Alcohols deracemization products

Deracemization products by biocatalysis are listed in Figure 33.9, and the mechanisms is shown in Scheme 33.21. If the (5)-specific enzyme catalyzed reversible transformation of (S)-alcohol to ketones and ketones to (S)-alcohol, and the reaction catalyzed by (/f)-specific enzyme is irreversible, (/ )-alcohol accumulated. 

Biooxidative deracemization of racemic sec-alcohols to single enantiomers [47,48] is complementary to combined metal-assisted lipase-mediated strategies [49,50]. In general, deracemization can be realized by either an enantioconvergent, a dynamic kinetic resolution, or a stereoinversion process. The latter concept is particularly appealing, as only half of the substrate needs to be converted, as the remaining half already represents the product with correct stereochemistry. 

Several suitable whole-cell systems have been identified for deracemization biotransformations on a large diversity of substrates, as compiled recently [48]. In particular, heterocyclic alcohols were successfully converted by Sphingomonas [55]. Access to enantiocomplementaiy products was achieved with various strains of Aspergillus [56] or Rhizopus [57]. Biotransformations can even be accomplished with yacon and ginger [58]. Substrate titers were reported up to 8gl for Candida parapsUosis mediated biotransformations [59]. 

Figure 14.6 Enzymatic deracemization concepts for production of chiral alcohols, amines and amino acids...

Relatively little attention has been paid to the conversion of racemic compounds into their enantiomerically pure versions in a single process, in other words a deracemization. For certain classes of chiral compounds such as secondary alcohols, this approach should provide many benefits, particularly to the pharmaceutical industry. Existing routes to high value intermediates in their racemic form may be modified to provide the equivalent homochiral product, thus reducing the extent of development chemistry required. In addition, the... 

Substituted acrylates (which reseitible the enamide substrates employed 1n asymmetric hydrogenation) may be deracemized by reduction with an optically active catalyst, especially DIPAMPRh . Selectivity ratios of 12 1 to 22 1 have been obtained for a variety of reactants with compounds of reasonable volatility, separation of starting material and product may be effected by preparative GLC. Recovered starting material can then be reduced with an achiral catalyst to give the optically pure anti product. Examples of kinetic resolutions by this method are given in Table II. More recently very successful kinetic resolutions of allylic alcohols have been carried out with Ru(BINAP) catalysts. 

The deracemization of a number of pharmaceutically valuable building blocks has been carried out by biocatalytic processes. This includes epoxides, alcohols, amines and acids. DKR involves the combination of an enantioselective transformation with an in situ racemisation process such that, in principle, both enantiomers of the starting material can be converted to the product in high yield and ee. The racemization step can be catalysed either enzymatically by racemases, or non-enzymatically by transition metals. 

Enzymatic oxidations of carbon-nitrogen bonds are as diverse as the substances containing this structural element. Mainly amine and amino acid oxidases are reported for the oxidation of C-N bonds. The steroespecificity of amine-oxidizing enzymes can be exploited to perform resolutions and even deracemizations or stereoinversions (Fig. 16.7-1 A). Analogous to the oxidation of alcohols, primary amines are oxidized to the corresponding imines, which can hydrolyze and react with unreacted amines (Fig. 16.7-1 B). In contrast to ethers, internal C-N bonds are readily oxidized, yielding substituted imines. This can be exploited for the production of substituted pyridines (Fig. 16.7-1 C). Furthermore, pyridines can be oxidized not only to N-oxides but also to a-hydroxylated products (Fig. 16.7-1 D). 

Note at the outset that asymmetric catalysis in the synthesis of fine chemicals is rarely a single-step process that converts a reactant directly to the final product. It is usually one of the steps in a total synthesis but is often the key step. Hence the analysis of the overall yield will be based on the methods described in Chapter 5. There are many types of reactions where asymmetric catalysis can be applied. The most important of these are C-C bond-forming reactions such as alkylation or nucleophilic addition, oxidation, reduction, isomerization, Diels-Alder reaction, Michael addition, deracemization, and Sharpless expoxidation (of allyl alcohols). A few representative examples (homogeneous and heterogeneous) are given in Table 9.6. 

Deracemization of 3-nonyl-3,4-epoxybut-l-ene (119) occurred by the EtsB-assisted reaction with p-methoxybenzyl alcohol (PMB) to afford the chiral product 120 with 99 % ee by using (/ ,/ )-Trost L-1. In addition to high enantioselectiv-ity, unusual exclusive 1,2-addition of the alcohol at the more substituted terminus occurred to generate a chiral center. The reaction is a key step in total synthesis of (—)-malyngolide [44]. 

The chiral synthesis of allylic alcohols has been the focus of many research works due to the high versatility of these molecules in the preparation of many active com-poimds [58,82], Allen and Williams reported the first example of DKR of allylic alcohols via lipase-palladium catalyst coupling deracemization of cyclic allylic acetates [83]. However, the accumulation of secondary products, as well as the long reaction times required, limited the use of this strategy. 

FIGURE 33.9A. (A) Products obtained by deracemization of racemic alcohols (/f)-alcohols... 

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