Α-amino Esters Research Articles

Deracemization through Sequential Photoredox-Neutral and Chiral Brønsted Acid Catalysis.

Catalytic deracemization is an ideal synthetic strategy due to its formally perfect atom utilization. Asymmetric photocatalysis has been appreciated as a promising tool to accomplish this attractive reaction pattern in an economical fashion, but it remains underdeveloped. Here, we report a new platform based on photoredox-neutral catalysis, allowing efficient and modular optical enrichment of α-amino esters and other valuable analogues. Two single-electron transfer processes between the photocatalyst and the substrates serve to provide the key prochiral intermediates, and the chiral Brønsted acid catalyst mediates enantioselective protonation to reconstitute a stereogenic C-H bond. The efficiency of deracemization is determined by the enantiofacial differentiation effect during the stereocentre-forming step.

Modular Synthesis of α,α-Diaryl α-Amino Esters via Bi(V)-Mediated Arylation/SN2-Displacement of Kukhtin-Ramirez Intermediates.

We report a concise and modular approach to α,α-diaryl α-amino esters from readily available α-keto esters. This mild, one-pot protocol proceeds via ketone umpolung, with in situ formation of a Kukhtin-Ramirez intermediate preceding sequential electrophilic arylation by Bi(V) and SN2 displacement by an amine. The methodology is compatible with a wide range of anilines and primary amines - including derivatives of drugs and proteinogenic amino acids - Bi(V) arylating agents, and α-keto ester substrates.

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Hydantoin-Based Universal Peptidomimetics.

The synthesis of a collection of enantiomerically pure, systematically substituted hydantoins as structural privileged universal mimetic scaffolds is presented. It relies on a chemoselective condensation/cyclization domino process between isocyanates of quaternary or unsubstituted α-amino esters and N-alkyl aspartic acid diesters followed by standard hydrolysis/coupling reactions with amines, using liquid-liquid acid/base extraction protocols for the purification of the intermediates. Besides the nature of the α carbon on the isocyanate moiety, either a quaternary carbon or a more flexible methylene group, conformational studies in silico (molecular modeling), in solution (NMR, circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)), and in solid state (X-ray) showed that the presented hydantoin-based peptidomimetics are able to project their substituents in positions superimposable to the side chains of common protein secondary structures such as α-helix and β-turn, being the open α-helix conformation slightly favorable according to molecular modeling, while the closed β-turn conformation preferred in solution and in solid state.

Chiral π-Cu(II) Catalysts for the Enantioselective α-Amination of N-Acyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles.

We report the highly enantioselective α-amination of N-acyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazoles with dialkyl azodicarboxylates, catalyzed by in situ generated π-Cu(II) complexes that consist of Cu(OTf)2 and N-(5H-dibenzo[a,d][7]annulen-5-yl)-l-alanine-derived amides, to give the corresponding products as d-α-amino acid derivatives (up to >99% yield and 99% ee). The site-selectivity and enantioselectivity can be satisfactorily explained by the coordination of dialkyl azodicarboxylate with π-Cu(II) complex. The synthetic potential of this one-pot transformation to the α-amino ester is also described.

Synthesis of Unnatural α-Amino Acid Derivatives via Photoredox Activation of Inert C(sp3)-H Bonds.

The synthesis of unnatural, tertiary amino acids is a challenging task. While decarboxylation-radical addition has been an important strategy for their formation, the use of alkyl radicals from C(sp3)-H bonds has not been fully explored. Herein, we report a photocatalytic protocol for the synthesis of unnatural α-amino esters employing abundant alkanes and imines retaining full atom economy. When this method is applied, several amino acid derivatives are synthesized in moderate to good yields.

Palladium-Catalyzed Three-Component Selective Aminoallylation of Diazo Compounds.

We describe a Xantphos-containing dinuclear palladium complex-enabled geminal aminoallylation of diazocarbonyl compounds, which selectively provides a range of quaternary α-amino esters. Direct N-H insertion, allylic alkylation of amino nucleophiles, and diene formation were not observed under standard conditions. Mechanistic studies indicated that a relayed pathway via allylation of the N-H insertion product or [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of an ylide intermediate was unlikely.

