High Optical Purity Research Articles

Cost-effective valorization of cassava fibrous waste into enantiomerically pure D-lactic acid: Process engineering and kinetic modelling approach

Cassava fibrous waste (CFW) valorization on the synthesis of D (-) lactic acid (DLA) holds enormous importance, particularly in the production of thermostable and biodegradable polymers. In this study, microbial kinetic modelling was carried out to investigate the dynamics of cassava fibrous waste enzyme hydrolysate (CFWEH) utilization towards DLA production. Designed biomass approach was attempted to evaluate the natural DLA producing organisms, capable of metabolizing CFWEH into optically pure DLA. Sporolactobacillus inulinus (NBRC 13595) was found to be the elite strain, resulting the yield of 99.43 % optically pure DLA using CFWEH-supplemented medium. Yeast extract (2 gL −1 ) was observed to be potential nitrogen source over other complex nitrogen sources for kinetic modelling investigation. Kinetic parameters predicted from the proposed model for DLA production showed maximum specific growth rate, μ max - 0.36 (h −1 ); growth-associated product coefficient ( α = 0 . 47 gg −1 ) and specific productivity ( q P , m a x = 1 . 12 gg −1 h −1 ) respectively. Experimental data of biomass growth, substrate consumption and DLA production with initial sugar concentrations ranging from 20–180 gL −1 was found to be synchronized well with the simulated dynamic profiles. Kinetic investigation reported in this study is a novice attempt enumerating the valorization potential of CFW for the synthesis of value-added products including DLA at commercial scale in near future. • High optical purity (99.43 %) was achieved for D-Lactic Acid. • Valorization potential of cassava fibrous waste was elucidated. • First kind of study on kinetic modelling, utilizing cassava fibrous waste. • Potential scope for techno-economic feasibility of cassava fibrous waste.

Regiodivergent Desymmetrization Reaction of meso-Azabicycloheptene Providing Two Enantioenriched Structural Isomers.

A novel catalytic asymmetric reaction is reported where the regiodivergent desymmetrisation of meso-azabicycloheptene via allylic oxidation using a single chiral copper catalyst produced two different, enantioenriched structural isomers in high optical purity starting from a single compound. The enantioselectivity of the two structurally isomeric compounds was enriched to >99.5% ee after derivatization.

Enantioselective Desymmetrization of 2-Aryl-1,3-propanediols by Direct O-Alkylation with a Rationally Designed Chiral Hemiboronic Acid Catalyst That Mitigates Substrate Conformational Poisoning.

Enantioselective desymmetrization by direct monofunctionalization of prochiral diols is a powerful strategy to prepare valuable synthetic intermediates in high optical purity. Boron acids can activate diols toward nucleophilic additions; however, the design of stable chiral catalysts remains a challenge and highlights the need to identify new chemotypes for this purpose. Herein, the discovery and optimization of a bench-stable chiral 9-hydroxy-9,10-boroxarophenanthrene catalyst is described and applied in the highly enantioselective desymmetrization of 2-aryl-1,3-diols using benzylic electrophiles under operationally simple, ambient conditions. Nucleophilic activation and discrimination of the enantiotopic hydroxy groups on the diol substrate occurs via a defined chairlike six-membered anionic complex with the hemiboronic heterocycle. The optimal binaphthyl-based catalyst 1g features a large aryloxytrityl group to effectively shield one of the two prochiral hydroxy groups on the diol complex, whereas a strategically placed "methyl blocker" on the boroxarophenanthrene unit mitigates the deleterious effect of a competing conformation of the complexed diol that compromised the overall efficiency of the desymmetrization process. This methodology affords monoalkylated products in enantiomeric ratios equal or over 95:5 for a wide range of 1,3-propanediols with various 2-aryl/heteroaryl groups.

