle X-ray scattering and dielectric spectroscopy. Furthermore, the homologues with short terminal alkyl chains showed a very small layer shrinkage at the transition from the orthogonal SmA* to the tilted SmC* phase, which is a characteristic feature of ‘de Vries-type’ behaviour.     

Phase‐Transfer‐Catalyzed Asymmetric SNAr Reaction of α‐Amino Acid Derivatives with Arene Chromium Complexes

Although phase‐transfer‐catalyzed asymmetric S_NAr reactions provide unique contribution to the catalytic asymmetric α‐arylations of carbonyl compounds to produce biologically active α‐aryl carbonyl compounds, the electrophiles were limited to arenes bearing strong electron‐withdrawing groups, such as a nitro group. To overcome this limitation, we examined the asymmetric S_NAr reactions of α‐amino acid derivatives with arene chromium complexes derived from fluoroarenes, including those containing electron‐donating substituents. The arylation was efficiently promoted by binaphthyl‐modified chiral phase‐transfer catalysts to give the corresponding α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acids containing various aromatic substituents with high enantioselectivities.     

Synthesis and characterization of nonconventional surfactants of aromatic amino acid-glycerol ethers: effect of the amino acid moiety on the orientation and surface properties of these soap-type amphiphiles

The synthesis, characterization, and surface properties of soap-type amphiphiles comprising alkyl chains of 10-16 carbon atoms linked through an ether group to a glycerol-amino acid hydrophilic head group is described. The surface properties of members of this series derived from histidine and tyrosine were compared with those of phenylalanine and tryptophan derivatives described previously and with those of conventional soaps. In all cases, the amino acid derivatives showed superior surface properties, and an interesting differentiation was discovered regarding the orientation of tryptophan derivatives.     

Thermotropic Liquid Crystals from Planar Chiral Compounds: [2.2]Paracyclophane as a Mesogen Core

New thermotropic mesomorphic compounds containing a [2.2]paracyclophane (PC) unit were synthesized and investigated (Scheme). Carboxylic acids were selected as the starting PC building blocks. The influence of structural features on the stability of the mesomorphic phases was studied (Figs. 1 and 2): for this purpose, the structures of the PC‐carboxylate unit and the organic fragment of the aryl‐ester moiety were varied systematically. Esters derived from PC‐monocarboxylic acid did not exhibit liquid‐crystalline (LC) properties, while diaryl PC‐dicarboxylates favored mesomorphism. Dicarboxylate substituents arranged in the para‐position provided LC phases in a broad temperature range and considerably increased the mesomorphic interval in comparison with that of the structurally related pseudo‐para PC derivatives.     

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.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of N,Cα,Cα‐Trisubstituted α‐Amino Acid Derivatives Using 1H‐Imidazol‐4(5H)‐ones as Key Templates

1H‐Imidazol‐4(5H)‐ones are introduced as novel nucleophilic α‐amino acid equivalents in asymmetric synthesis. These compounds not only allow highly efficient construction of tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers, but unlike hitherto known templates, provide direct access to N‐substituted (alkyl, allyl, aryl) α‐amino acid derivatives.     

Synthesis and characterization of new mesogenic esters derived from 1,2,4-oxadiazole and study the effect of alkoxy chain length in their liquid crystalline properties

In this study, a new series of non-symmetrically 3,5-disubstituted of 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives, 4-[5-(4-methylphenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl]-phenyl-4-alkoxybenzoate (G₁–G₁₁), which containing ether and ester linkages in the same molecule, is synthesized using different synthetic procedures and their structures are confirmed by several spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance). The mesomorphic properties of these compounds are studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM); all these derivatives exhibited as mesogens and displayed an enantiotropic liquid crystal with nematic texture, the nematogenic phase of these materials was appeared in wide temperature ranges on heating and cooling cycles that were observed by POM and DSC. The influence of 1,2,4-oxadiazole ring and the elongation of alkyl chain in the mesomorphic properties of this series were investigated. The mesogenic behaviour of this series was compared with the compounds possessing a somewhat similar structure.     

Enantioselective Recognition of Calix[4]arene Derivative Bearing Bicyclic Guanidinium for D/L Amino Acid Zwitterions

The p‐tetra‐tert‐butyl calix[4] arene derivatives (3 and 4) with (5,5) chiral bicyclic guanidinium, as the receptors of amino acid zwitterions, have been synthesized via a O‐alkylation reaction of p‐tetra‐tert‐butyl calix [4] arene with cbJoromethyl chiral bicyclic guanidinium 2 in the presence of anhydrous K₂CO₃ in acetonitrile. The results obtained from liquid‐liquid competitive extraction experiments indicate that the two receptors may selectively recognize L‐aromatic amino acids, and that the enantioselective recognizability of the receptor 4 with two chiral bicyclic guanidinium units reachs up to about 90% for L‐Phe.     

