Total synthesis and absolute configuration of minalemine A, a guanidine peptide from the marine tunicate Didemnum rodriguesi

The total synthesis of the 3S,2S and 3R,2S diastereomers (1a and 1b) of minalemine A and the identification of the natural compound as the 3R,2S isomer is described. The key step in the synthesis is the preparation of the two enantiomers of the beta-amino diacid 3-(N-carboxymethyl)-aminodecanoic acid (Ncma), which were obtained by stereoselective alkylation with allyl bromide of two nonanoic acid imides bearing chiral oxazolidinones as chiral auxiliaries. Natural minalemine A shows identical 1H NMR and very similar 13C NMR spectra compared to the two synthetic diastereomers. Sufficient differences in their chromatographic behavior to allow conclusive identification were not found. However, the corresponding N-2-naphthoyl amides presented quite distinct circular dichroism spectra (CD), and these confirmed the 3R,2S configuration for the natural minalemines and the R configuration for the constituent beta-amino diacid, Ncma.     

Synthesis of enantiopure 4-hydroxypipecolate and 4-hydroxylysine derivatives from a common 4,6-dioxopiperidinecarboxylate precursor

tert-Butyl 2-substituted 4,6-dioxo-1-piperidinecarboxylates 4 have been prepared in good yield starting from Boc-Asp-O(t)Bu and other beta-amino acids. By analogy with chiral tetramic acids, their reduction by NaBH(4) in CH(2)Cl(2)/AcOH afforded the corresponding cis-4-hydroxy delta-lactams in good yield and stereoselectivity (68-98% de). In the absence of the A(1,3) strain (reduction of 6-substituted 2,4-dioxo-1-piperidines 7), the cis-4-hydroxy isomer was still obtained as the major product but the de values were consistently lower. 4-Hydroxy-6-oxo-1,2-piperidinedicarboxylate 2a, readily accessible from Boc-Asp-O(t)Bu (three steps, 63% overall yield), has proven to be an excellent building block for the synthesis of cis- and trans-4-hydroxypipecolates 17 and 24 (52 and 36% overall yield, respectively) and for the synthesis of a protected 4-hydroxylysine derivative 29 (41% overall yield).     

Synthesis and configurational assignment of the amino alcohol in the eastern fragment of the GE2270 antibiotics by regio- and stereoselective addition of 2-metalated 4-bromothiazoles to alpha-chiral electrophiles

A synthesis of the eastern fragment of the thiazole peptide GE2270 A (1) has been developed. The synthetic approach relies on the regioselective functionalization of 2,4-dibromothiazole (5) via metalation and nucleophilic addition (at C2) or palladium-mediated cross-coupling (at C2 or C4). The stereochemistry at the N-bearing stereocenter was established by coupling of 2-metalated 4-bromothiazoles (4) to enantiomerically pure mandelic acid derivatives. Both the erythro (2) and threo (3) configurated amino alcohols were prepared with high diastereoselectivities depending on the electrophile employed. More specifically, the threo-configurated (S,R)-4-bromothiazolyl beta-amino alcohol 6 was synthesized from O-TBS protected (R)-mandelonitrile in 62% yield. Its N-PMB protected (R,S)-enantiomer 20 was obtained from O-TBS protected (S)-mandelic aldehyde in 67% yield. The erythro-configurated (S,S)-4-bromothiazolyl beta-amino alcohol 29 was prepared from O-TBS protected (S)-ethyl mandelate in four steps and 33% overall yield. The bithiazole moiety in the desired products 2 and 3 was finally established by the regioselective Negishi coupling of 2,4-dibromothiazole (5) and the 4-zincated, N-Boc protected thiazole derivatives of the diastereomeric 4-bromothiazolyl beta-amino alcohols 6 and 29.     

Aromatic nucleophilic substitution or CuI-catalyzed coupling route to martinellic acid

Condensation of beta-amino ester 8b with triflate 7 gives N-aryl amino ester 11, which is converted into 2-substituted 4-oxoquinoline 4 using an intramolecular Dieckmann reaction as the key step. CuI-mediated coupling of beta-amino ester 8a with 1,4-diiodobenzene followed by an intramolecular acylation and Pd-catalyzed carbonylation provide another manner to 4. Alkylation of 4 and subsequent reductive amination deliver the cyclic imine 14, which is transformed into triamine 3 by ordinary operations. Guanylation of 3 under mild condition followed by deprotection results in the synthesis of martinellic acid 1.     