X-ray Structure Determination of Naphthalen-2-yl 1-(Benzamido(diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate

We have previously published on a new triazolic phosphonic α-amino ester in position 4 on the triazole ring of a naphthalene ester. The aim of the present paper was to describe its crystallographic study by XRD. The crystal structure of naphthalen-2-yl 1-(benzamido(diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/c. The naphthalene system is almost planar and makes dihedral angles of 67.1(2)° and 63.9(2)° with the triazole ring and the phenyl cycle, respectively. The phosphorus atom is surrounded by three oxygen atoms and one carbon atom building a distorted tetrahedron. It is also noted, that one of the two ethyl groups is disordered. In the crystal, the molecules are connected through C-H…O and N-H…O hydrogen bonds to build dimers that are linked together by C-H…O hydrogen bonds, in addition to C-H…π interactions. The presence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond contributes to the stability of the molecular conformation by completing the S(5) cycle.

Reactor Design and Optimization of α-Amino Ester Hydrolase- Catalyzed Synthesis of Cephalexin.

Pharmaceutical production quality has recently been a focus for improvement through incorporation of end-to-end continuous processing. Enzymatic ß-lactam antibiotic synthesis has been one focus for continuous manufacturing, and α-amino ester hydrolases (AEHs) are currently being explored for use in the synthesis of cephalexin due to their high reactivity and selectivity. In this study, several reactors were simulated to determine how reactor type and configuration impacts reactant conversion, fractional yield toward cephalexin, and volumetric productivity for AEH-catalyzed cephalexin synthesis. The primary reactor configurations studied are single reactors including a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) and plug flow reactor (PFR) as well as two CSTRS and a CSTR + PFR in series. Substrate concentrations fed to the reactors as well as enzyme concentration in the reactor were varied. The presence of substrate inhibition was found to have a negative impact on all reactor configurations studied. No reactor configuration simultaneously allowed high substrate conversion, high fractional yield, and high productivity; however, a single PFR was found to enable the highest substrate conversion with higher fractional yields than all other reactor configurations, by minimizing substrate inhibition. Finally, to further demonstrate the impact of substrate inhibition, an AEH engineered to improve substrate inhibition was simulated and Pareto optimal fronts for a CSTR catalyzed with the current AEH were compared to Pareto fronts for the improved AEH. Overall, reduced substrate inhibition would allow for high substrate conversion, fractional yield, and productivity with only a single CSTR.

Iridium-Catalyzed Amidation of In Situ Prepared Silyl Ketene Acetals to Access α-Amino Esters.

Disclosed herein is a convenient Ir-catalyzed amidation of esters to access α-amido esters. Initially prepared silyl ketene acetals are directly employed, without separate purification, for subsequent amidation with an oxycarbonylnitrenoid precursor using the Cp*(LX)Ir(III) catalyst. The α-amidation was facile for both α-aryl and α-alkyl esters. Density functional theory studies revealed that the generation of a putative Ir-nitrenoid is facilitated by the chelation of the countercation additive during the N-O bond cleavage of the nitrene precursor.

Microwave‐Assisted Ruthenium‐ and Rhodium‐Catalyzed Couplings of α‐Amino Acid Ester‐Derived Phosphinamides with Alkynes

Two different types of new phosphinamide α-amino ester derivatives have been prepared in moderate to high yields via ruthenium(II) and rhodium(III)-catalyzed ortho-C-H functionalization under microwave irradiation. Specifically, the ortho-alkenylated phosphinamides were produced through coupling of phosphinamides containing an α-substituted or α,α-disubstituted α-amino ester with internal alkynes under ruthenium catalysis. In contrast, Ru and the more effective Rh-catalyzed coupling of the α-unsubstituted glycine ester phosphinamide with alkynes resulted in formation of oxidative annulation products, phosphaisoquinolin-1-ones. The developed methods feature the use of easily accessible starting materials, short reaction time, exclusive E-stereoselectivity (for ortho-alkenylation) and good functional group tolerance. The alkenylation reaction was readily scaled up to gram scale. Furthermore, the obtained alkenylated phosphinamide could be transformed into P-containing dipeptides through hydrolysis of the ester group in the catalysis product and subsequent condensation with an α-amino ester.

Mild and Expeditious Synthesis of Sulfenyl Enaminones of l-α-Amino Esters and Aryl/Alkyl Amines through NCS-Mediated Sulfenylation.

