Asymmetric synthesis of quaternary alpha- and beta-amino acids and beta-lactams via proline-catalyzed mannich reactions with branched aldehyde donors

[reaction: see text] L-Proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric Mannich reactions of N-PMP protected alpha-imino ethyl glyoxylate with various alpha,alpha-disubstituted aldehydes affords quaternary beta-formyl alpha-amino acid derivatives with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. The Mannich products are further converted to the corresponding quaternary alpha- and beta-amino acids and beta-lactams.     

PHOTOLYSIS OF SUBSTITUTED NAPHTHALENES ON SiO2 AND Al2O3

Abstract— Photolysis of naphthalene on the surface of SiO₂ under an atmosphere of air produces phthalic acid as the only major photoproduct, accounting for 49%o of the consumed naphthalene. Photolysis on Al₂O₃ also produces phthalic acid, in 31% yield. Photolysis of 1 -methylnaphthalene on SiO₂ proceeds under similar conditions to produce 2-acetylbenzoic acid (35%) as the major photoproduct with the production of a small amount of I-naphthaldchyde (6%). 1-Cyanonaphthalene does not photooxidize under similar conditions. The presence of oxygen is necessary for the photodecomposition of naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene to proceed. Superoxide formed from the photolysis of naphthalene at the SiO₂/air interface is readily observed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. In the absence of naphthalene no superoxide is observed. A mechanism involving electron transfer from the S₁ state of the naphthalene to O₂ is proposed on the basis of these observations and related literature precedent.     

Chiral capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry of amino acids in foods

In this work, the development of a new chiral capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS) method to separate D- and L-amino acids is shown. On-line coupling between CE and MS is established through an electrospray-coaxial sheath flow interface. Enantiomer separation is achieved by using a cheap, nonvolatile, chiral selector as beta-cyclodextrin in the background electrolyte (BGE) together with a physically coated capillary that is aimed to prevent contamination of the electrospray. The capillary coating is simple and easy to obtain as it only requires flushing of the capillary with a polymer aqueous solution for 3 min. Optimization of CE parameters (pH of BGE, type and concentration of chiral selector, and capillary inner diameter) and electrospray-MS parameters (nature and flow rate of the sheath liquid, nebulizer pressure) is carried out. Two different derivatization protocols of amino acids using dansyl chloride (DNS) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) are compared in terms of MS sensitivity and chiral resolution. Under optimum CE-MS conditions it is observed that the MS sensitivity obtained for FITC- and DNS-amino acids is similar (with limit of detection (LOD) in the microM range, corresponding to amounts injected in the fmol range) while chiral resolution is better for FITC-amino acids. The optimized method is demonstrated to provide the simultaneous analysis of 15 selected amino acids (i.e., FITC-D/L-Asp, -Glu, -Ser, -Asn, -Ala, -Pro, -Arg, and FITC-gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in a single chiral CE-MS run, corresponding to the main amino acids that can be found in orange. Moreover, as a result of the high resolution achieved, it is possible to detect down to 2% of D-Asp in the presence of 98% of L-Asp. The good possibilities of chiral CE-MS in food analysis are corroborated through the detection of the main amino acids in a commercial orange juice (i.e., FITC-L-Asp, -Glu, -Ser, -Asn, -Pro, -Arg, and the nonchiral FITC-GABA) as well as the determination of the fraudulent addition of synthetic amino acids (containing D- and L-forms) to a fresh orange juice.     

One-pot asymmetric synthesis of beta-cyanohydroxymethyl alpha-amino acid derivatives: formation of three contiguous stereogenic centers

[reaction: see text] One-pot asymmetric Mannich-hydrocyanation reactions are described. Reaction of unmodified aldehydes with N-PMP-protected alpha-imino ethyl glyoxylate in the presence of catalytic amounts of L-proline followed by the addition of Et(2)AlCN provided highly enantiomerically pure beta-cyanohydroxymethyl alpha-amino acid derivatives possessing three contiguous stereogenic centers as single diastereomers (93-99% ee). Control of reaction temperature during the cyanation step directed whether cyclization of the products to lactones occurred.     

