Catalytic racemization

The method is not restricted to secondary aryl alcohols and very good results were also obtained for secondary diols [39], a- and S-hydroxyalkylphosphonates [40], 2-hydroxyalkyl sulfones [41], allylic alcohols [42], S-halo alcohols [43], aromatic chlorohydrins [44], functionalized y-hydroxy amides [45], 1,2-diarylethanols [46], and primary amines [47]. Recently, the synthetic potential of this method was expanded by application of an air-stable and recyclable racemization catalyst that is applicable to alcohol DKR at room temperature [48]. The catalyst type is not limited to organometallic ruthenium compounds. Recent report indicates that the in situ racemization of amines with thiyl radicals can also be combined with enzymatic acylation of amines [49]. It is clear that, in the future, other types of catalytic racemization processes will be used together with enzymatic processes. 

An additional feature of this DKR is the use of isopropenyl acetate, which is readily available, more active than PCPA and easily separable from the DKR mixtures [26]. Although the mechanism of the catalytic racemization is not clear yet, according to our interpretation, it can be deduced that the amino group in 6 seems to play a crucial role in the racemization. 

Scheme 13.4 Catalytic racemization of a secondary amine at high pressure and temperature.

Ru complex 46 [333b,334]. 4-Chlorophenyl acetate is a suitable acetyl donor because the produced 4-chlorophenol does not interfere with the catalytic racemization. 

Shin, S.T., Kim, M.-J., and Park, J. (2002) Aminocydopentadienyl ruthenium chloride catalytic racemization... 

Example 6.7 This example demonstrates the promoting effect of microwaves on an asymmetric catalytic reaction. Alkylation of dimethyl malonate carbanion is completed by a racemic allylic alcohol derivative in the presence of the complex of the Mo(III) ion with chiral bidentate nitrogen ligand VII. By this method, the key intermediate in the synthesis of the oral HfV inhibitor tipranavir was prepared in 95 % yield and 94 % e.e. (Scheme 6.11) [31]. Note that the racemic substrate is completely transformed into one enantiomer of the alkylated product revealing catalytic racemization of the non-reactive enantiomer ... 

Catalysts such as [Cp IrCl2]2 can help recovery of materials that would otherwise become waste. For example, after the desired enantiomer is removed from the mixture in a resolution step or enzymatically, the undesired isomer left behind can be catalytically racemized back to a 50-50 mixture of enantiomers via the sequence of Eq. 12.35. Dehydrogenation destroys the initial chirality so the hydrogenation step produces a 50-50 racemic mixture, from which more of the desired isomer can be extracted as before. 

Choi JH, Kim YH, Nam SH, Shin ST, Kim M-J, Park J. Ami-nocyclopentadienyl ruthenium chloride catalytic racemization and dynamic kinetic resolution of alcohols at ambient temperature. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002 41 2373-2376. 

Similar arguments apply to the asymmetric catalytic racemization of amygdalin, recorded by Smith (133). Amygdalin is the gentiobioside of (-l-)-mandelonitrile. The extreme optical lability of the latter is reflected in the great precautions which have to be taken to avoid its racemization, for the pure crystalline (-b) nitrile is readily racemized by the presence of even a trace of water, probably by a mechanism of the type suggested by Fischer and Bergmann (40) ... 

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... 

The chiral siloxycyclopropane 106 undergoes carbonylative homocoupling to form the 4-ketopimelate derivative 108 via the palladium homoenolate 107 without racemization. The reaction is catalytic in CHCI3, but stoichiometric in benzene[93]. 

The original commercial source of E was extraction from bovine adrenal glands (5). This was replaced by a synthetic route for E and NE (Eig. 1) similar to the original pubHshed route of synthesis (6). Eriedel-Crafts acylation of catechol [120-80-9] with chloroacetyl chloride yields chloroacetocatechol [99-40-1]. Displacement of the chlorine by methylamine yields the methylamine derivative, adrenalone [99-45-6] which on catalytic reduction yields (+)-epinephrine [329-65-7]. Substitution of ammonia for methylamine in the sequence yields the amino derivative noradrenalone [499-61-6] which on reduction yields (+)-norepinephrine [138-65-8]. The racemic compounds were resolved with (+)-tartaric acid to give the physiologically active (—)-enantiomers. The commercial synthesis of E and related compounds has been reviewed (27). The synthetic route for L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine [59-92-7] (l-DOPA) has been described (28). 

Treatment of the appropriate pipecolic amide 396 with NEta afforded optically active or racemic perhydropyrido[l,2-a]pyrazine-l,4-dione (397) (97USP5703072). (9a5)-Perhydropyrido[l,2-a]pyrazin-3-one (400) was obtained by cyclization of piperidine 398, and the catalytic hydrogenation of quaternary salt 399 over Pd/C (99H(51)2065). 

