Asymmetric enantioselectivity

Optically active homogeneous (as well as heterogeneous) catalysts have been used to achieve partially asymmetric (enantioselective) hydrogenations of certain prochiral substrates.232 For example,233 hydrogenation of 31 with a suitable catalyst gives (+ ) or (-) 32... 

Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory drug, is synthesized by utilizing an asymmetric enantioselective hydrocyanation of vinylnaphthalene 1.65 utilizing a chiral ligand 1.66. Since the S-enantiomer is medicinally desirable whereas the i -enantiomer produces harmful health effects, the enantioselectivity of this reaction is important. The synthesis of naproxen nitrile (1.67) shown below produces the S-(—)-enantiomer with 75% ee. 

Chiral Ligand of L1A1H4 for the Enantioselective Reduction of Alkyl Phenyl Ketones. Optically active alcohols are important synthetic intermediates. There are two major chemical methods for synthesizing optically active alcohols from carbonyl compounds. One is asymmetric (enantioselective) reduction of ketones. The other is asymmetric (enantioselective) alkylation of aldehydes. Extensive attempts have been reported to modify Lithium Aluminum Hydride with chiral ligands in order to achieve enantioselective reduction of ketones. However, most of the chiral ligands used for the modification of LiAlHq are unidentate or bidentate, such as alcohol, phenol, amino alcohol, or amine derivatives. 

Keywords Rhodium, Carbon-Hydrogen Insertion, Cyclopropanation, Chiral, Asymmetric, Enantioselective, Intermolecular, Intramolecular, Diazocarbonyl Compounds... 

Attempts at asymmetric, enantioselective [2 + 2] cycloadditions, using chirally modified nickel catalysts, have been reported, but without positive results27. 

These methods can be roughly divided into two types (i) the use of chiral precursors, either from the chiral pool or from the products easily prepared therefrom, and (ii) asymmetric (enantioselective) reactions. In aU discussions, we will put the emphasis on the chiral precursor or on the asymmetric reaction used to create any one of the two previously mentioned carbon atoms, regardless of the methodology employed for the remaining stereocenters of the molecule. Nonetheless, it often happens that the final configuration at C-5/C-6 is generated by means of some type of chirahty transfer from other stereocenters that either wiU finally remain in the side chain or else disappear (sacrificial stereocenters). We wiU see several examples of this in the following sections. 

Propose at least three approaches to the asymmetric (enantioselective) synthesis of propargylic alcohol 91. (Prostaglandins-14)... 

Clearly, there is a need for techniques which provide access to enantiomerically pure compounds. There are a number of methods by which this goal can be achieved . One can start from naturally occurring enantiomerically pure compounds (the chiral pool). Alternatively, racemic mixtures can be separated via kinetic resolutions or via conversion into diastereomers which can be separated by crystallisation. Finally, enantiomerically pure compounds can be obtained through asymmetric synthesis. One possibility is the use of chiral auxiliaries derived from the chiral pool. The most elegant metliod, however, is enantioselective catalysis. In this method only a catalytic quantity of enantiomerically pure material suffices to convert achiral starting materials into, ideally, enantiomerically pure products. This approach has found application in a large number of organic... 

A more eflicient and general synthetic procedure is the Masamune reaction of aldehydes with boron enolates of chiral a-silyloxy ketones. A double asymmetric induction generates two new chiral centres with enantioselectivities > 99%. It is again explained by a chair-like six-centre transition state. The repulsive interactions of the bulky cyclohexyl group with the vinylic hydrogen and the boron ligands dictate the approach of the enolate to the aldehyde (S. Masamune, 1981 A). The fi-hydroxy-x-methyl ketones obtained are pure threo products (threo = threose- or threonine-like Fischer formula also termed syn" = planar zig-zag chain with substituents on one side), and the reaction has successfully been applied to macrolide syntheses (S. Masamune, 1981 B). Optically pure threo (= syn") 8-hydroxy-a-methyl carboxylic acids are obtained by desilylation and periodate oxidation (S. Masamune, 1981 A). Chiral 0-((S)-trans-2,5-dimethyl-l-borolanyl) ketene thioketals giving pure erythro (= anti ) diastereomers have also been developed by S. Masamune (1986). 

