Esters of pyromellitic acid. Part I. Esters of achiral alcohols: regioselective synthesis of partial and mixed pyromellitate esters, mechanism of transesterification in the quantitative esterification of the pyromellitate system using orthoformate esters, and a facile synthesis of the ortho pyromellitate diester substitution pattern

Mild conditions and reversible anhydride formation allow a relative differentiation to be made of the four equivalent carbonyl groups of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA, benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic dianhydride) in esterification, leading to regioselective methods to generate a wide range of partially or totally esterified products or products bearing differing esterifying groups at the different positions. Pyromellitate monoester anhydrides form efficiently in dichloromethane/triethylamine from 1 equiv of the alcohol. Under the same conditions, two different alcohols can be made to react sequentially. With 2 equiv of an alcohol, the usual mixture of meta and para diesters is obtained, separated by crystallization from HOAc. Meta and para dibenzyl pyromellitates served as regiospecific sources of other diesters, by further esterification followed by hydrogenolysis. Refluxing orthoformate triesters were found to effect quantitative esterification of the pyromellitate system under autocatalytic conditions; minor ester exchange with pre-existing esters (0-5% of total product) was ascribed to reversible anhydride formation. For general esterification with alcohols, partial ester acid chlorides were obtained using oxalyl chloride. Pyromellitate triesters afforded the ortho diester anhydrides upon distillation, thereby providing facile entry into the mostly novel ortho substitution pattern in this system. The requisite triesters were prepared by selective saponification or by the prior incorporation of one benzyl ester substituent, which could be removed by catalytic hydrogenolysis. The various benzyl esters of pyromellitates hydrogenolyzed smoothly to release the carboxylic acid groups without disturbance of pyromellitate aromaticity.     

Synthesis of stereoregular poly(alkyl malolactonates)

Optically pure methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, and benzyl (R)-malolactonate were prepared from (S)-(-)-malic acid and were polymerized in the bulk with tetraethylammonium benzoate as the initiator to yield high-molecular-weight, crystalline polymers. The optical purity of methyl and benzyl malolactonate was determined by ¹H NMR spectroscopy of the β-lactone complexed with a chiral europium shift reagent. Enantiomeric excesses of 100% were found (the experimental error was 3%). Optically active poly(β-malic acid) was obtained from optically active poly[benzyl (S)-malate] by catalytic hydrogenolysis of the pendent benzyl esters. Ethyl and benzyl (R)-malolactonate were also copolymerized, and the benzyl esters of the resulting copolymer were converted into carboxylic acid units by hydrogenolysis.     

Quantification of the chiral recognition in electrochemically driven ion transfer across the interface water/chiral liquid

The electrochemically driven transfer of the chiral anions of d- and l-tryptophan across the interface water/chiral liquid (d- or l-menthol) is stereoselective, and it can be used to determine quantitatively the difference in Gibbs energies for the solvation of chiral ions in chiral liquids. The ion transfer can be achieved in a three-phase arrangement where a droplet of the chiral liquid containing decamethylferrocene as the electroactive redox probe is attached to a graphite electrode immersed in the aqueous solution containing the chiral ions.     

Nonacid nitration of benzenedicarboxylic and naphthalenecarboxylic acid esters

When treated with nitrogen dioxide in the presence of ozone and a catalytic amount of iron(III) chloride in inert organic solvent at -10 to +5 degrees C, benzenedicarboxylic acid diesters 1, 4, and 6 underwent smooth nitration to give the corresponding mononitro derivatives 2/3, 5, and 7, respectively, in good yield (kyodai nitration). Naphthalenecarboxylic acid esters 8 and 11 and naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid diester 16 were similarly nitrated in the absence of catalyst to give the expected nitro compounds 9/10, 12-15, and 17-22, respectively. Different from conventional nitration based on the combined use of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids, no hydrolytic cleavage of the ester function was observed under these conditions. The isomer distribution has been determined for the nitration of naphthalenecarboxylic acid esters 8, 11, and 16, and spectral data were collected for less common nitro derivatives. A unique changeover of the orientation mode observed in the kyodai nitration of diester 16, from the initial exclusive meta to the final meta/para, has been discussed in terms of the competition between the electrophilic substitution process involving the nitronium ion (NO2+) and the addition-elimination sequence involving the nitrogen trioxide radical (*NO3).     

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.     