Solution- and solid-phase synthesis of natural product-like tetrahydroquinoline-based polycyclics having a medium size ring

A solid-phase synthesis of tetrahydroquinoline-derived polycyclic 4, having a medium size ring with an enamide functionality, was achieved from tetrahydroquinoline derivative 3 in five steps with overall 40-45% yield. An enantiopure, tetrahydroquinoline-derived beta-amino ester, 1, was converted into compound 2 that has a free phenolic hydroxyl group as an anchoring site for solid-phase synthesis. The solid-phase worked well for this sequence, in which the synthesis of the unsaturated eight-membered enamide lactam was obtained by a ring-closing metathesis approach. Compound 4 is a novel, natural product-like polycyclic derivative that could further be utilized in library generation for developing small molecule chemical probes.     

Ir-catalyzed allylic amination/ring-closing metathesis: a new route to enantioselective synthesis of cyclic beta-amino alcohol derivatives

Ir-catalyzed allylic aminations of (E)-4-benzyloxy-2-butenyl methyl carbonate with benzylamine using Feringa's (Sa,Sc,Sc)-phosphoramidite as a chiral ligand afforded linear-aminated achiral product N,O-dibenzyl-4-amino-2-buten-1-ol regioselectively (linear/branched = >99/1), whereas the (E)-5-benzyloxy-2-pentenyl methyl carbonate showed completely opposite regioselectivity (linear/branched = >1/99) and afforded the optically active (3R)-N,O-dibenzylated 3-amino-1-penten-5-ol with very high enantioselectivity (96% ee), which was used as a key intermediate for the effective synthesis of various cyclic beta-amino alcohol derivatives through ring-closing metathesis in high yields.     

Condensation of laterally lithiated o-methyl and o-ethyl benzamides with imines mediated by (-)-sparteine. Enantioselective synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolin-1-ones

The first asymmetric synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolin-1-ones using a (-)-sparteine-mediated lateral metalation-imine addition sequence to furnish 3-phenyl tetrahydroisoquinolinones 3a with enantioselectivities up to 81% ee is described (Scheme 4). For amide 7b, imine addition products 10 and 11 have been obtained with high diastereoselectivities (91-97% de) and enantioselectivities (91-98% ee) (Scheme 8).     

Unprecedented catalytic asymmetric reduction of N-H imines

[Reaction: see text] Addition of lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide to perfluorinated ketones 1a-j affords (E)-N-TMS-ketimines 2a-j that are reduced in situ to afford racemic perfluoromethylated amine hydrochloride salts 3a-j in 54-97% yields. Solvolysis of the N-Si bond in MeOH leads to formation of bench-stable, isolable N-H imine Z/E isomer mixtures along with a methanol adduct. Enantioselective reduction of these three-component mixtures provides the first catalytic asymmetric synthesis of trifluoromethylated amines in 72-95% yields and 75-98% ee.     

Lipase-catalyzed enantioselective ring opening of unactivated alicyclic-fused beta-lactams in an organic solvent

[reaction: see text] A highly efficient and very simple method was developed for the synthesis of enantiopure beta-amino acids (e.g. cispentacin) and beta-lactams through the enzyme-catalyzed enantioselective ring opening of unactivated alicyclic beta-lactams in organic media. High enantioselectivity (E > 200) was observed when the Lipolase (lipase B from Candida antarctica)-catalyzed reactions were performed with H(2)O (1 equiv) in diisopropyl ether at 60 degrees C. The resolved products, obtained in good chemical yield (36-47%), could be easily separated.     

Catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-N-acylaziridines with TMSCN

A catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization of meso-N-p-nitrobenzoylaziridines with TMSCN was developed using a chiral gadolinium catalyst generated from Gd(OiPr)3 and d-glucose-derived ligand 1. In this reaction, the addition of a catalytic amount of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) improved enantioselectivity. High enantioselectivity was obtained from a range of meso-aziridines at 0-60 degrees C. The product could be easily transformed into beta-amino acids. Thus, the developed catalytic enantioselective desymmetrization reaction allowed for efficient catalytic synthesis of chiral cyclic beta-amino acids. The incorporation of TFA into the catalyst complex was observed using ESI-MS. Generation of this new complex might be the origin of the improved enantioselectivity.     

