Butyrolactones enantioselectivity

The synthesis of 4-alkyl-y-butyrolactones 13 and 5-alkyl-<5-valerolactones 14 can be achieved in high enantiomeric excess by alkylation of ethyl 4-oxobutanoate and ethyl 5-oxopentanoate (11, n = 2, 3). The addition of diethylzinc, as well as dimethylzinc, leads to hydroxy esters 12 in high optical purity. When methyl esters instead of ethyl esters are used as substrates, the enantioselectivity of the addition reaction is somewhat lower. Alkaline hydrolysis of the hydroxy esters 12, followed by spontaneous cyclization upon acidification, leads to the corresponding y-butyro- and -valerolactones32. 

Based on a /rarcr-acetoxypalladation of the triple bond, Lu has developed a highly enantioselective (up to 87% ee) synthesis of 7-butyrolactones with Pd(n) catalysis (Scheme 73).280 Following the initial /ra/w-acetoxy-palladation, a plausible mechanism for this sequence involves an intramolecular carbopalladation of the pendant olefin, and deacetoxypalladation instead of the common /3-hydride elimination in the final step. 

Zhang68 has applied the cyclization of esters to the formation of a-methylene-y-butyrolactones, thus offering a novel and enantioselective entry to these substructures. The importance of this unsaturated lactone is evidenced by its ubiquitous presence in nearly a third of all naturally occurring secondary metabolites. The Alder-ene reaction has been applied to a formal total synthesis of (+)-pilocarpine, a leading therapeutic reagent for the treatment of narrow and wide glaucoma. Zhang intersected Btichi s synthetic intermediate (i )-181 (Scheme 47) in only two steps with a 99% ee and a 91% overall yield. In comparison, Biichi synthesized (i )-181 in five steps with a 92% ee and a 20% overall yield. 

Limited progress has been achieved in the enantioselective hydrogenation of a,/ -unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, amides, lactones, and ketones (Scheme 26.10). The Ru-BINAP system is efficient for the hydrogenation of 2-methy-lene-y-butyrolactone, and 2-methylene-cyclopentanone [98]. With a dicationic (S)-di-t-Bu-MeOBIPHEP-Ru complex under a high hydrogen pressure, 3-ethoxy pyr-rolidinone could be hydrogenated in isopropanol to give (R)-4-ethoxy-y-lactam in 98% ee [39]. 

The cyclopropane aldehyde 156 was identified as a versatile chiral building block for the enantioselective synthesis of 4,5 disubstituted y-butyrolactones of type 158 or 159. Both enantiomers of 156 can be easily obtained in a highly diastereo- and enantioselective manner from fixran-2-carboxylic ester 154 using an asymmetric copper-catalyzed cyclopropanation as the key step followed by an ozonolysis of the remaining double bond (Scheme 25) [63]. Addition of... 

Both, a-hydroxylated lignans of the dibenzyllactone-type and of the biarylcyclooctane-type have been enantioselectively prepared from the corresponding / -benzyl-y-butyrolactones via a-alkylation followed by a-oxy-genation (Scheme 5). The hydroxy group was introduced in two different... 

In the past few years, new approaches for the enantioselective synthesis of / -benzyl-y-butyrolactones appeared in the literature. Some of these approaches involve the asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-benzyl-2-butenediols (j [34]), the radical mediated rearrangement of chiral cyclopropanes (r [35]), the transition metal catalyzed asymmetric Bayer-Villiger oxidation of cyclobutanones n [36]), or the enzymatic resolution of racemic succinates (g [37]). 

Two classes of a-hydroxylated lignans have been enantioselectively prepared a) wikstromol (3) [10, 38] and related natural products [39] and b) gomisin A (1) and congeners [40, 41]. In both cases, chiral, non-racemic ita-conic acid derivatives have been synthesized as key compounds for the preparation of -benzyl-y-butyrolactones (either by resolution (g [32]) or by asymmetric hydrogenation (h [25])). 

The biotechnological synthesis of lactones has reached a high standard. Besides microbial production, lactones can also be enzymatically produced. For instance, a lipase-catalysed intramolecular transesterification of 4-hydroxy-carboxylic esters leads enantioselectively (ee>80%) to (S)-y-lactones the chain length may vary from C5 to Cl 1 [13]. y-Butyrolactone can be produced in that way with lipase from Mucor miehei [30]. 

Reaction of cinnamyl alcohol (36) catalyzed by Rh-BINAPHOS gives the product as lactol 37 (1 1 mixture of diastereomers at the anomeric carbon) with high enantioselectivity (88% ee) [94] (Scheme 7.7). The enantiopurity of lactol 37 is determined by oxidizing the lactol to the corresponding lactone 38. In the same manner, homoallyl alcohol (39) is converted to the corresponding a-methyl-y-butyrolactone (42) with 73% ee via lactol 40 [94] (Scheme 7.7). However, the regioselectivity of the reaction is not favorable to the formation of 40, forming achiral 6-lactol 41 as the major product. 