Enantioselective resolution of (±)-1-phenylethyl acetate using the immobilized extracellular proteases from deep-sea Bacillus sp. DL-1

Bacillus sp. DL-1 was isolated from the deep sea of the Western Pacific Ocean and behaved very good resistance to NaCl. The extracellular proteases of Bacillus sp. DL-1 were found to exhibit excellent enantioselectivity for the kinetic resolution of (±)-1-phenylethyl acetate. To improve the stability of the enzyme, the immobilized extracellular proteases were preparated by using 60 g kieselguhr and 1-L crude fermentation broth containing extracellular proteases of Bacillus sp. DL-1, shaking at 25 °C, 200 r/min for 10 h. Every gram of kieselguhr adsorbed 25.7 mg extracellular protease and the enzymatic activity recovery was 79.86%. The immobilized proteases preserved about 35.8% of its activity after 6 repeated uses, which were also used as biocatalyst to asymmetrically hydrolyse (±)-1-phenylethyl acetate for the preparation of (R)-1-phenylethanol and (S)-1-phenylethyl acetate with high optical purities. The effects of pH, temperature, enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, reaction time and additives (metal ions/surfactants) on the resolution were investigated by single factor experiments. Under the optimal reaction conditions (10 mM (±)-1-phenylethyl acetate, 40 mg/mL immobilized extracellular proteases, pH 7.5 (Tris-HCl), 5% (v/v) methanol and 45 °C for 2 h), (R)-1-phenylethanol was generated with the e.e.p being > 97%, and the yield being 53%, respectively. Analogously, under the optimal reaction conditions (10-mM (±)-1-phenylethyl acetate, 360 mg/mL immobilized extracellular proteases, pH 6.0 (PB), 5% (v/v) DMSO and 35 °C for 1.5 h), (S)-1-phenylethyl acetate was generated with the e.e.s being over 99% and the yield being 79%, respectively. Compared with the extracellular proteases from Bacillus sp. DL-2, the immobilized extracellular proteases from Bacillus sp. DL-1 exhibited higher hydrolytic activity and could asymmetrically hydrolyse (±)-1-phenylethyl acetate by using higher substrate concentrations, shorter reaction times to obtain higher yields. Notably, the extracellular proteases of Bacillus sp. DL-1 were demonstrated to behave the same enantio-preference as those of most other reported esterases/lipases. Proteases from deep-sea Bacillus sp. DL-1 are promising biocatalysts for the synthesis of valuable chiral chemicals.

Composition Optimization of Multifunctional CsPb(Br/I)3 Perovskite Nanocrystals Glasses with High Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

AbstractCurrently, high optical purity, perfect stability, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) are very important, being the key to obtain high‐quality luminescent materials. The research of perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) as optical materials is in full swing. Nevertheless, the low PLQY value, especially for the red‐emitting perovskite NCs, is a main obstacle to applications in display. This work reports the optimized components to synthesize CsPb(Br/I)3 NCs glasses whose PLQY achieves a big boost from 15.4% to ≈60% for the first time. Furthermore, the specimens exhibit exceptional tolerance to water and thermal and hence contribute to applicability in high‐performance light‐emitting diode (LED) and 3D printing. By combining CsPb(Br/I)3 NCs glass powder and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Ce phosphor with blue chips, the assembled white LEDs reach a high luminous efficiency at 113.0 lm W−1. The resulting high PLQY is to the benefit of a substantial step toward the practical application of inorganic perovskite materials in the fields of optoelectronic devices and additive manufacturing.

Biocatalysed reductions of α-ketoesters employing CyreneTM as cosolvent

The search for novel reaction media with environmental friendly properties is an area of great interest in enzyme catalysis. Water is the medium of biocatalysed processes, but due to its properties, sometimes the presence of organic (co)solvents is required. CyreneTM represents one of the newest approaches to this medium engineering. This polar solvent has been employed for the first time in biocatalysed reductions employing purified alcohol dehydrogenases. A set of α-ketoesters has been reduced to the corresponding chiral α-hydroxyesters with high conversions and optical purities, being possible to obtain good results at Cyrene contents of 30% v/v and working at substrate concentrations of 1.0 M in presence of 2.5% v/v of this solvent. At this concentration, the presence of Cyrene has a beneficial effect in the bioreduction conversion.