Living polymerization of ethylene catalyzed by titanium complexes having fluorine-containing phenoxy-imine chelate ligands

Seven titanium complexes bearing fluorine-containing phenoxy-imine chelate ligands, TiCl(2)[eta(2)-1-[C(H)=NR]-2-O-3-(t)Bu-C(6)H(3)](2) [R = 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl (1), R = 2,4,6-trifluorophenyl (2), R = 2,6-difluorophenyl (3), R = 2-fluorophenyl (4), R = 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl (5), R = 3,5-difluorophenyl (6), R = 4-fluorophenyl (7)], were synthesized from the lithium salt of the requisite ligand and TiCl(4) in good yields (22%-76%). X-ray analysis revealed that the complexes 1 and 3 adopt a distorted octahedral structure in which the two phenoxy oxygens are situated in the trans-position while the two imine nitrogens and the two chlorine atoms are located cis to one another, the same spatial disposition as that for the corresponding nonfluorinated complex. Although the Ti-O, Ti-N, and Ti-Cl bond distances for complexes 1 and 3 are very similar to those for the nonfluorinated complex, the bond angles between the ligands (e.g., O-Ti-O, N-Ti-N, and Cl-Ti-Cl) and the Ti-N-C-C torsion angles involving the phenyl on the imine nitrogen are different from those for the nonfluorinated complex, as a result of the introduction of fluorine atoms. Complex 1/methylalumoxane (MAO) catalyst system promoted living ethylene polymerization to produce high molecular weight polyethylenes (M(n) > 400 000) with extremely narrow polydispersities (M(w)/M(n) < 1.20). Very high activities (TOF > 20 000 min(-1) atm(-1)) were observed that are comparable to those of Cp(2)ZrCl(2)/MAO at high polymerization temperatures (25, 50 degrees C). Complexes 2-4, which have a fluorine atom adjacent to the imine nitrogen, behaved as living ethylene polymerization catalysts at 50 degrees C, whereas complexes 5-7, possessing no fluorine adjacent to the imine nitrogen, produced polyethylenes having M(w)/M(n) values of ca. 2 with beta-hydrogen transfer as the main termination pathway. These results together with DFT calculations suggested that the presence of a fluorine atom adjacent to the imine nitrogen is a requirement for the high-temperature living polymerization, and the fluorine of the active species for ethylene polymerization interacts with a beta-hydrogen of a polymer chain, resulting in the prevention of beta-hydrogen transfer. This catalyst system was used for the synthesis of a number of unique block copolymers such as polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene-co-propylene) diblock copolymer and polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene-co-propylene)-b-syndiotactic polypropylene triblock copolymer from ethylene and propylene.     

Stereoselective synthesis of beta-benzyl-alpha-alkyl-beta-amino acids from L-aspartic acid

A stereoselective synthesis of beta-benzyl-alpha-alkyl-beta-amino acids 1 and 2 from L-aspartic acid 3 has been developed. Methyl 5-phenyloxazolidin-2-one-4-acetate 4 was prepared from L-aspartic acid 3 through the acylation of benzene or phenyllithium with alpha-amino carboxyl group of L-aspartic acid skeleton. Alkylation of a dianion of 4 with alkyl halides and subsequent hydrogenation afforded anti-disubstituted beta-amino acids 1b and 1c in high stereoselectivities. Complete reversal of the stereoselection was realized by the alkylation of 4-phenyl-3-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-4-butanolide 6 which was obtained in a single step from 4. The 2,3,4-trisubstituted amino lactone 7 thus obtained was hydrogenated to give a syn-disubstituted beta-amino acid 2a. The syn-products 2b, 2c, and 2dwere alternatively prepared via aldol condensation of 6 with aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes followed by stereoselective reduction of the double bond with nickel chloride-sodium borohydride.     

