Asymmetric reduction reactions

Chapter 2 to 6 have introduced a variety of reactions such as asymmetric C-C bond formations (Chapters 2, 3, and 5), asymmetric oxidation reactions (Chapter 4), and asymmetric reduction reactions (Chapter 6). Such asymmetric reactions have been applied in several industrial processes, such as the asymmetric synthesis of l-DOPA, a drug for the treatment of Parkinson s disease, via Rh(DIPAMP)-catalyzed hydrogenation (Monsanto) the asymmetric synthesis of the cyclopropane component of cilastatin using a copper complex-catalyzed asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction (Sumitomo) and the industrial synthesis of menthol and citronellal through asymmetric isomerization of enamines and asymmetric hydrogenation reactions (Takasago). Now, the side chain of taxol can also be synthesized by several asymmetric approaches. 

The quality of the ligand can be determined by performing an asymmetric reduction reaction on prochiral ketones according to the following procedure. 

Candida parapsilosis was found to be able to convert (k)-1,2-butanediol to (S)-l,2-butanediol through stereospecific oxidation and asymmetric reduction reactions [72]. The oxidation of (k)-1,2-butanediol to l-hydroxy-2-butanone and the reduction of l-hydroxy-2-butanone to (S)-l,2-butanediol were cataly-... 

In contrast to asymmetric oxidation chemistry, cinchona-catalyzed asymmetric reduction reactions have been explored very little, despite the importance of this reaction. Previous reports on this topic are restricted to the reduction of aromatic ketones, and the enantioselectivities achieved to date remain far from satisfactory when compared with metal catalysis. Moreover, Hantsch esters, another type of useful organic hydrides, have not yet been studied in combination with cinchona catalysts. However, as is well known, the structures of cinchona alkaloids are easily modifiable, thus permitting the easy tuning of the reaction course. The successful use of cinchona catalysts for this reaction will therefore likely be reported in the very near future. 

Prize in Chemistry. (The other half of the 2001 prize was awarded to W. Knowles and R. Noyori for their development of catalytic asymmetric reduction reactions see Section 7.14A.) The following reaction, involved in an enantioselective synthesis of the side chain of the anticancer drug paclitaxel (Taxol), serves to illustrate Sharpless s catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation. The example utilizes a catalytic amount of K20s02(0H)4, an OSO4 equivalent, a chiral amine ligand to induce enan-tioselectivity, and NMO as the stoichiometric co-oxidant. The product is obtained in 99% enantiomeric excess (ee) ... 

The chiroptical properties of carbohydrate-derived bidentate ligands (4) and (5) have been studied, as well as their complexes with Mo2(0Ac). Their use as chiral ligands for some asymmetric reduction reactions resulted in only poor enantioselectivity. 

In addition to further improvement of the efficiency of these systems, we believe that also a significant focus should be put on environmental and ethical issues associated with their large-scale application. Only if these aspects are taken into account during process development, biocatalysis can reach its full potential for sustainable asymmetric reduction reactions. 

CDP840 is a selective inhibitor of the PDE-IV isoenzyme and interest in the compound arises from its potential application as an antiasthmatic agent. Chemists at Merck Co. used the asymmetric epoxidation reaction to set the stereochemistry of the carbon framework and subsequently removed the newly established C-O bonds." Epoxidation of the trisubstituted olefin 51 provided the desired epoxide in 89% ee and in 58% yield. Reduction of both C-O bonds was then accomplished to provide CDP840. 

The configuration of the amine was retained, except in the case of amino acid derivatives, which racemized at the stage of the pyridinium salt product. Control experiments showed that, while the starting amino acid was configurationally stable under the reaction conditions, the pyridinium salt readily underwent deuterium exchange at the rz-position in D2O. In another early example, optically active amino alcohol 73 and amino acetate 74 provided chiral 1,4-dihydronicotinamide precursors 75 and 76, respectively, upon reaction with Zincke salt 8 (Scheme 8.4.24). The 1,4-dihydro forms of 75 and 76 were used in studies on the asymmetric reduction of rz,>S-unsaturated iminium salts. 

Utilizing the Zincke reaction of salts such as 112 (Scheme 8.4.38), Binay et al. prepared 4-substituted-3-oxazolyl dihydropyridines as NADH models for use in asymmetric reductions. They found that high purity of the Zincke salts was required for efficient reaction with R-(+)-l-phenylethyl amine, for example. As shown in that case (Scheme 8.4.38), chiral A-substituents could be introduced, and 1,4-reduction produced the NADH analogs (e.g. 114). 

The synthesis of 10 features the SN2 displacement of the allylic acetate with migration of R2 from the ate complex6. Precursors 9 are prepared by the hydroboration of 3-acetoxy-l-alkynes that are available with very high enantiomeric purity via the asymmetric reduction of the corresponding l-alkyn-3-ones, and a substantial degree of asymmetric induction occurs in the conversion of 9 to 10. Best results, based on the enantioselectivity of reactions of 10 with aldehydes, are obtained when R2 is a bulky group such as isopinocampheyl (79 85 % ee)6. The yields of reactions of 10 with aldehydes are 62-76%. 