The first practical method for asymmetric epoxidation of primary and secondary allylic alcohols was developed by K.B. Sharpless in 1980 (T. Katsuki, 1980 K.B. Sharpless, 1983 A, B, 1986 see also D. Hoppe, 1982). Tartaric esters, e.g., DET and DIPT" ( = diethyl and diisopropyl ( + )- or (— )-tartrates), are applied as chiral auxiliaries, titanium tetrakis(2-pro-panolate) as a catalyst and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (= TBHP, Bu OOH) as the oxidant. If the reaction mixture is kept absolutely dry, catalytic amounts of the dialkyl tartrate-titanium(IV) complex are suflicient, which largely facilitates work-up procedures (Y. Gao, 1987). Depending on the tartrate enantiomer used, either one of the 2,3-epoxy alcohols may be obtained with high enantioselectivity. The titanium probably binds to the diol grouping of one tartrate molecule and to the hydroxy groups of the bulky hydroperoxide and of the allylic alcohol... 

Among chiral dialkylboranes, diisopinocampheylborane (8) is the most important and best-studied asymmetric hydroborating agent. It is obtained in both enantiomeric forms from naturally occurring a-pinene. Several procedures for its synthesis have been developed (151—153). The most convenient one, providing product of essentially 100% ee, involves the hydroboration of a-pinene with borane—dimethyl sulfide in tetrahydrofuran (154). Other chiral dialkylboranes derived from terpenes, eg, 2- and 3-carene (155), limonene (156), and longifolene (157,158), can also be prepared by controlled hydroboration. A more tedious approach to chiral dialkylboranes is based on the resolution of racemates. /n j -2,5-Dimethylborolane, which shows excellent enantioselectivity in the hydroboration of all principal classes of prochiral alkenes except 1,1-disubstituted terminal double bonds, has been... 

Asymmetric Hydroboration. Hydroboration—oxidation of (Z)-2-butene with diisopinocampheylborane was the first highly enantioselective asymmetric synthesis (496) the product was R(—)2-butanol in 87% ee. Since then several asymmetric hydroborating agents have been developed. Enantioselectivity in the hydroboration of significant classes of prochiral alkenes with representative asymmetric hydroborating agents is shown in Table 3. 

Absorption, metaboHsm, and biological activities of organic compounds are influenced by molecular interactions with asymmetric biomolecules. These interactions, which involve hydrophobic, electrostatic, inductive, dipole—dipole, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, steric hindrance, and inclusion complex formation give rise to enantioselective differentiation (1,2). Within a series of similar stmctures, substantial differences in biological effects, molecular mechanism of action, distribution, or metaboHc events may be observed. Eor example, (R)-carvone [6485-40-1] (1) has the odor of spearrnint whereas (5)-carvone [2244-16-8] (2) has the odor of caraway (3,4). 

Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation was one of the first enantioselective synthetic methods used industrially (82). 2,2 -Bis(diarylphosphino)-l,l -binaphthyl (BINAP) is a chiral ligand which possesses a Cg plane of symmetry (Fig. 9). Steric interactions prevent interconversion of the (R)- and (3)-BINAP. Coordination of BINAP with a transition metal such as mthenium or rhodium produces a chiral hydrogenation catalyst capable of inducing a high degree of enantiofacial selectivity (83). Naproxen (41) is produced in 97% ee by... 

Much effort has been placed in the synthesis of compounds possessing a chiral center at the phosphoms atom, particularly three- and four-coordinate compounds such as tertiary phosphines, phosphine oxides, phosphonates, phosphinates, and phosphate esters (11). Some enantiomers are known to exhibit a variety of biological activities and are therefore of interest Oas agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals (qv), etc. Homochiral bisphosphines are commonly used in catalytic asymmetric syntheses providing good enantioselectivities (see also Nucleic acids). Excellent reviews of low coordinate (coordination numbers 1 and 2) phosphoms compounds are available (12). 

