Alkylation Reductive amination

Enders, D., Schubert, H. Enantioselective synthesis of P-substituted primary amines, a-alkylation/reductive amination of aldehydes via SAMP hydrazones. Arrgew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1984, 23, 365-366. 

An alternative synthetic approach to amine alkylation, reductive amination, has also been used in solution-phase combinatorial chemistry (Table 3.4). Parallel syntheses implying alkylation of amines via acylation and subsequent reduction with diborane has also been reported [29,86]. 

Activated carbon supported palladium catalysts have been widely used in fine organic chemical synthesis. Some of the typical applications are debenzyiation, hydrogenation, reductive alkylation, reductive amination, etc. As an effective synthetic method, debenzyiation has been used commercially in organic synthesis to deprotect various functional groups. 

N-Hydroxysuccinimide ester N-Hydroxysuccinimide ester Addition or alkylation Reductive amination Epoxide... 

Unusual reducing properties can be obtained with borohydride derivatives formed in situ. A variety of reductions have been reported, including hydrogenolysis of carbonyls and alkylation of amines with sodium borohydride in carboxyHc acids such as acetic and trifluoroacetic (38), in which the acyloxyborohydride is the reducing agent. 

Reductive amination of cyclohexanone using primary and secondary aHphatic amines provides A/-alkylated cyclohexylamines. Dehydration to imine for the primary amines, to endocycHc enamine for the secondary amines is usually performed in situ prior to hydrogenation in batch processing. Alternatively, reduction of the /V-a1ky1ani1ines may be performed, as for /V,/V-dimethy1 cyclohexyl amine from /V, /V- di m e th y1 a n i1 i n e [121 -69-7] (12,13). One-step routes from phenol and the alkylamine (14) have also been practiced. 

Reductive alkylations and aminations requite pressure-rated reaction vessels and hiUy contained and blanketed support equipment. Nitrile hydrogenations are similar in thein requirements. Arylamine hydrogenations have historically required very high pressure vessel materials of constmction. A nominal breakpoint of 8 MPa (- 1200 psi) requites yet heavier wall constmction and correspondingly more expensive hydrogen pressurization. Heat transfer must be adequate, for the heat of reaction in arylamine ring reduction is - 50 kJ/mol (12 kcal/mol) (59). Solvents employed to maintain catalyst activity and improve heat-transfer efficiency reduce effective hydrogen partial pressures and requite fractionation from product and recycle to prove cost-effective. 

Aliphatic Alcohols and Alkylene Glycols. Simple aliphatic alcohols, such as methanol [67-56-1], can be used to alkylate alkyleneamines. For example, piperazine reacts with methanol over a reductive amination catalyst to yield a mixture of 1-methyl- [109-01 -3J and 1,4-dimethylpiperazine [106-58-1] (12). 

Reductive amination (Section 22.10) Reaction of ammonia or an amine with an aldehyde or a ketone in the presence of a reducing agent is an effective method for the preparation of primary, secondary, or tertiary amines. The reducing agent may be either hydrogen in the presence of a metal catalyst or sodium cyanoborohy-dride. R, R, and R" may be either alkyl or aryl. 

Coe et al. reported an efficient modification for the preparation of /-substituted indole analogs for biology screening in good yield. The intermediate P-nitrostyrene 44, prepared from the condensation of 43 with DMFDMA, underwent methanolysis and reduction to provide the aniline acetal intermediate 45. Alkylation of amine 45 was carried out employing standard conditions of reductive alkylation to provide A-alkyl analogs represented by 46. The indole 47 was generated by formation of the oxonium ion (from 46) under acidic conditions, followed by cyclization, accompanied by loss of methanol. 

Extension of the alkyl group on the carbon bearing the amine changes the pharmacologic profile. Reductive amination of 1-phenylbutanone-2 (60) with pyrrolidine in formic acid gives pro-litane (61), a central nervous system stimulant agent with antidepressant properties. 

Further substitution of benzoic acid leads to a drug with antiemetic activity. Alkylation of the sodium salt of p-hydroxy-benzaldehyde (8) with 2-dimethylaminoethyl chloride affords the so-called basic ether (9). Reductive amination of the aldehyde in the presence of ammonia gives diamine, 10. Acylation of that product with 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl chloride affords trimetho-benzamide (11). ... 

Reductive amination of dihydropyran (which may be regarded as the dehydration product of the cyclic acetal of 5-hydroxy-pentanal) in the presence of isopropylamine and a trace of acid affords the aminoalcohol, 96. Treatment of this compound with thionyl chloride affords the haloamine, 97. Alkylation of the quinoline, 92, with this halide yields pentaquine (98). ... 

Amino acids can be synthesized in racemic form by several methods, including ammonolysis of an a-bromo acid, alkylation of diethyl acetamido-malonate, and reductive amination of an cv-keto acid. Alternatively, an enantio-selective synthesis of amino acids can be carried out using a chiral hydrogenation catalyst. 

The amine could be put in by reductive amination on the secondary side or via an amide on the primary side (Chapter T8) but this crow Jed compound can be made by simple alkylation of (22) with available isopropylamine. Sterlc hindrance prevents a second alkylation. 

The direct reductive amination (DRA) is a useful method for the synthesis of amino derivatives from carbonyl compounds, amines, and H2. Precious-metal (Ru [130-132], Rh [133-137], Ir [138-142], Pd [143]) catalyzed reactions are well known to date. The first Fe-catalyzed DRA reaction was reported by Bhanage and coworkers in 2008 (Scheme 42) [144]. Although the reaction conditions are not mild (high temperature, moderate H2 pressure), the hydrogenation of imines and/or enam-ines, which are generated by reaction of organic carbonyl compounds with amines, produces various substituted aryl and/or alkyl amines. A dihydrogen or dihydride iron complex was proposed as a reactive intermediate within the catalytic cycle. 

Even with a limited amount of the alkylating agent, the equilibria between protonated product and the neutral starting amine are sufficiently fast that a mixture of products may be obtained. For this reason, when monoalkylation of an amine is desired, the reaction is usually best carried out by reductive amination, a reaction that is discussed in Chapter 5. If complete alkylation to the quaternary salt is desired, use of excess alkylating agent and a base to neutralize the liberated acid normally results in complete reaction. 

Sodium triacetoxyborohydride is an alternative to NaBH3CN for reductive amination. This reagent can be used with a wide variety of aldehydes or ketones with primary and secondary amines, including aniline derivatives.93 This reagent has been used successfully to alkylate amino acid esters.94... 

Next, reductive amination (step 4 in scheme 1) was exchanged with copper catalyzed palladium coupling (step 2 in scheme 1). Atomic absorption analysis for palladium in RWJ-26240 samples prepared by scheme 2 indicated that the level of palladium was reduced to an acceptable level. This improvement may be due to the two reduction steps subsequent to the use of palladium in scheme 2.177 The final major modification to the reaction scheme was the substitution of NaBH4 for NaBH3CN. The yield of product (60%) was determined by HPLC (Method 2). Reductive alkylation with formalin/NaBH4 afforded a pharmaceutically acceptable drug substance. 

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