A 2-pyridyl (py) attached phosphine imine [P(Npy)(NHpy)3] and an imido phosphinate ion [P(Npy)2)(NHpy)2]- in its Ag(I) complex

A new phosphine imine 3, [P(Npy)(NHpy)(3)] (py = 2-pyridyl), was synthesized from the phosphonium salt 1, [P(NHpy)(4)]Cl. Subsequent reaction of 1 or 3 with AgClO(4) lead to an unprecedented penta-nuclear Ag(I) complex 4 stabilized by two [P(Npy)(2)(NHpy)(2)](-) anions [L](-). The packing diagram of 4 shows an interesting channel structure which contains solvated molecules of methanol and toluene. The diimine ligand [L](-), which represents the N-analogue of a phosphinate ion (H(2)PO(4)(-)), was obtained in situ under the mild reaction conditions in the absence of a base.     

Asymmetric Mannich reactions of beta-keto esters with acyl imines catalyzed by cinchona alkaloids

Cinchona alkaloids catalyze the enantioselective Mannich reaction of beta-keto esters with acyl aryl imines. The reaction requires 10 mol % of cinchonine or cinchonidine. The reaction products are obtained in good yields (81-99%), high enantioselectivities (80-96% ee), and in diastereoselectivities that range from 1:1 to >95:5. The cinchonine-catalyzed reaction provides access to highly functionalized building blocks used in the asymmetric synthesis of a dihydropyrimidone and beta-amino alcohol.     

Optically active cyclohexene derivative as a new antisepsis agent: an efficient synthesis of ethyl (6R)-6-[N-(2-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)sulfamoyl]cyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxylate (TAK-242)

Two new synthetic methods were established for the efficient synthesis of optically active cyclohexene antisepsis agent, ethyl (6R)-6-[N-(2-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)sulfamoyl]cyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxylate [(R)-1: TAK-242)]. The first method involved recrystallization from methanol of the diastereomeric mixture (6RS,1'R)-7, obtained by esterification of carboxylic acid 3 with (S)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethanol [(S)-5)] to give the desired isomer (6R,1'R)-7 with 99% de in 32% yield. Subsequent catalytic hydrogenolysis and esterification gave (R)-1 with >99% ee. The second method employed enantioselective hydrolysis of acetoxymethyl ester 9a (prepared by alkylation of 3 with bromomethyl acetate) with Lipase PS-D to give the eutomeric enantiomer (R)-9a with excellent enantioselectivity (>99% ee) and high yield (48%). The desired (R)-1 was then obtained by transesterification with ethanol in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid without loss of ee. Of these, the procedure employing enzymatic kinetic resolution using Lipase PS-D is the more efficient and practical preparation of (R)-1.     

An allyltitanium derived from acrolein 1,2-dicyclohexylethylene acetal and (eta(2)-propene)Ti(O-i-Pr)(2) as a chiral propionaldehyde homoenolate equivalent that reacts with imines with excellent stereoselectivity. An efficient and practical access to optically active gamma-amino carbonyl compounds

A chiral allyltitanium compound 2, prepared in situ by the reaction of optically active acrolein 1,2-dicyclohexylethylene acetal (3) with (eta(2)-propene)Ti(O-i-Pr)(2) (1), reacts with a variety of acyclic and cyclic imines 4 in a regiospecific way to afford alpha-addition products 5 as a mixture of the E- and Z-isomers in good combined yield, where the former is predominant in a ratio of 92:8 to >95:5. The mixture of (E)- and (Z)-5 and pure (E)-5 which could be isolated in several cases were respectively converted to the corresponding beta-amino ester 6 to confirm the absolute configuration and enantiomeric purity. The ee of the newly formed asymmetric center of 5 is more than 78% for the mixture of (E)- and (Z)-5 and more than 96% for pure (E)-5. By taking advantage of the versatility of the vinyl ether moiety in 5, optically active gamma-amino aldehydes 8, gamma-amino aldehyde acetals 7 and 10, gamma-amino acids 9, beta-amino esters 6, and pyrrolidinoisoquinolines 12 were readily prepared. In the reaction of 2 with optically active alpha-silyloxyimine 4n, remarkable double stereodifferentiation was observed; thus, the reaction of 2 derived from (S,S)- or (R,R)-3 provided syn- and anti-5n in a ratio of 55:45 or 0:100, respectively. Meanwhile, the stereochemistry of the product in the reaction of 2 with beta-silyloxyimine 4o was controlled mainly by 2. Thus, the reaction of beta-silyloxyimine 14 with 2 derived from 1 and (R,R)-3 afforded gamma-silyloxyimine 15 with 92% diastereoselectivity, from which 4-amino-6-hydroxypentadecanal dimethyl acetal (13), a key intermediate for the synthesis of batzelladine D, was synthesized.     