Synthesis of d-camphor based γ-amino acid (1S,3R)-3-amino-2,2,3-trimethylcyclopentane carboxylic acid

Synthesis of a γ-amino acid derived from (1R,3S)-camphoric acid is described. d-(+)-Camphoric anhydride, prepared from d-(+)-camphoric acid by treatment with methanesulfonyl chloride and triethylamine, was reacted with benzyl alcohol and catalytic DMAP, and subsequently reacted in a Curtius rearrangement to afford the corresponding carbamate derivative. This derivative was converted to the desired γ-amino acid through hydrogenolysis.     

Relationship between the effects on bacterial activity of selected disinfectants and the hydrophobic characters of dibasic acid diesters.

We prepared test solutions which contained 80% (v/v) ethanol and 0.2% (w/v) chlorhexidine (CH) or benzalkonium chloride (BC) with or without a dibasic acid diester. After complete evaporation of the ethanol from the solution on filter paper, an overnight broth culture (Staphylococcus aureus) was repeatedly inoculated onto the filter paper, and viable bacterial counts were measured at 5 min after the last inoculation. By comparison with viable counts for CH or BC alone, we estimated the potentiating effects of dibasic acid diester on the bactericidal activity of CH or BC, and confirmed that this activity of the two disinfectants was potentiated in the presence of certain compounds in the homologs of di-n-butyl esters of aliphatic dibasic acid, and di-alkyl esters of adipic and phthalic acid. Diisobutyl adipate, one of the most effective diesters, substantially enhanced the bactericidal activities of benzethonium chloride, cetyl pyridinium chloride and didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, as well as CH and BC, but not those of polyhexamethylene biguanide or alkyldiaminoethyl glycinate. The potentiating effects of dibasic acid diesters observed for both CH and BC seemed to be affected by the hydrophobic character of these diesters themselves and are also expressed well by a particular quadratic equation as a function of these characters: namely, capacity factors, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.     

Preparation of novel meta- and para-substituted N-benzyl protected quinuclidine esters and their resolution with butyrylcholinesterase

Since the optically active quinuclidin-3-ol is an important intermediate in the preparation of physiologically or pharmacologically active compounds, a new biocatalytic method for the production of chiral quinuclidin-3-ols was examined. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; EC 3.1.1.8) was chosen as a biocatalyst in a preparative kinetic resolution of enantiomers. A series of racemic, (R)- and (S)-esters of quinuclidin-3-ol and acetic, benzoic, phthalic and isonicotinic acids were synthesized, as well as their racemic quaternary N-benzyl, meta- and para-N-bromo and N-methylbenzyl derivatives. After the resolution, all N-benzyl protected groups were successfully removed by catalytic transfer hydrogenation with ammonium formate (10% Pd-C). Hydrolyses studies with BChE confirmed that (R)-enantiomers of the prepared esters are much better substrates for the enzyme than (S)-enantiomers. Introduction of bromine atom or methyl group in the meta or para position of the benzyl moiety resulted in a considerable improvement of the stereoselectivity compared to the non-substituted compounds. Optically pure quinuclidin-3-ols were prepared in high yields and enantiopurity by the usage of various N-benzyl protected groups and BChE as a biocatalyst.     

Diastereo- and enantioselective cyclopropanation with chromium fischer carbene complexes: alkenyl oxazolines as useful achiral and chiral substrates.

The cyclopropanation reaction of chromium Fischer carbene complexes with alkenyl oxazolines has been studied in both racemic and enantioselective fashions. The oxazolinyl group acts as both electron-acceptor substituent and chiral auxiliary. Achiral (4,4-dimethyloxazolin-2-yl)alkenes derived from trans-crotonic and trans-cinnamic acids 2a,b undergo the cyclopropanation reaction to give 4a-d,g with excellent diastereoselectivity (trans/cis ratio between 93:7 and >97:3), while those derived from acrylic and metacrylic acids 2c,d give the cyclopropanes 4e,f,h with much lower selectivity (trans/cis ratio between 68:32 and 83:17). The homogeneous catalytic hydrogenolysis of 4 leads in a selective manner to 5 or 6, depending on the nature of the R3 substituent. The removal of the oxazoline moiety is achieved by carboxybenzylation/hydrolysis and ester reduction, yielding monoprotected 1,4- and 1,3-diols 9 and 11, respectively. The alkenes derived from enantiopure (S)-valinol and (S)-tert-leucinol 3 led to cyclopropanes trans-12 with high relative and absolute stereocontrol. Using tert-leucinol as the auxiliary permits attaining total facial stereoselectivity (>98% ee). Reductive cleavage of the cyclopropane ring and removal of the auxiliary afford the enriched alcohols (3S,4S)-9 and (S)-11. The stereochemical outcome of the cyclopropanation reaction is rationalized by a trans approach of the s-cis conformer of the alkenyl oxazoline to the carbene complex involving the less hindered face of the oxazoline auxiliary and the re-face of the carbene complex.     

