2,2-Disubstituted Propionic Anhydrides: Effective Coupling Reagents for the Kinetic Resolution of Secondary Benzylic Alcohols Using BTM

Abstract

A variety of optically active benzylic alcohols possessing aliphatic substituents at the C-1 position are produced by the kinetic resolution of racemic secondary alcohols using free carboxylic acids with 2,2-disubstituted propionic anhydrides and (+)-benzotetramisole (BTM). Evaluation of the efficiency of this asymmetric esterification using several anhydrides derived from aliphatic carboxylic acids were carried out by comparing the efficiencies of the kinetic resolution of (±)-l-phenyl-1-propanol. It was found that not only pivalic anhydride is a very widely usable reagent to produce the corresponding esters with high ee's in the presence of BTM, but other 2,2-disubstituted propionic anhydrides, such as 2-methyl-2-phenylpropionic anhydride (MPPRA) and 2,2-diphenylpropionic anhydride (DPPRA), are also applicable as effective coupling reagents for producing the optically active esters and alcohols with high selectivities. This protocol directly provides chiral carboxylic esters from free carboxylic acids and racemic secondary alcohols by utilizing the transacylation process to generate mixed anhydrides from the acid components and sterically hindered carboxylic anhydrides.