A very interesting approach to optically active sulphoxides, based on a kinetic resolution in a Pummerer-type reaction with optically active a-phenylbutyric acid chloride 269 in the presence of /V,A -dimethyIaniline, was reported by Juge and Kagan332 (equation 149). In contrast to the asymmetric reductions discussed above, this procedure afforded the recovered sulphoxides in optical yields up to 70%. Chiral a, /1-unsaturated sulphoxides 270 were prepared via a kinetic resolution elaborated by Marchese and coworkers333. They found that elimination of HX from racemic /i-halogenosulphoxides 271 in the presence of chiral tertiary amines takes place in an asymmetric way leading to both sulphoxides 270 and 271, which are optically active (optical yields up to 20%) with opposite configurations at sulphur (equation 150). 

Aryl vinyl sulphones, reactions of 646 Aryl vinyl sulphoxides 620 optical resolution of 287 reactions of 354, 355, 360, 361, 621 Asscher-Vofsi reaction 189 Asymmetric induction 625 Asymmetric oxidation 72-78 Asymmetric reduction 78, 79 Asymmetric synthesis 824-846 Atomic orbitals 2, 3 Azetidinones 790, 791 ot-Azidoaldehydes, synthesis of 811 Azidosulphones, photolysis of 883, 884 Azosulphones, photolysis of 879 Azoxysulphones, photolysis of 879 1-Azulyl sulphoxides, synthesis of 265... 

Resting cell of G. candidum, as well as dried cell, has been shown to be an effective catalyst for the asymmetric reduction. Both enantiomers of secondary alcohols were prepared by reduction of the corresponding ketones with a single microbe [23]. Reduction of aromatic ketones with G. candidum IFO 5 767 afforded the corresponding (S)-alcohols in an excellent enantioselectivity when amberlite XAD-7, a hydro-phobic polymer, was added to the reaction system, and the reduction with the same microbe afforded (R)-alcohols, also in an excellent enantioselectivity, when the reaction was conducted under aerobic conditions (Figure 8.31). 

Figure 20 Use of IL as reaction medium for asymmetric reduction by Geotrichum candidum.

The catalytic alcohol racemization with diruthenium catalyst 1 is based on the reversible transfer hydrogenation mechanism. Meanwhile, the problem of ketone formation in the DKR of secondary alcohols with 1 was identified due to the liberation of molecular hydrogen. Then, we envisioned a novel asymmetric reductive acetylation of ketones to circumvent the problem of ketone formation (Scheme 6). A key factor of this process was the selection of hydrogen donors compatible with the DKR conditions. 2,6-Dimethyl-4-heptanol, which cannot be acylated by lipases, was chosen as a proper hydrogen donor. Asymmetric reductive acetylation of ketones was also possible under 1 atm hydrogen in ethyl acetate, which acted as acyl donor and solvent. Ethanol formation from ethyl acetate did not cause critical problem, and various ketones were successfully transformed into the corresponding chiral acetates (Table 17). However, reaction time (96 h) was unsatisfactory. 

After succeeding in the asymmetric reductive acylation of ketones, we ventured to see if enol acetates can be used as acyl donors and precursors of ketones at the same time through deacylation and keto-enol tautomerization (Scheme 8). The overall reaction thus corresponds to the asymmetric reduction of enol acetate. For example, 1-phenylvinyl acetate was transformed to (f )-l-phenylethyl acetate by CALB and diruthenium complex 1 in the presence of 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol with 89% yield and 98% ee. Molecular hydrogen (1 atm) was almost equally effective for the transformation. A broad range of enol acetates were prepared from ketones and were successfully transformed into their corresponding (7 )-acetates under 1 atm H2 (Table 19). From unsymmetrical aliphatic ketones, enol acetates were obtained as the mixtures of regio- and geometrical isomers. Notably, however, the efficiency of the process was little affected by the isomeric composition of the enol acetates. 

The strategy for the asymmetric reductive acylation of ketones was extended to ketoximes (Scheme 9). The asymmetric reactions of ketoximes were performed with CALB and Pd/C in the presence of hydrogen, diisopropylethylamine, and ethyl acetate in toluene at 60° C for 5 days (Table 20) In comparison to the direct DKR of amines, the yields of chiral amides increased significantly. Diisopropylethylamine was responsible for the increase in yields. However, the major factor would be the slow generation of amines, which maintains the amine concentration low enough to suppress side reactions including the reductive aminafion. Disappointingly, this process is limited to benzylic amines. Additionally, low turnover frequencies also need to be overcome. 

The first reductive kinetic resolution of racemic sulphoxides was reported by Balenovic and Bregant. They found that L-cysteine reacted with racemic sulphoxides to produce a mixture of L-cystine, sulphide and non-reduced optically active starting sulphoxide (equation 147). Mikojajczyk and Para reported that the reaction of optically active phosphonothioic acid 268 with racemic sulphoxides used in a 1 2 ratio gave the non-reduced optically active sulphoxides, however, with a low optical purity (equation 148). It is interesting to note that a clear relationship was found between the chirality of the reducing P-thioacid 268 and the recovered sulphoxide. Partial asymmetric reduction of racemic sulphoxides also occurs when a complex of LiAlH with chiral alcohols , as well as a mixture of formamidine sulphinic acid with chiral amines, are used as chiral reducing systems. ... 

---