Construction of N-Boc-2-Alkylaminoquinazolin-4(3H)-Ones via a Three-Component, One-Pot Protocol Mediated by Copper(II) Chloride that Spares Enantiomeric Purity.

Chiral 2‐alkylquinazolinones are key synthetic intermediates, but their preparation in high optical purity is challenging. Thus, a multicomponent procedure integrating anthranilic acids, N‐Boc‐amino acids, and amines in the presence of methanesulfonyl chloride, N‐methylimidazole, and copper(II) chloride was developed to mildly afford N‐Boc‐2‐alkylaminoquinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones with excellent preservation of enantiomeric purity (>99% ee). Copper(II) chloride was essential to retaining enantiopurity, and reaction component structural changes were well tolerated, resulting in an efficient, all‐in‐one procedure that promotes sequential coupling, lactonization, aminolysis, and cyclization in good yields. The method was applied to the rapid assembly of four key intermediates used in the synthesis of high profile quinazolinones, including several PI3K inhibitor drugs.

Chiral Pd-Catalyzed Enantioselective Syntheses of Various N–C Axially Chiral Compounds and Their Synthetic Applications

Biaryl atropisomers are key structural components in chiral ligands, chiral functional materials, natural products, and bioactive compounds, and their asymmetric syntheses have been reported by many groups. In contrast, although the scientific community has long been aware of atropisomers due to rotational restriction around N-C bonds, they have attracted scant attention and have remained an unexplored research area. In particular, their catalytic asymmetric synthesis and the synthetic applications were unknown until recently. This Account describes studies conducted by our group on the catalytic enantioselective syntheses of N-C axially chiral compounds and their applications in asymmetric reactions.In the presence of a chiral Pd catalyst, the reactions of achiral secondary ortho-tert-butylanilides with 4-iodonitrobenzene proceeded in a highly enantioselective manner (up to 96% ee), affording N-C axially chiral N-arylated ortho-tert-butylanilides in good yields. The application of the present chiral Pd-catalyzed N-arylation reaction to an intramolecular version gave N-C axially chiral lactams with high optical purity (up to 98% ee). These reactions were the first highly enantioselective syntheses of N-C axially chiral compounds with a chiral catalyst. Since the publication of these reactions, N-C axially chiral compounds have been widely accepted as new target molecules for catalytic asymmetric reactions. Furthermore, chiral-Pd-catalyzed intramolecular N-arylations were applied to the enantioselective syntheses of N-C axially chiral quinoline-4-one and phenanthridin-6-one derivatives. We also succeeded in the enantioselective syntheses of various N-C axially chiral compounds using other chiral Pd-catalyzed reactions. That is, optically active N-C axially chiral N-(2-tert-butylphenyl)indoles, 3-(2-bromophenyl)quinazolin-4-ones, and N-(2-tert-butylphenyl)sulfonamides were obtained through chiral Pd-catalyzed 5-endo-hydroaminocyclization, monohydrodebromination (reductive asymmetric desymmetrization), and Tsuji-Trost N-allylation, respectively. The study of the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of axially chiral indoles has contributed to the development of not only N-C axially chiral chemistry but also the chemistry of axially chiral indoles. Subsequently, the catalytic asymmetric syntheses of various indole derivatives bearing a C-C chiral axis as well as an N-C chiral axis have been reported by many groups. Moreover, axially chiral quinazlolin-4-one derivatives, which were obtained through chiral Pd-catalyzed asymmetric desymmetrization, are pharmaceutically attractive compounds; for example, 2-methyl-3-(2-bromophenyl)quinazolin-4-one product is a mebroqualone possessing GABA agonist activity.Most of the N-C axially chiral products have satisfactory rotational stability for synthetic applications, and their synthetic utility was also demonstrated through application to chiral enolate chemistry. That is, the reaction of various alkyl halides with the enolate prepared from the optically active anilide, lactam, and quinazolinone products proceeded with high diastereoselectivity by asymmetric induction due to the N-C axial chirality.At the present time, N-C axially chiral chemistry has become a popular research area, especially in synthetic organic chemistry, and original papers on the catalytic asymmetric syntheses of various N-C axially chiral compounds and their synthetic applications have been published.

