Asymmetric reduction of oxime ethers. Distinction of anti and syn isomers leading to enantiomeric amines.

Anti and syn ketoxime ethers were reduced with a chiral reducing agent prepared from (−)-norephedrine and 2 eq of BH₃ to give S and R amines respectively in up to 92% ee. The preferred absolute configuration of the amine was depended on the geometry of the oxime ether.     

Asymmetric synthesis of alpha-branched primary amines on solid support via novel hydrazine resins

[reaction: see text]. Two novel chiral hydrazine resins for asymmetric solid-phase synthesis have been developed. The enantiopure beta-methoxyamino auxiliaries, derived from trans-4-hydroxy-(S)-proline and (R)-leucine, were attached to Merrifield resin and transformed into their corresponding hydrazines. Immobilization of various aldehydes, followed by 1,2-addition of organolithium reagents to the resulting enantiopure hydrazones and reductive cleavage from the solid support, furnished alpha-branched amines, which were isolated as their corresponding amides in good overall yields and enantiomeric excesses of up to 86%.     

Asymmetric reduction of oxime ethers promoted by chiral spiroborate esters with an O3BN framework

Enatioselective reduction of oxime ethers promoted by chiral spiroborate esters with an O3BN framework is reported for the first time. In the presence of (R,S)-1, 11 aralkyloxime ethers are reduced by borane-THF at 0-5 degrees C to give (S)-1-aralkylamine in high yield and excellent enatiomeric excess (up to 98% ee). Influence of reaction conditions on the enantioselectivity of the reduction is investigated, and a possible mechanism of the catalytic reduction is suggested.     

Highly enantioselective synthesis of multifunctionalized allylic building blocks via oxazaborolidine-catalyzed borane reduction

A simple and convenient synthesis of optically active alkenyl β-hydroxy sulfides with high enantiomeric excess by CBS-oxazaborolidine-catalyzed borane reduction of the corresponding β-keto sulfides and its application to synthesis of chiral alkenic diols have been established.     

Stereoselective synthesis of tacalcitol via (R)-MeCBS catalyzed borane reduction

A novel and efficient approach for the synthesis of 1α, 24(R)-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ (tacalcitol) starting from readily available enone 1 has been achieved with high stereoselectivity. The key step involved in the synthesis of tacalcitol was the stereoselective reduction of enone 1 using borane as the reducing agent, and the effects of the critical reaction parameters such as temperature, various borane complexes have been examined. Finally, tacalcitol was obtained in five steps from enone 1 with an overall yield of 32% and a ratio of 24-R/S = 95/5.     

Asymmetric synthesis of primary amines catalyzed by thermotolerant fungal reductive aminases

Chiral primary amines are important intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds. Fungal reductive aminases (RedAms) are NADPH-dependent dehydrogenases that catalyse reductive amination of a range of ketones with short-chain primary amines supplied in an equimolar ratio to give corresponding secondary amines. Herein we describe structural and biochemical characterisation as well as synthetic applications of two RedAms from Neosartorya spp. (NfRedAm and NfisRedAm) that display a distinctive activity amongst fungal RedAms, namely a superior ability to use ammonia as the amine partner. Using these enzymes, we demonstrate the synthesis of a broad range of primary amines, with conversions up to >97% and excellent enantiomeric excess. Temperature dependent studies showed that these homologues also possess greater thermal stability compared to other enzymes within this family. Their synthetic applicability is further demonstrated by the production of several primary and secondary amines with turnover numbers (TN) up to 14 000 as well as continous flow reactions, obtaining chiral amines such as (R)-2-aminohexane in space time yields up to 8.1 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹. The remarkable features of NfRedAm and NfisRedAm highlight their potential for wider synthetic application as well as expanding the biocatalytic toolbox available for chiral amine synthesis.

Fungal reductive aminases as effective biocatalysts for the preparation of chiral primary amines.     

Novel synthesis of substituted pyrrolidines and piperidines via radical addition-ionic cyclization reaction of oxime ethers

We have developed a novel synthetic route to nitrogen-containing heterocycles via radical addition-ionic cyclization reaction. Treatment of oxime ethers carrying the tosyloxy group with Et₃B and alkyl iodide in the presence of Lewis acid gave the substituted pyrrolidines and piperidines. The reaction of oxime ethers carrying the methoxycarbonyl group proceeded under the same conditions to give the amino esters, which were easily converted into the corresponding lactams by the treatment with concd HCl. On the other hand, the oxime ether bearing the phenoxycarbonyl group afforded directly alkylated lactams under the radical reaction conditions. The utility of this domino reaction was demonstrated by the synthesis of (±)-bgugaine and the formal synthesis of 5,8-disubstituted indolizidine alkaloids.     