A New Oxidative Conversion of Carbohydrate Benzyl Ethers to Benzoyl Esters with RuCl3-NaIO

Abstract

The benzyl group is often used in organic synthesis, especially in carbohydrate chemistry, as one of the most useful of the hydroxyl protecting groups. Benzyl ethers are stable to basic conditions and the benzyl group is removed easily by hydrogenolysis or under Birch reduction conditions. Alternatively, the benzyl ether group is oxidized to benzoyl ester and removed under basic conditions. A few oxidation methods have been reported using more than a stoichiometric amount of chromium reagents such as CrO₃-H₂SO₄ (Jones reagent)¹ or CrO₃-AcOH₂. Here we report a new and mild oxidation of benzyl ether to benzoyl ester with a catalytic amount of RuO₄ derived from RuCl₃ and NaIO₄. This method has proved effective in removing benzyl ether groups chemoselectively in the presence of benzylidene acetal and benzyl glycosidic functions.     

Catalytic Asymmetric Conjugate Addition of a Borylalkyl Copper Complex for Chiral Organoboronate Synthesis

We report the catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of a borylalkyl copper nucleophile generated in situ from a 1,1‐diborylmethane derivative to α,β‐unsaturated diesters. In the presence of a chiral N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)–copper catalyst, this method facilitated the enantioselective incorporation of a CH₂Bpin moiety at the β‐position of the diesters to yield β‐chiral alkyl boronates in up to 86 % yield with high enantioselectivity. The alkylboron moiety in the resulting chiral diester products was converted into various functional groups by organic transformation of the C?B bond.     

Modified guanidines as chiral auxiliaries

Investigations on modified guanidines, prepared by newly developed methods, as potential chiral auxiliaries led to reasonable asymmetric induction not only in catalytic but also in stoichiometric asymmetric syntheses. These guanidine-mediated reactions may contribute to the development of green chemistry because of their possible application as re-cyclable (economically favored) and easily functionalizable (widely applicable) auxiliaries.     

Optically active polymers of 3-alkylmalic acids: Contribution of the bioconversion for diversifying the chiral precursors

The need for new optically active monomers and polymers is conducive to the setting up of stereospecific synthesis routes starting from chiral precursors. The biomass can be considered as a major source for extracting such biomolecules aimed at chemoenzymatic transformation and further polymerization. Due to its versatility, ß-methylaspartate ammonia-lyase, from cell-free extracts of Clostridium tetanomorphum, has been used in the bioconversion of alkylfumarates into optically active pure 3-alkylaspartic acids with alkyl=methyl, ethyl, isopropyl. These amino acids have been transformed in several steps into optically active benzyl 3-alkylmalolactonates leading to semi-crystalline polyesters. 3-Methylaspartic acid includes two chiral centers and the racemic compound containing the four stereoisomers can be prepared by a multiple step synthesis. The ability of ß-methylaspartase to catalyse both syn- and anti-elimination of ammonia from natural 3-methylaspartic acid has been expressed to retain one stereoisomer and this bioconversion is a preparative method for obtaining unnatural stereoisomers. Moreover, the catalytic hydrogenolysis of the benzyl α,ß-substituted ß-lactone yields stable 3-alkylmalolactonic acid which can be coupled with functional alcohols and copolymerized. At last the introduction of (2S)-3,3-dimethyl-2-butanol, using Rhodotorula glutinis as microorganism in a biological synthesis step, as chiral ester pendant group, has conducted to optically active polyesters with very high melting transition temperatures. The combination of bioconversion and chemical synthesis is a very useful tool for building hydrolyzable functionalized polyesters required for temporary applications.     

gem-Difluorocyclopropane as core molecule candidate for liquid crystal compounds

The synthesis of a novel chiral gem-difluorocyclopropane building block has been accomplished using chemo-enzymatic reaction protocol; the prochiral diol of 1,4-bis(2,2-difluoro-3-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopropyl)benzene (5) was converted to the corresponding chiral diacetate by Pseudomonas lipase (lipase SL-25, Meito)-catalyzed transesterification with vinyl acetate as acyl donor with >99% enantiomeric excess. Various types of diesters or dialkyl ether were prepared from the diol and their helical twisting power (HTP) was evaluated by addition of 1.0 wt% to a non-chiral nematic liquid crystal host; the HTP was significantly dependent on the structure of ester or ether moieties and diester of diol 5 with isopropylfumalic acid showed the largest HTP.     

