A-Keto esters synthesis

Some workers avoid delay. Pai)adium-on-carbon was used effectively for the reductive amination of ethyl 2-oxo-4-phenyl butanoate with L-alanyl-L-proline in a synthesis of the antihyperlensive, enalapril maleate. SchifTs base formation and reduction were carried out in a single step as Schiff bases of a-amino acids and esters are known to be susceptible to racemization. To a solution of 4,54 g ethyl 2-oxO 4-phenylbutanoate and 1.86 g L-alanyl-L-proline was added 16 g 4A molecular sieve and 1.0 g 10% Pd-on-C The mixture was hydrogenated for 15 hr at room temperature and 40 psig H2. Excess a-keto ester was required as reduction to the a-hydroxy ester was a serious side reaction. The yield was 77% with a diastereomeric ratio of 62 38 (SSS RSS)((55). 

The ever-popular Biginelli synthesis of dihydropyrimidines, by condensation of urea with a keto ester and an aldehyde, and variations on it, has been applied in a number of areas. 

The hydrogenation of ketones with O or N functions in the a- or / -position is accomplished by several rhodium compounds [46 a, b, e, g, i, j, m, 56], Many of these examples have been applied in the synthesis of biologically active chiral products [59]. One of the first examples was the asymmetric synthesis of pantothenic acid, a member of the B complex vitamins and an important constituent of coenzyme A. Ojima et al. first described this synthesis in 1978, the most significant step being the enantioselective reduction of a cyclic a-keto ester, dihydro-4,4-dimethyl-2,3-furandione, to D-(-)-pantoyl lactone. A rhodium complex derived from [RhCl(COD)]2 and the chiral pyrrolidino diphosphine, (2S,4S)-N-tert-butoxy-carbonyl-4-diphenylphosphino-2-diphenylphosphinomethyl-pyrrolidine ((S, S) -... 

It is always advisable to examine the complete molecular topology in the neighborhood of the chiral carbon atom and to confirm the results by employing another analytical method before the final assignment. In conclusion, Prelog s rule does predict the steric course of an asymmetric synthesis carried out with a chiral a-keto ester, and the predictions have been found to be correct in most cases. Indeed, this method has been widely used for determining the absolute configuration of secondary alcohols. 

Dihydrofuran reacts with /3,7-unsaturated a-keto esters with copper or zinc complex catalysts to generate furo[2,3-/ ]pyran derivatives in good yields with high stereoselectivity. The synthesis proceeds via an inverse electron demand hetero-Diels-Alder reaction <2000CC459>. 

The thermal ring opening of the pyrazoline (351) occurs with elimination of nitrogen and the formation of a keto ester. The latter cyclizes with loss of ethanol to the pyran-2-one (352 Scheme 110) (02CB782). Since pyrazolines may be obtained from a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of diazoacetic ester and an unsaturated ketone, this route is in effect a further example of a type (i) synthesis (Scheme 85). 

Asymmetric hydroboration.1 The key step in a synthesis of natural (+ )-hir-sutic add-C (1), based on an earlier synthesis of racemic 1, is an efficient asymmetric hydroboration of the meso-alkene 2. Reaction of 2 with (+ )-diisopinocampheyl-borane (90% ee) followed by oxidation provides the exo-alcohol 3 in 73% yield and in 92% optical purity. Ring expansion of the corresponding ketone with ethyl diazoacetate is not regioselective even in the presence of BF3 etherate or (C2H5)30+ BF4, but does afford the desired a-keto ester in the presence of SbCl5 (8, 500-501). Decarboxylation of the crude product gives (— )-4 in 90% ee after chromatography. 

An extremely versatile and simple synthesis of macrocyclic amide complexes has been based on the reactivity of JV-acylisatin compounds (Scheme 32).170 The template reaction occurs very readily as a result of the increase in electrophilicity of the carbonyl groups in the a-keto esters and... 

The /V-(2,6-dimethy 1-4-oxopyridin-1 -yl)pyridinium salts (15)24 have proved to be versatile intermediates for the regiospecific synthesis of 4-substituted pyridines (17) via attack by the appropriate carbon nucleophiles, e.g. ionized ketones,90 nitroalkanes,91 esters and nitriles,92 and a-diketones, a-keto esters, a-diesters, disulfones etc. (Scheme 10).93 Aromatization of the intermediate 1,4-dihydro adduct (16) was generally achieved under free radical conditions. 

FIG. 1. Examples of asymmetric synthesis, (a) Addition of a Giignard reagent to a chiral a-keto ester, (b) Chiral hydroboration with di-3-pinanylborane. (c) Chiral heterogeneous hydrogenation. 

Hantzsch dihydropyridine synthesis. The original Hantzsch synthesis2 involves condensation of two equivalents of a keto ester with an aldehyde in the presence of ammonia. In an enantioselective version.5 the chirality is introduced by use of a chiral hydrazone (2) of an alkyl acetoacetate prepared from 1. The anion of 2 is then treated with Michael acceptors to form adducts (3), which cyclize to 4-aryl-l,4-dihydropyridines (4), in 64-72% overall yield and in 84-98% ee. 

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