Halo-substituted (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-benzylpyrolidine-2-carboxamides as new chiral auxiliaries for the asymmetric synthesis of (S)-α-amino acids

Abstract

The synthesis of new chiral auxiliaries (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide (1a), (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-(pentafluorobenzyl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide (1b), and (S)-N-(2-benzoylphenyl)-1-(4-isopropoxytetrafluorobenzyl)pyrrolidine-2-carboxamide (1c) and their application in the asymmetric synthesis of amino acids using NiII complexes of their Schiff"s bases with alanine and glycine are described. Compound 1a is particularly appropriate for highly stereoselective synthesis of α-methyl-α-amino acids with high enatiomeric purity (ee >95%).