C‐Selective and Diastereoselective Alkyl Addition to β,γ‐Alkynyl‐α‐imino Esters with Zinc(II)ate Complexes

Since umpolung α‐imino esters contain three electrophilic centers, regioselective alkyl addition with traditional organometallic reagents has been a serious problem in the practical synthesis of versatile chiral α‐amino acid derivatives. An unusual C‐alkyl addition to α‐imino esters using a Grignard reagent (RMgX)‐derived zinc(II)ate was developed. Zinc(II)ate complexes consist of a Lewis acidic [MgX]⁺ moiety, a nucleophilic [R₃Zn]^? moiety, and 2 [MgX₂]. Therefore, the ionically separated [R₃Zn]^? selectively attacks the imino carbon atom ,which is most strongly activated by chelation of [MgX]⁺. In particular, chiral β,γ‐alkynyl‐α‐imino esters can strongly promote highly regio‐ and diastereoselective C‐alkylation because of structural considerations, and the corresponding optically active α‐quaternary amino acid derivatives are obtained within 5 minutes in high to excellent yields.     

Organocatalysts Derived from Unnatural α‐Amino Acids: Scope and Applications

The organocatalytic properties of unnatural α‐amino acids are reviewed. Post‐translational derivatives of natural α‐amino acids include 4‐hydroxy‐l ‐proline and 4‐amino‐l ‐proline scaffolds, and also proline homologues. The activity of synthetic unnatural α‐amino acid‐based organocatalysts, such as β‐alkyl alanines, alanine‐based phosphines, and tert‐leucine derivatives, are reviewed herein. The organocatalytic properties of unnatural monocyclic, bicyclic, and tricyclic proline derivatives are also reviewed. Several families of these organocatalysts permit the efficient and stereoselective synthesis of complex natural products. Most of the reviewed organocatalysts accelerate the reported reactions through covalent interactions that raise the HOMO (enamine intermediates) or lower the LUMO (iminium intermediates).     

Amino Acid Ionic Liquids as Chiral Ligands in Ligand‐Exchange Chiral Separations

Recently, amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) have attracted much research interest. In this paper, we present the first application of AAILs in chiral separation based on the chiral ligand exchange principle. By using 1‐alkyl‐3‐methylimidazolium L ‐proline (L ‐Pro) as a chiral ligand coordinated with copper(II), four pairs of underivatized amino acid enantiomers—dl ‐phenylalanine (dl ‐Phe), dl ‐histidine (dl ‐His), dl ‐tryptophane (dl ‐Trp), and dl ‐tyrosine (dl ‐Tyr)—were successfully separated in two major chiral separation techniques, HPLC and capillary electrophoresis (CE), with higher enantioselectivity than conventionally used amino acid ligands (resolution (R_s)=3.26–10.81 for HPLC; R_s=1.34–4.27 for CE). Interestingly, increasing the alkyl chain length of the AAIL cation remarkably enhanced the enantioselectivity. It was inferred that the alkylmethylimidazolium cations and L ‐Pro form ion pairs on the surface of the stationary phase or on the inner surface of the capillary. The ternary copper complexes with L ‐Pro are consequently attached to the support surface, thus inducing an ion‐exchange type of retention for the dl ‐enantiomers. Therefore, the AAIL cation plays an essential role in the separation. This work demonstrates that AAILs are good alternatives to conventional amino acid ligands for ligand‐exchange‐based chiral separation. It also reveals the tremendous application potential of this new type of task‐specific ILs.     

Nucleophilic cosubstitution of poly(dichlorophosphazene) with alkyl ether and amino acid ester

The nucleophilic substitution reaction of poly(dichlorophosphazene) with sodium 2‐methoxyethoxide and glycine ethyl ester has been studied in detail. Polymers prepared with different methods have been characterized by ¹H NMR, and the results reveal that the addition sequence of the two nucleophilic reagents is an important factor in determining the structure of the resultant polymer. If alkyl ether is added first, the subsequently introduced amino acid ester not only reacts with residual P? Cl but also attacks the alkyl ether side units present by replacing either the whole group or just ? OCH₃. As a result, a new kind of side group (? OCH₂CH₂NHCH₂COOC₂H₅) can be detected in the macromolecule. To obtain polymers with desired compositions {poly[(methoxyethoxy)_x(ethylglycino)_yphosphazene]}, the amino acid ester should be introduced initially to react with poly(dichlorophosphazene), and it should be followed by the alkyl ether. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2417–2425, 2005     