High diastereoselectivity in borohydride reductions of coordinated imines

Borohydride reduction of the imine groups in a pyruvate-derived cobalt(III) complex, (OC-6-33')-[Co(Aim(2)trien)](2)[ZnCl(4)], occurs with high diastereoselectivity. The major diastereoisomeric product, (OC-6-33'-ARSSR,CSRRS)-[Co(A(2)trien)]Cl has been isolated and crystallographically characterised. The results from base-induced isomerisation of the major isomer allow us to conclude that most of the remaining material from the reduction reactions (consisting of minor diastereoisomers) differs from the major isomer only in the relative configuration of the coordinated amines. Therefore the initial borohydride attack on the imine groups must have occurred predominantly on the same face of each imine as that which produces the major isomer. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction can be rationalised by proposing hydrogen bonding interactions between the incoming hydride reagent and other donor groups in the complex.     

Efficient Asymmetric Synthesis of Pumiliotoxin C via Intramolecular [4+2] Cycloaddition

An efficient asymmetric synthesis in nine steps of natural (−)‐pumiliotoxin C ( 1 ), a decahydroquinoline alkaloid found in the skin of Central American frog species, is presented. The enantiomerically pure starting material (S)‐norvalinol ( 3 ), obtained from commercial (S)‐norvaline, was cyclized in a one‐pot procedure to the tosylated aziridine 5 . Ring opening with propargylmagnesium bromide led to the acetylenic sulfonamide tosylamide 6 , free of the allenic isomer. Compound 6 was methylated on the acetylenic C‐atom, reduced, and deprotected with Na in liquid NH₃ to give the (E)‐configured unsaturated amine 8 , which was condensed with crotonaldehyde to the imine 9 and N‐acylated with isobutanoyl chloride to the key intermediate 2 . Intramolecular Diels‐Alder reaction furnished a diastereoisomeric mixture of N‐protected octahydroquinolines 10 . After catalytic hydrogenation and cleavage of the amide, natural 1 was obtained as the main product in 25% overall yield; 3.2% of its isomer 11 with the inverse configurations in position 4a, 5, and 8a was also isolated.     

A convergent synthesis of (+)-4-demethoxydaunomycinone and ( + )-daunomycinone

A convergent synthesis of (+)-4-demethoxydaunomycinone and (+)-daunomycinone via annelation of a functionalized quinone monoketal with the anion of the corresponding 3-cyano-l(3H)isobenzofuranone is reported. The quinone monoketal, sequence, was prepared without chromatography from 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde in sixteen steps. The monoketal of proper absolute configuration was obtained by resolution of the imine from (?)-α-methylbenzylamine and 1,2,3,4,-tetrahydro - 5,8 - dim cyclic 4-(ethylene mercaptole).Two noteworthy aspects of the synthesis were the highly selective reduction of a bicyclic β-hydroxyketone to afford a diol with the required cis-stereochemistry at the eventual C-7 and C-9 positions of the anthracyclinone and the regioselective hydrolysis of the quinone bisketal to afford the monoketal of proper regiochemistry for the synthesis of( + )-daunomycinone. Thus, ( + )-daunomycinone and (+)-4-demethoxydaunomycinone were prepared in nineteen steps from 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde in respective overall yields of 3 and 5% (the overall yield for the racemic material was 13%). This synthetic strategy allows a convergent approach to a variety of D-ring analogs.     

The first direct enzymatic hydrolysis of alicyclic beta-amino esters: a route to enantiopure cis and trans beta-amino acids

The first direct enzymatic method is reported for the synthesis of cis and trans beta-amino acid enantiomers through the lipase-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of alicyclic beta-amino esters in organic media. High enantioselectivities (E usually >100) were observed when the Candida antarctica lipase B catalyzed reactions were performed with H2O (0.5 equivalents) in iPr2O at 65 degrees C. The resolved products, obtained in good yields (>or=42%), could be easily separated.