The synthesis and characterisation of N-(1-carbamoyl-1,1-dialkyl-methyl)-(S)-prolinamides and related pyrrolidin-2-yl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-5-ones as potential enantioselective organocatalysts

The acylation of substituted 2-aminopropanamides with (2S)-Boc-proline, (2S)-Cbz-proline and (2S)-Bn-proline was used to prepare substituted 1-protected N-(1-carbamoyl-1,1-dialkyl-methyl)-(S)-prolinamides (74-89%), whose subsequent deprotection gave N-(1-carbamoyl-1,1-dialkyl-methyl)-(S)-prolinamides (94-95%). The enantiomerically pure N-(1-carbamoyl-1,1-dialkyl-methyl)-(S)-prolinamides obtained were tested as organocatalysts for the aldol reaction of cyclohexanone with 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, with yields ranging from 38% to 79% ee. The highest enantioselectivity (89% ee) was achieved by catalysis with N-(1-carbamoyl-cyclopentyl)-(S)-prolinamide (methanol, l0% HCl). By the action of sodium methoxide, Boc-N-(1-carbamoyl-cyclopentyl)-(S)-prolinamide was quantitatively cyclised to 2-(1-Boc-pyrrolidin-2-yl)-1,3-diazaspiro4.4]non-1-en-4-one, which was accompanied by racemisation at the stereogenic centre of the proline skeleton. Alternatively, the substituted 4,4-dialkyl-2-pyrrolidin-2-yl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-5-ones were prepared by oxidation of 4,4-dialkyl-2-((2S)-1-Boc-pyrrolidin-2-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazolidin-5-ones (54-69%). In an acid medium, 2-pyrrolidin-2-yl-1,3-diazaspiro4.4]non-1-en-4-one and (4S)-4-isopropyl-4-methyl-2-pyrrolidin-2-yl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-5-one underwent racemisation. Conversely, the free base of (2S)-2-pyrrolidin-2-yl-1,3-diazaspiro4.4]non-1-en-4-one very easily underwent oxidation to give the achiral 2-(4,5-dihydro-3H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1,3-diazaspiro4.4]non-1-en-4-one.