Carboxylic acids from amine-catalyzed condensation reactions

Ring-constrained analogues 37 of the anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac, have been prepared by acid-catalyzed condensation of aldehydes (or ethylene ketals of ketones) with 36 (Equation 4) <1998MI201>. This reaction presumably proceeds via intramolecular nucleophilic attack by the carboxylic acid group on an iminium ion intermediate from condensation of the secondary amine. Interestingly, the compounds 37 showed comparable activities to diclofenac in the formalin-induced rat paw edema test. 

In contrast to the widespread examples for artificial hydrolases which cleave ester or amide bonds only rare examples for transferase enzyme mimics—catalyzing the reverse reaction—are known. This could be due to the fact that amide bond formation is, in general, done under water-free conditions by condensation of an amine and a carboxylic acid. Transferases belong to the second main group of enzymes and transfer atomgroups from a donor (coenzyme A) to an acceptor molecule. The transacylases play an important role in the citric acid cycle or fatty acid biosynthesis (Figure 32) and degradation. The coenzyme A plays... 

Despite these mechanistic and theoretical studies, intermolecular amine-catalyzed aldolizations have only rarely been used on a preparative scale. A few note vorthy exceptions in vhich aldehydes are used as donors are sho vn in Scheme 4.6 [51-55]. These reactions are often performed neat or in the presence of small amounts of an organic solvent. The catalyst usually used is either a primary or secondary amine, a combination of an amine vith a carboxylic acid, or simply an amino acid. These catalyst systems have previously been used in the Knoevenagel condensation and it is apparent that synthetic amine-catalyzed aldolizations originate from Knoevenagel s chemistry [56]. 

Figure 11.13 Reactions at a-carbon of a-amino acids catalyzed by pyridoxal enzymes All three substituents at C are subject to labilization in the three types of a-carbon reactions. The hydrogen is labilized in recemization reactions, the amino group is labUized in the transamination and the carboxyl group is labilized in decarboxylation. a-Amino acid condenses with pyridoxal phosphate to yield pyridoxylidene imino acid (an aldimine). The common intermediate, aldimine and distinct ketimines leading to the production of oxo-acid (in transamination), amino acid (in racemization) and amine (in decarboxylation) are shown. The catalytic acid (H-A-) and base (-B ) are symbolic both can be from the same residue such as Lys258 in aspartate aminotransferase.

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