Submonomeric Strategy with Minimal Protection for the Synthesis of C(2)-Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids.

A novel synthesis of C(2)-modified peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) is proposed, using a submonomeric strategy with minimally protected building blocks, which allowed a reduction in the required synthetic steps. N(3)-unprotected, d-Lys- and d-Arg-based backbones were used to obtain positively charged PNAs with high optical purity, as inferred from chiral GC measurements. “Chiral-box” PNAs targeting the G12D point mutation of the KRAS gene were produced using this method, showing improved sequence selectivity for the mutated- vs wild-type DNA strand with respect to unmodified PNAs.

Nickel-catalyzed asymmetric reductive aryl-allylation of unactivated alkenes.

Herein we report a nickel-catalyzed asymmetric reductive aryl-allylation of aryl iodide-tethered unactivated alkenes, wherein both acyclic allyl carbonates and cyclic vinyl ethylene carbonates can serve as the coupling partners. Furthermore, the direct use of allylic alcohols as the electrophilic allyl source in this reaction is also viable in the presence of BOC anhydride. Remarkably, this reaction proceeds with high linear/branched-, E/Z- and enantio-selectivity, allowing the synthesis of various chiral indanes and dihydrobenzofurans (50 examples) containing a homoallyl-substituted quaternary stereocenter with high optical purity (90–98% ee). In this reductive reaction, the use of pregenerated organometallics can be circumvented, giving this process good functionality tolerance and high step-economy.

Metabolic engineering coupled with adaptive evolution strategies for the efficient production of high-quality L-lactic acid by Lactobacillus paracasei

The main indicators for industrial production of high-quality lactic acid at elevated temperatures are high titer, productivity, yield, and optical purity. However, no such strains have been reported to meet all these requirements simultaneously. In this study, a high optical purity L-lactic acid producing strain is developed through the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing platform. Further, adaptive evolution was used to breed and select a high-performance strain (NCBIO01-M2-ldhL1-HT) that could efficiently produce L-lactic acid at a high temperature of 45℃. This strain produced 221.0 g/L of L-lactic acid in open fermentation with high initial glucose concentration. Also, L-lactic acid productivity and yield was above 7.5 g/L/h and 0.96 g/g respectively, as well as the optical purity of L-lactic acid in the fermentation broth exceeded 99.1%. In short, this breeding strain possess high potential to be considered for the commercial production of polymer-grade L-lactic acid.

A Reliable Enantioselective Route to Mono-Protected N1-Cbz Piperazic Acid Building Block.

The chiral N1-Cbz, N2-H derivative of the piperazic acid monomer is a valuable building block in the total synthesis of natural products, comprising this nonproteinogenic amino acid. In that context, we wish to report an improved synthetic protocol for the synthesis of both (3R)- and (3S)-piperazic acids bearing the carboxybenzyl protecting group (Cbz) selectively at the N1 position. Our method builds on previously reported protocols, circumventing their potential shortcomings, and optimizing the ultimate selective deprotection at the N2 position, thus, offering an efficient and reproducible pathway to suitably modified piperazates in high optical purity.

Synthesis and analysis of 4-(3-fluoropropyl)-glutamic acid stereoisomers to determine the stereochemical purity of (4S)-4-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-L-glutamic acid ([18F]FSPG) for clinical use.