Cyclohexanone and cyclopentanone monooxygenases have been used in the microbial BV oxidation of prochiral bicycloketones. A significant difference in behaviour of [3.3.0] and [4.3.0] substrates has been analysed by high-level DFT calculations.345 Al-BINOL complexes catalyse the enantioselective BV oxidation of cyclobutanones to give the corresponding y-butyrolactones in up to 84% ee.346 Advances in the enantioselective metal-catalysed reaction have been reviewed, especially for lactone preparation.347... 

The biocatalytical formation of y-butyrolactones through Baeyer-Villiger oxidation is catalyzed by a number of different monooxygenases, yielding precursors to various natural products [29, 38]. Best enantioselectivities were obtained for the... 

The sesquiterpene (+)-asteriscanolide 1 was first isolated from Asteriscus aquaticus L and characterized by San Feliciano in 1985.1 It has captured the attention of organic chemists mainly because of its uncommon bicyclo[6.3.0]undecane ring system bridged by a butyrolactone fragment. The only prior enantioselective synthesis of 1 has been described by Wender in 1988 featuring an Ni(0)-promoted [4 + 4]-cycloaddition.2 Booker-Milburn and co-workers described the sequential application of intramolecular [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition, Curtius rearrangement, and oxidative fragmentation to produce the 7-desmethyl derivative in 1997.3... 

Dirhodium(II) tetrakis(carboxamides), constructed with chiral 2-pyrroli-done-5-carboxylate esters so that the two nitrogen donor atoms on each rhodium are in a cis arrangement, represent a new class of chiral catalysts with broad applicability to enantioselective metal carbene transformations. Enantiomeric excesses greater than 90% have been achieved in intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions of allyl diazoacetates. In intermolecular cyclopropanation reactions with monosubsti-tuted olefins, the cis-disubstituted cyclopropane is formed with a higher enantiomeric excess than the trans isomer, and for cyclopropenation of 1-alkynes extraordinary selectivity has been achieved. Carbon-hydro-gen insertion reactions of diazoacetate esters that result in substituted y-butyrolactones occur in high yield and with enantiomeric excess as high as 90% with the use of these catalysts. Their design affords stabilization of the intermediate metal carbene and orientation of the carbene substituents for selectivity enhancement. 

The suitability of Rh2(5S-MEPY)4 and Rh2(5/ -MEPY)4 for enantioselective intramolecular C-H insertions is exemplified in the results from preliminary experiments with a series of 2-alkoxyethyl diazoacetates and 2-phenethyl diazoacetate (67). Addition of diazo ester 17 to a solution of the chiral Rh2(MEPY)4 catalyst (0.5-1.0 mol %) in refluxing anhydrous CH2CI2 provided the corresponding 3-substituted y-butyrolactones 18 (eq 6) in moderate to high yields and with consistently high enantioselectivities. The exceptional correspondence in enantioselection between... 

The mild cleavage conditions with NEt3 HF, which do not cause epimerization at centers a to the carbonyl group, are essential for an enantioselective synthesis of y-oxoesters using optically active catalysts 641 in the cyclopropanation step. Up to 50 % ee have been obtained so far 65). Improvements should be possible, if the trans/cis-ratio of the siloxycyclopropane can be increased. Formylesters of type 99 are promising building blocks for further transformations (e.g. synthesis of y-butyrolactones). 

A review about the rearrangement and cycloaddition of carbonyl ylides generated from a-diazo compounds is available <2001CSR50>. Enantioselective intramolecular cyclopropanations of allyl 2-diazo-3-silanyloxybut-3-enoates to yield cyclopropyl 7-butyrolactones have been investigated with a variety of chiral rhodium catalysts. The best results were obtained with Rh2(PTTL)4, where enantioselectivity culminated at 89% ee (Equation 99) <2005TA2007>. 

Lu, X. Zhang, Q. Effect of Ligands on the Divalent Palladium-Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon Coupling Reactions. Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Optically Active y-Butyrolactones, Pure Appl. Chem. 2001, 73, 247-250. 

Aldol Addition. A catalyst generated upon treatment of Cu(OTf)2 with the (5,5)-r-Bu-box ligand has been shown to be an effective Lewis acid for the enantioselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction. The addition of substituted and unsubstituted enolsilanes at -78 °C in the presence of 5 mol % catalyst was reported to be very general for various nucleophiles, including silyl dienolates and enol silanes prepared from butyrolactone as well as acetate and propionate esters. 

---