Among the J ,J -DBFOX/Ph-transition(II) metal complex catalysts examined in nitrone cydoadditions, the anhydrous J ,J -DBFOX/Ph complex catalyst prepared from Ni(C104)2 or Fe(C104)2 provided equally excellent results. For example, in the presence of 10 mol% of the anhydrous nickel(II) complex catalyst R,R-DBFOX/Ph-Ni(C104)2, which was prepared in-situ from J ,J -DBFOX/Ph ligand, NiBr2, and 2 equimolar amounts of AgC104 in dichloromethane, the reaction of 3-crotonoyl-2-oxazolidinone with N-benzylidenemethylamine N-oxide at room temperature produced the 3,4-trans-isoxazolidine (63% yield) in near perfect endo selectivity (endo/exo=99 l) and enantioselectivity in favor for the 3S,4J ,5S enantiomer (>99% ee for the endo isomer. Scheme 7.21). The copper(II) perchlorate complex showed no catalytic activity, however, whereas the ytterbium(III) triflate complex led to the formation of racemic cycloadducts. 

An unusual sensitivity of this reaction to structure was reported by Ram and Neumeyer (51). When R = H (1), hydrogenolysis could not be effected either directly or by catalytic hydrogen transfer (13), but etherification to give 2 (R = CH3) permitted slow formation of 3, The mild conditions of hydrogenation were required to avoid racemization at the 6a-position. Hydrogenolysis is usually much more facile than is indicated by this example. 

Johnson s classic synthesis of progesterone (1) commences with the reaction of 2-methacrolein (22) with the Grignard reagent derived from l-bromo-3-pentyne to give ally lie alcohol 20 (see Scheme 3a). It is inconsequential that 20 is produced in racemic form because treatment of 20 with triethyl orthoacetate and a catalytic amount of propionic acid at 138 °C furnishes 18 in an overall yield of 55 % through a process that sacrifices the stereogenic center created in the carbonyl addition reaction. In the presence of propionic acid, allylic alcohol 20 and triethyl orthoacetate combine to give... 

The synthesis of key intermediate 12, in optically active form, commences with the resolution of racemic trans-2,3-epoxybutyric acid (27), a substance readily obtained by epoxidation of crotonic acid (26) (see Scheme 5). Treatment of racemic 27 with enantio-merically pure (S)-(-)-1 -a-napthylethylamine affords a 1 1 mixture of diastereomeric ammonium salts which can be resolved by recrystallization from absolute ethanol. Acidification of the resolved diastereomeric ammonium salts with methanesulfonic acid and extraction furnishes both epoxy acid enantiomers in eantiomerically pure form. Because the optical rotation and absolute configuration of one of the antipodes was known, the identity of enantiomerically pure epoxy acid, (+)-27, with the absolute configuration required for a synthesis of erythronolide B, could be confirmed. Sequential treatment of (+)-27 with ethyl chloroformate, excess sodium boro-hydride, and 2-methoxypropene with a trace of phosphorous oxychloride affords protected intermediate 28 in an overall yield of 76%. The action of ethyl chloroformate on carboxylic acid (+)-27 affords a mixed carbonic anhydride which is subsequently reduced by sodium borohydride to a primary alcohol. Protection of the primary hydroxyl group in the form of a mixed ketal is achieved easily with 2-methoxypropene and a catalytic amount of phosphorous oxychloride. 

In a catalytic asymmetric reaction, a small amount of an enantio-merically pure catalyst, either an enzyme or a synthetic, soluble transition metal complex, is used to produce large quantities of an optically active compound from a precursor that may be chiral or achiral. In recent years, synthetic chemists have developed numerous catalytic asymmetric reaction processes that transform prochiral substrates into chiral products with impressive margins of enantio-selectivity, feats that were once the exclusive domain of enzymes.56 These developments have had an enormous impact on academic and industrial organic synthesis. In the pharmaceutical industry, where there is a great emphasis on the production of enantiomeri-cally pure compounds, effective catalytic asymmetric reactions are particularly valuable because one molecule of an enantiomerically pure catalyst can, in principle, direct the stereoselective formation of millions of chiral product molecules. Such reactions are thus highly productive and economical, and, when applicable, they make the wasteful practice of racemate resolution obsolete. 

Catalytic kinetic resolution can be the method of choice for the preparation of enantioenriched materials, particularly when the racemate is inexpensive and readily available and direct asymmetric routes to the optically active compounds are lacking. However, several other criteria-induding catalyst selectivity, efficiency, and cost, stoichiometric reagent cost, waste generation, volumetric throughput, ease of product isolation, scalability, and the existence of viable alternatives from the chiral pool (or classical resolution)-must be taken into consideration as well... 

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