Towards organo-click chemistry: development of organocatalytic multicomponent reactions through combinations of aldol, Wittig, Knoevenagel, Michael, Diels-Alder and Huisgen cycloaddition reactions

Here we report on our studies on combinations of amino acids and copper(I) for catalyzing multicomponent reactions (MCRs). We aimed to prepare both diene and dienophiles simultaneously, under very mild and environmentally friendly conditions, thus giving the constituents for a stereocontrolled Diels-Alder reaction, which in turn yields compounds 4 to 8. A diversity-oriented synthesis of polysubstituted spirotriones 4 to 6 were assembled from simple substrates like 1-(triphenylphosphanylidene)-propan-2-one, two aldehydes, and cyclic-1,3-diketones through Wittig/Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder and aldol/Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder reaction sequences in one pot under stereospecific organocatalysis. Chemical diversity libraries of polysubstituted spirotrione-1,2,3-traizoles 8 were assembled from simple substrates by means of Wittig/Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder/Huisgen cycloaddition reaction sequences in one pot under stereospecific organo/Cu(I) catalysis. Functionalized dispirolactones such as 6 are biologically active antioxidants and radical scavengers, and spirotrione-1,2,3-traizoles 8 have found wide applications in chemistry, biology, and materials science. Experimentally simple and environmentally friendly, organocatalytic, asymmetric four-component Diels-Alder (AFCDA) reactions of 1-(triphenylphosphanylidene)- propan-2-one, two different aldehydes, and cyclic-1,3-diketones produced diastereospecific and highly enantioselective substituted spirotriones 4 by means of a Wittig/Knoevenagel/Diels-Alder reaction sequence in one pot. Additionally we have developed an organocatalytic, asymmetric three-component Michael (ATCM) reaction of 1-(triphenylphosphanylidene)-propan-2-one, aldehyde, and cyclic-1,3-diketones that produced Michael adducts 15, 16 through a Wittig/Michael reaction sequence in a highly enantioselective one-pot process.     

Amino acid catalyzed direct asymmetric aldol reactions: a bioorganic approach to catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions.

Direct asymmetric catalytic aldol reactions have been successfully performed using aldehydes and unmodified ketones together with commercially available chiral cyclic secondary amines as catalysts. Structure-based catalyst screening identified L-proline and 5,5-dimethyl thiazolidinium-4-carboxylate (DMTC) as the most powerful amino acid catalysts for the reaction of both acyclic and cyclic ketones as aldol donors with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes to afford the corresponding aldol products with high regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivities. Reactions employing hydroxyacetone as an aldol donor provide anti-1,2-diols as the major product with ee values up to >99%. The reactions are assumed to proceed via a metal-free Zimmerman-Traxler-type transition state and involve an enamine intermediate. The observed stereochemistry of the products is in accordance with the proposed transition state. Further supporting evidence is provided by the lack of nonlinear effects. The reactions tolerate a small amount of water (<4 vol %), do not require inert reaction conditions and preformed enolate equivalents, and can be conveniently performed at room temperature in various solvents. In addition, reaction conditions that facilitate catalyst recovery as well as immobilization are described. Finally, mechanistically related addition reactions such as ketone additions to imines (Mannich-type reactions) and to nitro-olefins and alpha,beta-unsaturated diesters (Michael-type reactions) have also been developed.     

Direct asymmetric anti-Mannich-type reactions catalyzed by a designed amino acid

The development of catalysts for Mannich-type reactions that afford anti-products with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities under mild conditions and low catalyst loadings (1-5 mol %) is reported. Based on principles gained from the study of (S)-proline-catalyzed Mannich-type reactions that afford enantiomerically enriched syn-products, (3R,5R)-5-methyl-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid (RR35) has been designed to catalyze the direct enantioselective anti-selective Mannich-type reactions. Computational studies of the above reaction using HF/6-31G* level of theory suggested that this design would be highly effective. The catalyst was subsequently synthesized and studied in organocatalytic Mannich-type reactions between unmodified aldehydes and N-PMP-protected alpha-imino esters. In accord with the design principles and in quantitative agreement with the theoretical predictions, reactions catalyzed by this catalyst afforded anti-products in good yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (anti:syn 94:6 to 98:2, >97 to >99% ee).