Efficient enantioselective asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral ketones and olefins has been accompHshed under mild reaction conditions at low (0.01— 0.001 mol %) catalyst concentrations using rhodium catalysts containing chiral ligands (140,141). Practical synthesis of several optically active natural... 

Asymmetric synthesis is a method for direct synthesis of optically active amino acids and finding efficient catalysts is a great target for researchers. Many exceUent reviews have been pubHshed (72). Asymmetric syntheses are classified as either enantioselective or diastereoselective reactions. Asymmetric hydrogenation has been appHed for practical manufacturing of l-DOPA and t-phenylalanine, but conventional methods have not been exceeded because of the short life of catalysts. An example of an enantio selective reaction, asymmetric hydrogenation of a-acetamidoacryHc acid derivatives, eg, Z-2-acetamidocinnamic acid [55065-02-6] (6), is shown below and in Table 4 (73). 

The variety of enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolutions of enantiomers reported ia recent years is enormous. Similar to asymmetric synthesis, enantioselective resolutions are carried out ia either hydrolytic or esterification—transesterification modes. Both modes have advantages and disadvantages. Hydrolytic resolutions that are carried out ia a predominantiy aqueous medium are usually faster and, as a consequence, require smaller quantities of enzymes. On the other hand, esterifications ia organic solvents are experimentally simpler procedures, aHowiag easy product isolation and reuse of the enzyme without immobilization. 

Since cbiral sulfur ylides racemize rapidly, they are generally prepared in situ from chiral sulfides and halides. The first example of asymmetric epoxidation was reported in 1989, using camphor-derived chiral sulfonium ylides with moderate yields and ee (< 41%) Since then, much effort has been made in tbe asymmetric epoxidation using sucb a strategy without a significant breakthrough. In one example, the reaction between benzaldehyde and benzyl bromide in the presence of one equivalent of camphor-derived sulfide 47 furnished epoxide 48 in high diastereoselectivity (trans cis = 96 4) with moderate enantioselectivity in the case of the trans isomer (56% ee). ... 

The first asymmetric Mn(salen)-catalyzed epoxidation of silyl enol ethers was carried out by Reddy and Thornton in 1992. Results from the epoxidation of various silyl enol ethers gave the corresponding keto-alcohols in up to 62% ee Subsequently, Adam and Katsuki " independently optimized the protocol for these substrates yielding products in excellent enantioselectivity. 

In 1980, Katsuki and Sharpless communicated that the epoxidation of a variety of allylic alcohols was achieved in exceptionally high enantioselectivity with a catalyst derived from titanium(IV) isopropoxide and chiral diethyl tartrate. This seminal contribution described an asymmetric catalytic system that not only provided the product epoxide in remarkable enantioselectivity, but showed the immediate generality of the reaction by examining 5 of the 8 possible substitution patterns of allylic alcohols all of which were epoxidized in >90% ee. Shortly thereafter. Sharpless and others began to illustrate the... 

The mechanism of the asymmetric alkylation of chiral oxazolines is believed to occur through initial metalation of the oxazoline to afford a rapidly interconverting mixture of 12 and 13 with the methoxy group forming a chelate with the lithium cation." Alkylation of the lithiooxazoline occurs on the less hindered face of the oxazoline 13 (opposite the bulky phenyl substituent) to provide 14 the alkylation may proceed via complexation of the halide to the lithium cation. The fact that decreased enantioselectivity is observed with chiral oxazoline derivatives bearing substituents smaller than the phenyl group of 3 is consistent with this hypothesis. Intermediate 13 is believed to react faster than 12 because the approach of the electrophile is impeded by the alkyl group in 12. 

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