Asymmetric borane reduction of prochiral ketones using imidazolium-tagged sulfonamide catalyst

A novel sulfonamide catalyst based on a room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) has been developed for the enantioselective reduction of ketones in refluxing toluene. The optically active secondary alcohol products were obtained in good enantiomeric excess and excellent yields. The imidazolium-tagged sulfonamide catalyst can be readily recovered and reused four times without any significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Asymmetric reduction of aminoketones with borane and chiral oxazaborolidine catalyst

A group of α‐ and β‐N, N‐dialkyl amino ketones were reduced enantioselectively by 2 moles of borane‐tetrahydrofuran in the presence of 10 mol% of the in‐situ formed chiral oxazaborolidine, followed by diluted hydrochloric acid. The resulting amino alcohol‐borane complexes were treated with hydrogen chloride‐glycol‐methanol to give the optically active amino alcohol with the ee up to 99%.     

Asymmetric borane reduction using mixtures of homochiral amino alcohol ligands

The asymmetric borane reduction of acetophenone is investigated using mixtures of homochiral β-amino alcohol ligands. With stoichiometric amounts of a mixture of two- or three-amino alcohols, the e.e. remains at the level of the best amino alcohol for a wide composition range. A small but statistically significant enhancement in e.e. is observed when 10 mol% of an amino alcohol mixture of (1S,2R)-1-amino-2-indanol and (S)-phenylglycinol is used as chiral ligand.     

Asymmetric reduction of enantiopure imines with zinc borohydride: stereoselective synthesis of chiral amines

The first application of zinc borohydride in the reduction of enantiopure imines for the stereoselective preparation of both the enantiomers of secondary amines is described. A possible explanation of the stereoselectivity and of the reaction mechanism is suggested on the basis of theoretical calculations.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 2-substituted cyclic amines

Cyanomethylenetributylphosphorane-mediated ring closure for the asymmetric synthesis of 2-substituted cyclic amines such as azetidines, pyrrolidines and a piperidine is reported. The desired stereochemistry at the 2-position was fixed using (S)-tert-butyl sulfinamide as a chiral auxiliary.     

Highly stereoselective synthesis of cyclic primary amines via hydride reductions.

The Reduction of p,p'-dimethoxybenzhydryl imines of substituted cyclohexanones with lithium tri-sec-butyl or tri-ethylborohydride and subsequent cleavage of the resulting secondary amines with formic acid affords the corresponding axial cyclohexyl primary amines with high stereoselectivity.     

Chiral epoxides via borane reduction of 2-haloketones catalyzed by spiroborate ester: application to the synthesis of optically pure 1,2-hydroxy ethers and 1,2-azido alcohols

An enantioselective borane-mediated reduction of a variety of 2-haloketones with 10% spiroaminoborate ester 1 as catalyst is described. By a simple basic workup of 2-halohydrins, optically active epoxides are obtained in high yield and with excellent enantiopurity (up to 99% ee). Ring-opening of oxiranes with phenoxides or sodium azide is investigated under different reaction conditions affording nonracemic 1,2-hydroxy ethers and 1,2-azido alcohols with excellent enantioselectivity (99% ee) and in good to high chemical yield.     

Silver-catalyzed synthesis of disubstituted isoxazoles by cyclization of alkynyl oxime ethers

A facile and practical synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted isoxazoles via a silver-catalyzed cyclization and subsequent protonation of alkynyl oxime ethers has been developed. The methodology was successfully applied to the synthesis of a biologically active isoxazolecarboxylic acid.     

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of oxime ethers from iminoxy radical (CN–O) and maleimides via radical addition

An efficient Cu(II)-catalyzed radical addition of maleimides has been achieved. The identified copper catalyst enables the formation of oxime radicals (N–O) by cleaving the O–H bond in ketoximes, followed by the radical addition to N-substituted maleimides. The oxime radicals (N–O) were detected and confirmed by EPR spectroscopy and variable-temperature ¹H NMR. The simple one-pot reaction realizes the facile preparation of a variety of oxime ether adduct products in moderate to good yields.