Sulfenylation or selenylation of enaminones of l-α-amino esters requires mild reaction conditions due to the presence of a racemization-prone chiral center and reactive side chains. An N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS)-mediated methodology has been developed for rapid sulfenylation of enaminones of l-α-amino esters and aryl/alkyl amines at room temperature in open air under metal-free conditions. Enaminones of l-α-amino esters bearing aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic side chains react efficiently with diverse aryl/alkyl/heteroaryl thiols (R1SH) in the presence of NCS to afford a library of biologically important sulfenyl enaminones in good-to-excellent yields (71–90%). Under similar reaction conditions, the enaminones also react with benzeneselenol to produce selenyl enaminones in good yield (73–83%). The NCS-mediated pathway generates sulfenyl chloride (R1SCl) as an intermediate which leads to rapid sulfenylation of enaminones through cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) under mild reaction conditions.

Naphthalen-2-yl 1-(benzamido(diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate

We have previously published new biheterocyclic phospohonic α-amino esters of the 1,2,3-triazole-benzimidazole and 1,2,3-triazole-carbazole type. The aim of the present paper was to describe a new phosponic aminoester bearing a triazole ring substituted in position 5 by an ester group. Thus, according to the same catalytic process used previously, the compound naphthalen-2-yl 1-(benzamido(diethoxyphosphoryl)methyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate was synthesized with an excellent yield and high regioselectivity via the copper (I)-catalyzed alkyne–azide cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC), using diethyl (α-azido(benzamido)methyl)phosphonate (1) as a dipole and 2- naphthyl propiolate as a dipolarophile (2). The structure of the new compound was fully characterized by 1D (31P, 1H-, 13C-) and 2D (1H-1H and 1H-, 13C-) NMR spectroscopy, IR, and HRMS.

Access to Chiral Chromenones through Organocatalyzed Mannich/Annulation Sequence.

Herein we report an efficient and practical method to access chiral chromenones bearing one α-amino stereogenic center in the β position of the carbonyl group. The quinine-derived squaramide could efficiently promote Mannich/cycloketalization/dehydration tandem reactions between 1-(2-hydroxyaryl)-1,3-diketones and functionalized imines generated in situ, providing a wide range of chiral chromenones with propargylamine or α-amino ester moieties with good results (54 examples, up to 98% ee).

Mechanochemical Synthesis of Primary Amides.

Ball milling of aromatic, heteroaromatic, vinylic, and aliphatic esters with ethanol and calcium nitride afforded the corresponding primary amides in a transformation that was compatible with a variety of functional groups and maintained the integrity of a stereocenter α to carbonyl. This methodology was applied to α-amino esters and N-BOC dipeptide esters and also to the synthesis of rufinamide, an antiepileptic drug.

Memory of Chirality in the Asymmetric Synthesis of Piperidines with Vicinal Stereocenters by Intramolecular Sn2′ Reaction

Intramolecular Sn2' cyclization of α-amino ester enolates provided piperidine derivatives with vicinal quaternary-tertiary stereocenters with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity via memory of chirality and the Thorpe-Ingold effect. DFT calculations provided a mechanistic rationale for the increase in chirality preservation via the Thorpe-Ingold effect. This new method has the potential to be integrated into concise asymmetric synthesis of bioactive molecules containing multisubstituted piperidine moieties.

Kinetic model development for α-amino ester hydrolase (AEH)-catalyzed synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics

α-Amino ester hydrolases (AEH) are a class of enzymes highly specific for catalyzing the synthesis and hydrolysis of amides and esters of α-amino acids. They are particularly promising catalyst candidates as an alternative to penicillin G acylase (PGA) for synthesis of a variety of β-lactam antibiotics, including cephalexin, cefadroxil, amoxicillin, and ampicillin. In this study, X. campestris pv. campestris AEH and two previously established quadruple variants designed for enhanced stability (N186D/A275P/V622I/E143G termed QVG and N186D/A275P/V622I/E143H termed QVH) were characterized in terms of their kinetic properties. AEH appears to have highest substrate specificity for cephalosporins, particularly cephalexin. The optimum pH value for activity was found to be between pH 6.5 – 6.75 for synthesis of amoxicillin, cephalexin, and cefadroxil, while synthesis selectivity consistently increased with decreasing pH value. Evidence for substrate inhibition preventing the β-lactam nucleus from binding and forming the corresponding amide is discussed. Time-course kinetic data across a wide range of substrate concentrations was found to corroborate the presence of substrate inhibition, and five possible kinetic models are derived to explain AEH-catalyzed cephalexin synthesis kinetic profiles. A best fit model that incorporates both competitive substrate inhibition and partial substrate inhibition was selected based on the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and quality of fit at high substrate concentration. Finally, progress of the synthesis of beta-lactams in a single CSTR was simulated using the best fit kinetic model and a Pareto optimal front was constructed for fractional yield, productivity, and substrate conversion to evaluate potential reactor configurations.

