Amino acid-derived catalysts

Scheeren et al. reported the first enantioselective metal-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrones with alkenes in 1994 [26]. Their approach involved C,N-diphenylnitrone la and ketene acetals 2, in the presence of the amino acid-derived oxazaborolidinones 3 as the catalyst (Scheme 6.8). This type of boron catalyst has been used successfully for asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions [27, 28]. In this reaction the nitrone is activated, according to the inverse electron-demand, for a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with the electron-rich alkene. The reaction is thus controlled by the LUMO inone-HOMOaikene interaction. They found that coordination of the nitrone to the boron Lewis acid strongly accelerated the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with ketene acetals. The reactions of la with 2a,b, catalyzed by 20 mol% of oxazaborolidinones such as 3a,b were carried out at -78 °C. In some reactions fair enantioselectivities were induced by the catalysts, thus, 4a was obtained with an optical purity of 74% ee, however, in a low yield. The reaction involving 2b gave the C-3, C-4-cis isomer 4b as the only diastereomer of the product with 62% ee. 

Simple Amines, Alcohols and Amino Acid Derived Amino Alcohols as Chiral Catalysts... 

To obtain information about the structural requirements of a ligand capable of catalyzing the addition of dialkylzincs to aldehydes, various simple amines, alcohols and amino acid derived amino alcohols were tested as chiral catalysts (Table 27). 

In 1994, Wang et al. reported the DKR of amino acid derivatives by using pyridoxal 5-phosphate as the racemization catalyst [51]. The enzyme employed to catalyze the... 

A new chiral auxiliary based on a camphor-derived 8-lactol has been developed for the stereoselective alkylation of glycine enolate in order to give enantiomerically pure a-amino acid derivatives. As a key step for the synthesis of this useful auxiliary has served the rc-selective hydroformylation of a homoallylic alcohol employing the rhodium(I)/XANTPHOS catalyst (Scheme 11) [56]. 

As shown in the two examples described here, formation of the benzene nucleus by trimerization of alkynes is usually catalyzed by a Co-complex. However, Und-heim and coworkers [276] have recently shown that a Ru "-complex can also be used. Reaction of the triyne 6/4-9, which was prepared from SchollkopPs bislactim ether 6/4-8 [277] with Grubbs I catalyst 6/3-13, led to 6/4-10 in an excellent yield of 90%. Hydrolysis of 6/4-10 gave the desired as-indacene-bridged bis(a-amino acid) derivative 6/4-11 (Scheme 6/4.3). 

The application of olefin metathesis to the synthesis of piperidines continues to be widely employed. The use of ring closing metathesis (RCM) in the synthesis of fluorovinyl-containing a,P-unsaturated lactams 148 and cyclic amino acid derivatives 149 is shown below. A key improvement in these reactions is the addition of the Grubbs 2nd generation catalyst (G2) in small portions during the reaction to compensate for catalyst decomposition that occurs at elevated reaction temperatures <06EJOl 166>. 

Perhaps the one major drawback with DIPAMP is the long synthetic sequence required for its preparation, though shorter and cheaper methods are now available [12]. The ligand continues to be a player for the synthesis of amino acid derivatives at scale, including L-Dopa, as mentioned above [12, 25, 27-29]. Its continued use is a testament to the power of the initial discoveries, as well as showing that a chemical catalyst can achieve selectivities only previously seen with enzymes. 

The effects of temperature on enantioselectivities have been examined using a Rh-Et-DuPhos catalyst in both MeOH [56d] and THF [144]. With /5-dehydro-amino acid derivative 73 in MeOH, an increase in temperature was found to have a slight beneficial effect for both ( ) and (Z)-isomers over a 70°C range, with maximum values being observed between 0°C and 25°C. In THF, however, the effect is much more pronounced, especially for the (Z)-isomer which varies in selectivity from 65% ee at 10 °C to 86% ee at 25 °C. Interestingly, when substrate 72 was reduced with a Rh-Et-BPE catalyst in THF, this temperature dependence on enantioselectivity for the (Z)-isomer was most apparent, the se-lectivities varying from 43% ee (10°C) to 90% ee (40°C). Examination of these results also seemed to indicate that the hydrogenation of /9-dehydroamino acid derivatives follows an unsaturated pathway (vide supra) [144]. 