Regioselective Alkylative Carboxylation of Allenamides with Carbon Dioxide and Dialkylzinc Reagents Catalyzed by an N‐Heterocyclic Carbene–Copper Complex

The alkylative carboxylation of allenamide catalyzed by an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)–copper(I) complex [(IPr)CuCl] with CO₂ and dialkylzinc reagents was investigated. The reaction of allenamides with dialkylzinc reagents (1.5 equiv) and CO₂ (1 atm.) proceeded smoothly in the presence of a catalytic quantity of [(IPr)CuCl] to afford (Z)‐α,β‐dehydro‐β‐amino acid esters in good yields. The reaction is regioselective, with the alkyl group introduced onto the less hindered γ‐carbon, and the carboxyl group introduced onto the β‐carbon atom of the allenamides. The first step of the reaction was alkylative zincation of the allenamides to give an alkenylzinc intermediate followed by nucleophilic addition to CO₂. A variety of cyclic and acyclic allenamides were found to be applicable to this transformation. Dialkylzinc reagents bearing β‐hydrogen atoms, such as Et₂Zn or Bu₂Zn, also gave the corresponding alkylative carboxylation products without β‐hydride elimination. The present methodology provides an easy route to alkyl‐substituted α,β‐dehydro‐β‐amino acid ester derivatives under mild reaction conditions with high regio‐ and stereoselectivtiy.     

Determination of amino acid neurotransmitters in rat hippocampi by HPLC‐UV using NBD‐F as a derivative

A simple, rapid and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet–visible detection was developed for the determination of five amino acid neurotransmitters – aspartate, glutamic acid, glycine, taurine and γ‐aminobutyric acid – in rat hippocampi with pre‐column derivatization with 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitrobenzofurazan. Several conditions which influenced derivatization and separation, such as pH, temperature, acetonitrile percentage mobile phase and flow rate, were optimized to obtain a suitable protocol for amino acids quantification in samples. The separation of the five neurotransmitter derivatives was performed on a C₁₈ column using a mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer (0.02 mol/L, pH 6.0)–acetonitrile (84:16, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with the column temperature at 30°C. The detection wavelength was 472 nm. Without gradient elution, the five neurotransmitter derivatives were completely separated within 15 min. The linear relation was good in the range from 0.50 to 500 µmol/L, and the correlation coefficients were ≥0.999. Intra‐day precision was between 1.8 and 3.2%, and inter‐day precision was between 2.4 and 4.7%. The limits of detection (signal‐to‐noise ratio 3) were from 0.02 to 0.15 µmol/L. The established method was used to determine amino acid neurotransmitters in rat hippocampi with satisfactory recoveries varying from 94.9 to 105.2%. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bent-core liquid crystals with a 2-substituted 3-hydroxybenzoic acid central core

We report the synthesis and study of the mesomorphic behaviour for a series of bent-core materials based on 2-substituted 3-hydroxybenzoic acid as a central unit. Properties of the studied compounds are tuned by lateral substitution (F, Cl, CH₃, NO₂ and CN) in the position 2 of 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and by the length of the terminal alkyl chain. All studied homologues exhibit at least one mesophase. Mesomorphic properties are established and compared with other 3-hyhroxybenzoic derivatives studied previously, with analogous orientation of ester linkages, laterally substituted at different position on the central core. The role of the substitution and the length of the terminal alkyl chain are discussed.     

The synthesis and transformations of 2‐[2‐ethoxycarbonyl‐2‐(2‐pyridinyl)ethenyl]amino‐3‐dimethylaminopropenoates. the synthesis of substituted β‐amino‐α,β‐didehydro‐a‐amino acid derivatives

Alkyl (Z)‐2‐[(E)‐2‐ethoxycarbonyl‐2‐(2‐pyridinyl)ethenyl]amino‐3‐dimethylaminopropenoates 7 and 8 were prepared from ethyl 2‐pyridinylacetate (1) in two steps. Substitution of the dimethylamino group with alkyl‐, aryl‐, or heteroarylamines afforded the corresponding β‐alkyl‐ 22–24 , β‐aryl‐ 25–35 , and β‐herteroaryl‐amino‐α,β‐didehydro‐α‐amino acid 36 and 37 derivatives, intermediates for further preparation of various heterocyclic systems. The orientation around both double bonds were determined by various nmr techniques.