Electrochemical Oxidative Coupling Between Benzylic C(sp3)-H and N-H of Secondary Amines: Rapid Synthesis of α-Amino α-Aryl Esters.

An intermolecular electrochemical coupling between the benzylic C(sp3)-H bond and various secondary amines is reported. The electronic behavior of two electronically rich units viz the α-position of α-aryl acetates and amines was engineered electrochemically, thus facilitating their reactivity for the direct access of α-amino esters. A series of acyclic/cyclic secondary amines and α-aryl acetates were tested to furnish the corresponding α-amino esters with high yields (up to 92%) under mild conditions.

Asymmetric Reduction of Aromatic α-Dehydroamino Acid Esters with Water as Hydrogen Source.

The asymmetric reduction of aromatic α-dehydroamino acid esters with water as the hydrogen source was developed by a Rh/Cu co-catalytic system. The reaction tolerates various functional groups, providing a valuable synthetic tool to access chiral α-amino acid esters readily. Moreover, the present methodology also was applied in the cost-effective and easy to handle preparation of chiral deuterated α-amino esters by using D2O.

Transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric carbene insertion for synthesis of chiral amines

Chiral amines are an important class of organic compounds. They are ubiquitous in organic chemistry and often serve as fundamental building blocks, versatile synthons, efficient chiral catalysts, ligands or auxiliaries in asymmetric synthesis and medicinal chemistry. During the past few decades, there has been remarkable progress in the development of efficient asymmetric methods. Accordingly, asymmetric synthesis, particularly catalytic enantioselective synthesis of chiral amines has received considerable attention from both academia and industry. Among them, transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric carbene insertion has emerged as one of the most useful and powerful methods for synthesis of various chiral amines through the efficient construction of the C−N bonds. In this review, we present the progress and advances that have been made using copper, rhodium, palladium, and iron catalysts to perform enantioselective N−H insertion reactions with diazo compounds. An overview of early examples of Cu(I) and Ag(I)-bisoxazoline-catalyzed asymmetric N−H insertion and the subsequent developments by using copper(I) complexes with chiral spiro bisoxazolines, bipyridines and binol derivatives, as well as with rhodium(II)-, palladium(II)-, iron(II)-carbene chemistry is provided. In these work, catalytic asymmetric metal-carbene insertion into the N−H bond of aromatic amines, amides (BocNH2, CbzNH2), substituted carbazoles and indoles, and benzophenone imines were achieved under mild reaction conditions, allowing access to a wide variety of structurally important chiral amines in enantiomerically enriched form. In particular, with the use of α-aryl or α-alkyl α-diazoesters as carbene precusors, both aryl and alkyl substituted α-amino esters could be prepared in good yields with high enantioselectivities. A recent major breakthrough in enantioselective transition-metal-catalyzed N−H insertion reactions with aliphatic amines is also discussed. By using a combination of an achiral copper complex and chiral amino-thiourea catalyst, highly enantioselective carbene insertion into N−H bonds of aliphatic amines was achieved to produce various chiral α-alkyl α-amino acid derivatives bearing secondary and tertiary amino substituents in good yields. Overall, this review summarizes the most prominent work on transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric carbene N−H insertion and their applications in chiral amines and natural or unnatural chiral α-amino acid derivatives synthesis.

Structural engineering in pre-functionalized, imine-based covalent organic framework via anchoring active Ru(II)-complex for visible-light triggered and aerobic cross-coupling of α-amino esters with indoles

Site-specific functionalization of sp3 CH bonds adjacent to a nitrogen atom is one of the unexplored heterogeneous transformations. Aiming at α-arylation of glycine derivative for rapid access to indolylglycines without the aid of bases, a chemically robust and two-dimensional COF is prepared. Integration of [2,2′]bipyridyl (Bpy) unit benefits active homogeneous complex Ru(Bpy)22+ to anchor over the framework backbone to devise Ru-COF that acts as unprecedented visible light photocatalyst towards cross-dehydrogenative coupling of secondary amines with indoles in excellent yield at room temperature, under aerobic condition. Ru-COF shows admirable reusability and superior activity to that of Ru(Bpy)3Cl2, while substrate variation studies delineate wide ranges of functional group tolerance. To the best of Ru-COF, atom-economic CH functionalization is realized as iminium ion is in situ generated. The photocatalytic route is detailed from astute modulation of optical band-gap in light of density-functional theory studies and experimental results, which validates single-electron-transfer pathway.