Bppfoh and bppfa derivatives have been applied most successfully for the Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation of dehydro amino acid derivatives such as MAC (ee 97%) and of functionalized ketones [7]. The nature of the amino group has a significant effect on enantioselectivity and often also on activity, and is used to tailor the ligand for a particular substrate. Rh-bppfa complexes were among the first catalysts able to hydrogenate tetrasubstituted C=C bonds, albeit with relatively low activity (Table 25.2, entries 2.1-2.3). Ferrophos, one of the very few li-... 

DIPAMP-Rh complex to give the corresponding chiral a-amino acid derivative in over 98% ee. The chiral product has been used for the synthesis of (S)-(-)-ac-romelobic acid [88]. Hydrogenation of a tetrahydropyrazine derivative catalyzed by a PHANEPHOS-Rh complex at -40"C gives an intermediate for the synthesis of Crixivan in 86% ee [82a]. Hydrogenation of another tetrahydropyrazine carboxamide derivative catalyzed by an (R)-BINAP-Rh catalyst leads to the chiral product in 99% ee [89]. 

Recently, Borner and coworkers described an efficient Rh-deguphos catalyst for the reductive amination of a-keto acids with benzyl amine. E.e.-values up to 98% were obtained for the reaction of phenyl pyruvic acid and PhCH2COCOOH (entry 4.9), albeit with often incomplete conversion and low TOFs. Similar results were also obtained for several other a-keto acids, and also with ligands such as norphos and chiraphos. An interesting variant for the preparation of a-amino acid derivatives is the one-pot preparation of aromatic a-(N-cyclohexyla-mino) amides from the corresponding aryl iodide, cyclohexylamine under a H2/ CO atmosphere catalyzed by Pd-duphos or Pd-Trost ligands [50]. Yields and ee-values were in the order of 30-50% and 90 >99%, respectively, and a catalyst loading of around 4% was necessary. 

Besides Ir-diphosphines, two more catalyst systems have shown promise for industrial application. As mentioned in Section 37.5.2, the Rh-Josiphos-cata-lyzed hydrogenation of unprotected /1-dehydro amino acid derivatives by Merck actually involves the hydrogenation of a C=N and not a C=C bond (see Fig. 37.10) [3, 51]. Noyori s Ru-PP-NN catalyst system seems also suitable for C=N hydrogenation [129], and was successfully applied in a feasibility study by Dow/Chirotech for the hydrogenation of a sulfonyl amidine [130]. Avecia also showed the viability of its CATHy catalyst for the transfer hydrogenation of phosphinyl imines [115] (see Fig. 37.34). 

The addition of cyanide to imines, the Strecker reaction, constitutes an interesting strategy for the asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives. Sigman and Jacobsen150 reported the first example of a metal-catalyzed enan-tioselective Strecker reaction using chiral salen Al(III) complexes 143 as the catalyst (see Scheme 2-59). 

Complexation of an amino acid derivative with a transition metal to provide a cyanation catalyst has been the subject of investigation for some years. It has been shown that the complex formed on reaction of titanium(IV) ethoxide with the imine (40) produces a catalyst which adds the elements of HCN to a variety of aldehydes to furnish the ( R)-cyanohydrins with high enantioselectivity[117]. Other imines of this general type provide the enantiomeric cyanohydrins from the same range of substrates11171. 

Moreover, it seemed to be a rational extension to apply the catalyst 123 to the asymmetric Strecker-type reaction.1291 Actually, as shown in Table 13, an efficient and general catalytic asymmetric Strecker-type reaction has been realized. Products were successfully converted to the corresponding amino acid derivatives in high yields without loss of enantiomeric purity.1301... 

Belokon et al. (261) subsequently found that salen-Cu(II) complexes are effective catalysts for the asymmetric alkylation of amino acid derivatives. Excellent se-lectivities are observed with 1 mol% of 88b-Cu in toluene at ambient temperature, Eq. 225. Although no stereochemical model is advanced to account for the selec-tivities, these workers suggest the catalyst may be acting as a chiral phase-transfer agent. 

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