Inside Cover: Biomimetic Chiral Pyridoxal and Pyridoxamine Catalysts (Chin. J. Chem. 2/2019)

The inside cover picture shows the development of chiral pyridoxal and pyridoxamine catalysts by mimicking vitamin B₆‐dependent enzymes. These chiral pyridoxals and pyridoxamines displayed extraordinary catalytic performances in asymmetric biomimetic transamination and Mannich reaction, to give various chiral α‐amino acids and α,β‐diamino acid esters in good yields with excellent diastero‐ and/or enantioselectivities. The research has provided some useful information for further applications of the catalytic power of vitamin B6 in the area of asymmetric cayalysis. More details are discussed in the article by Zhao et al. on page 103–112.

     

Oxathiaphospholane approach to N- and O-phosphorothioylation of amino acids

A method of highly efficient synthesis of N- and O-phosphorothioylated amino acids was developed. N- and O-(2-Thiono-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholanyl)amino acid methyl esters (3) were prepared in high yields in reaction of amino acid methyl esters with 2-chloro-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane in pyridine in the presence of elemental sulfur. Compounds 3 were converted in high yield into the corresponding methyl or benzyl phosphorothioamides 6 and 7 by DBU-assisted treatment with methanol or benzyl alcohol. When 3-hydroxypropionitrile was used instead of methanol or benzyl alcohol, the corresponding 2-cyanoethylphosphorothioamidates 4 were obtained in high yield, from which the 2-cyanoethyl group was removed with concentrated ammonium hydroxide. The oxathiaphospholane methodology was also applied for the phosphorylation of amino acids. Thus, 2-oxo-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane derivatives 10 were prepared by oxidation of compounds 3 with SeO(2.) Compounds 10 were transformed into the corresponding phosphate diesters or amidoesters upon treatment with 3-hydroxypropionitrile in the presence of DBU. The DBU-assisted oxathiaphospholane ring-opening process in 3 and 10 did not cause any measurable C-racemization of phosphorothioylated/phosphorylated amino acids.     

Chiral Borate Esters in Asymmetric Synthesis. Part 2

Asymmetric catalytic activity of the chiral spiroborate esters 1 – 9 with a O₃BN framework (see Fig. 1) toward borane reduction of prochiral ketones was examined. In the presence of 0.1 equiv. of a chiral spiroborate ester, prochiral ketones were reduced by 0.6 equiv. of borane in THF to give (R)‐secondary alcohols in up to 92% ee and 98% isolated yields (Scheme 1). The stereoselectivity of the reductions depends on the constituents of the chiral spiroborate ester (Table 2) and the structure of the prochiral ketones (Table 1). The configuration of the products is independent of the chirality of the diol‐derived parts of the catalysts. A mechanism for the catalytic behavior of the chiral spiroborate esters (R,S)‐ 2 and (S,S)‐ 2 during the reduction is also suggested.     

Carcinolytic peptides with selective action

Summary Peptides bearing the bis(2-chloroethyl)amino group were obtained by the catalytic hydrogenolysis of the corresponding benzyl esters.For the first communication in this series see [1–4].     

Application of chiral thiazolidine ligands to asymmetric hydrosilation

Seven chiral thiazolidines bound rhodium complexes were synthesized and their catalytic asymmetric hydrosilation properties were investigated It was found through investigation that the configuration of newly formed chiral centre C2 of substituted chiral thiazolidines prepared from L-cysteine or its esters has no effect on the final results of catalytic asymmetric hydrosilation.The direct reason for causing this phenomenon is reported by the present quantitative results for the first time:the rapid racemation of chiral center C2 of chiral thiazolidine ligands takes place under the catalysis of rhodium(Ⅰ) complex [Rh(COD)CI]2     

C11-Chirasil-Dex as chiral stationary phase in GC: enantioselective separation of cyclopropane derivatives

Chirasil-β-Dex containing an undecamethylene spacer (C11-Chirasil-Dex) was used as chiral stationary phase (CSP) in enantioselective gas chromatography (GC). The versatility of the new stationary phase in the simultaneous enantiomeric separation of a set of cyclopropane derivatives is demonstrated. The GC method provides information about the chemical yields of the cyclopropane products, enantioselectivity, substrate specifity, and catalytic activity of the chiral catalysts used in the intermolecular cyclopropanation of olefins and avoids time-consuming work-up procedures.