(4S)-4-(3-[18F]Fluoropropyl)-L-glutamic acid ([18F]FSPG) is a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent for measuring the system xC- transporter activity. It has been used for the detection of various cancers and metastasis in clinical trials. [18F]FSPG is also a promising diagnostic tool for evaluation of multiple sclerosis, drug resistance in chemotherapy, inflammatory brain diseases, and infectious lesions. Due to the very short half-life (110 min) of 18F nuclide, [18F]FSPG needs to be produced on a daily basis; therefore, fast and efficient synthesis and analytical methods for quality control must be established to assure the quality and safety of [18F]FSPG for clinical use. To manufacture cGMP-compliant [18F]FSPG, all four nonradioactive stereoisomers of FSPG were prepared as reference standards for analysis. (2S,4S)-1 and (2R,4R)-1 were synthesized starting from protected L- and D-glutamate derivatives in three steps, whereas (2S,4R)-1 and (2R,4S)-1 were prepared in three steps from protected (S)- and (R)-pyroglutamates. A chiral HPLC method for simultaneous determination of four FSPG stereoisomers was developed by using a 3-cm Chirex 3126 column and a MeCN/CuSO4(aq) mobile phase. In this method, (2R,4S)-1, (2S,4S)-1, (2R,4R)-1, and (2S,4R)-1 were eluted in sequence with sufficient resolution in less than 25 min without derivatization. Scale-up synthesis of intermediates for the production of [18F]FSPG in high optical purity was achieved via stereo-selective synthesis or resolution by recrystallization. The enantiomeric excess of intermediates was determined by HPLC using a Chiralcel OD column and monitored at 220 nm. The nonradioactive precursor with >98% ee can be readily distributed to other facilities for the production of [18F]FSPG. Based on the above accomplishments, cGMP-compliant [18F]FSPG met the acceptance criteria in specifications and was successfully manufactured for human use. It has been routinely prepared and used in several pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma metastasis-related clinical trials.

Synthesis, Chiral Resolution, and Optical Properties of 2,18‐Dihydoxy‐5,10,15‐trioxa[9]helicene

AbstractHerein, we report a simple and efficient approach to synthesize a functionalized 2,18‐dimethoxy‐5,10,15‐trioxa[9]helicene. It was synthesized from simple phenol building blocks using two subsequent reactions namely oxidative coupling and dehydrative cyclization or palladium mediated cyclization. The molecular integrity of the helical core was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and NMR techniques. Its crystal structure showed the spontaneous resolution which was attributed to the conglomerate formation of the same helical isomer via C−H⋅⋅⋅O and π⋅⋅⋅π or H⋅⋅⋅π interactions. Then, it was converted to racemic 2,18‐dihydoxy‐5,10,15‐trioxa[9]helicene. Enantiomers were separated on preparative HPLC with high optical purity (>99 % ee). Based on electronic circular dichroism, the absolute configurations of dextrorotary and levorotatory antipodes were assigned as P and M, respectively. We also studied the absorption, emission and chiroptical behavior of these helical compounds in the solution state.

Ground-State Destabilization by Active-Site Hydrophobicity Controls the Selectivity of a Cofactor-Free Decarboxylase.

Bacterial arylmalonate decarboxylase (AMDase) and evolved variants have become a valuable tool with which to access both enantiomers of a broad range of chiral arylaliphatic acids with high optical purity. Yet, the molecular principles responsible for the substrate scope, activity, and selectivity of this enzyme are only poorly understood to date, greatly hampering the predictability and design of improved enzyme variants for specific applications. In this work, empirical valence bond and metadynamics simulations were performed on wild-type AMDase and variants thereof to obtain a better understanding of the underlying molecular processes determining reaction outcome. Our results clearly reproduce the experimentally observed substrate scope and support a mechanism driven by ground-state destabilization of the carboxylate group being cleaved by the enzyme. In addition, our results indicate that, in the case of the nonconverted or poorly converted substrates studied in this work, increased solvent exposure of the active site upon binding of these substrates can disturb the vulnerable network of interactions responsible for facilitating the AMDase-catalyzed cleavage of CO2. Finally, our results indicate a switch from preferential cleavage of the pro-(R) to the pro-(S) carboxylate group in the CLG-IPL variant of AMDase for all substrates studied. This appears to be due to the emergence of a new hydrophobic pocket generated by the insertion of the six amino acid substitutions, into which the pro-(S) carboxylate binds. Our results allow insight into the tight interaction network determining AMDase selectivity, which in turn provides guidance for the identification of target residues for future enzyme engineering.

Carbene‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Aldol Reaction: Post‐Aldol Stereochemistry Control and Formation of Quaternary Stereogenic Centers

AbstractThe dominated approaches for asymmetric aldol reactions have primarily focused on the aldol carbon–carbon bond‐forming events. Here we postulate and develop a new catalytic strategy that seeks to modulate the reaction thermodynamics and control the product enantioselectivities via post‐aldol processes. Specifically, an NHC catalyst is used to activate a masked enolate substrate (vinyl carbonate) to promote the aldol reaction in a non‐enantioselective manner. This reversible aldol event is subsequently followed by an enantioselective acylative kinetic resolution that is mediated by the same (chiral) NHC catalyst without introducing any additional substance. This post‐aldol process takes care of the enantioselectivity issues and drives the otherwise reversible aldol reaction toward a complete conversion. The acylated aldol products bearing quaternary/tetrasubstituted carbon stereogenic centers are formed in good yields and high optical purities.

Carbene-Catalyzed Enantioselective Aldol Reaction: Post-Aldol Stereochemistry Control and Formation of Quaternary Stereogenic Centers.

The dominated approaches for asymmetric aldol reactions have primarily focused on the aldol carbon-carbon bond-forming events. Here we postulate and develop a new catalytic strategy that seeks to modulate the reaction thermodynamics and control the product enantioselectivities via post-aldol processes. Specifically, an NHC catalyst is used to activate a masked enolate substrate (vinyl carbonate) to promote the aldol reaction in a non-enantioselective manner. This reversible aldol event is subsequently followed by an enantioselective acylative kinetic resolution that is mediated by the same (chiral) NHC catalyst without introducing any additional substance. This post-aldol process takes care of the enantioselectivity issues and drives the otherwise reversible aldol reaction toward a complete conversion. The acylated aldol products bearing quaternary/tetrasubstituted carbon stereogenic centers are formed in good yields and high optical purities.

Transformations of Monoterpenes with the p-Menthane Skeleton in the Enzymatic System of Bacteria, Fungi and Insects.

The main objective of this article was to present the possibilities of using the enzymatic system of microorganisms and insects to transform small molecules, such as monoterpenes. The most important advantage of this type of reaction is the possibility of obtaining derivatives that are not possible to obtain with standard methods of organic synthesis or are very expensive to obtain. The interest of industrial centers focuses mainly on obtaining particles of high optical purity, which have the desired biological properties. The cost of obtaining such a compound and the elimination of toxic or undesirable chemical waste is important. Enzymatic reactions based on enzymes alone or whole microorganisms enable obtaining products with a specific structure and purity in accordance with the rules of Green Chemistry.

Syntheses of all eight stereoisomers of conidendrin.

All eight stereoisomers of conidendrin were synthesized from (1R,2S,3S)-1-(4-benzyloxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-benzyloxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-2- hydroxymethyl-1,4-butanediol ((+)-4) and its enantiomer with high optical purity. The configurations at 4-positions of the conidendrin stereoisomers were constructed by intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction of protected 4. After conversion to tetrahydronaphthalene intermediate 7a, the 2- and 3-position of tetrahydronaphthalene structure 7a were converted to 3a- and 9a-position of (+)-α-conidendrin (3a), respectively. By the epimerization process of 2- or 3-position of 7a, the other diastereomers were obtained. All enantiomers were also synthesized from (-)-4.

NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoreductases for synthesis of chiral amines by asymmetric reductive amination of ketones

Asymmetric reductive amination is one of the most important reactions in the preparation of chiral amine pharmaceutical intermediates. Different kinds of enzymes have been applied to the synthesis of chiral amines Among them, the development of reductive amination reactions catalyzed by NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoreductases is attractive, as it would permit a one-step transformation of prochiral ketones into chiral amines with high optical purity. In this review, the recent advances in enzyme structure, catalytic mechanism, protein engineering and the application in reductive amination reactions of NAD(P)H-dependent oxidoreductases, including imine reductase, amino acid dehydrogenase, opine dehydrogenase and reductive aminase, are summarized.