Enantiomerically pure compounds

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... 

In some cases the unwanted enantiomer can perturb other biological processes and cause catastrophic side effects. The use of enantiomerically pure compounds thus permits more specific drug action and the reduction in the amount of drug administered. Even in the cases where the other enantiomer is inactive, the work involved in its metabolism before secretion can be avoided. 

List possible advantages of using enantiomerically pure compounds as drugs, as opposed to using racemic mixtures. 

The d.r. s or ee s of remaining stereocenlers presumed to be identical with that or starling complex 10. b Enantiomerically pure compound. c Diastereomerically pure compound. d No further details reported. 

In Ugi four-component reactions (for mechanism, see Section 1.4.4.1.) all four components may potentially serve as the stereodifferentiating tool65. However, neither the isocyanide component nor the carboxylic acid have pronounced effects on the overall stereodiscrimination60 66. As a consequence, the factors influencing the stereochemical course of Ugi reactions arc similar to those in Strecker syntheses. The use of chiral aldehydes is commonly found in substrate-controlled syntheses whereas the asymmetric synthesis of new enantiomerically pure compounds via Ugi s method is restricted to the application of optically active amines as the chiral auxiliary group. 

The simplest mesophase is the nematic phase. It is very fluid and involves highly disordered molecules having only short-range positional order, but with the molecules preferentially aligned on average in a particular direction (the director). If the constituent compound is racemic then it is possible to form a phase from the enantiomerically pure compound which is a chiral nematic phase. 

Asymmetric catalysts these are still relatively rare in industrial processes but they are playing an increasingly important role in the development of pharmaceuticals. This is because they offer one of the most efficient, low-waste methods for producing enantiomerically pure compounds. 

In the case of chiral molecules that are biologically active the desired activity almost always resides in only one of the enantiomers. The other enantiomer constitutes isomeric ballast that does not contribute towards the desired activity and may even exhibit unwanted side effects. Hence, there is a marked trend in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and flavours and fragrances towards the marketing of products as enantiomerically pure compounds. This, in turn, has generated a demand for economical methods for the synthesis of pure enantiomers (Sheldon, 1993a). 

As they are available from natural sources in enantiomerically pure form, carbohydrates are useful starting materials for syntheses of enantiomerically pure compounds. However, the multiple hydroxy groups require versatile methods for selective protection, reaction, and deprotection. Show how appropriate manipulation of protecting groups and/or selective reagents could be used to effect the following transformations. 

One approach to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds is to start with an available enantiomerically pure substance and effect the synthesis by a series of enantiospecific reactions. Devise a sequence of reactions that would be appropriate for the following syntheses based on enantiomerically pure starting materials. 

Asymmetric synthesis based on INOC using a chiral nitrile oxides is a standard method for obtaining enantiomerically pure compounds. A useful synthesis of enantiomerically pure pyrano- and oxepanoisoxazole derivatives by application of INOC is presented in Eq. 8.71.109... 

May, O. and Groeger, H. (2005) Designer cells produce enantiomerically pure compounds. PharmaChem, 4 (9), 6-8. 

Intermolecular Reactions Intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones to olefins seem to be the most studied. They are widely used for the synthesis of different enantiomerically pure compounds, including biologically active ones. For example, two new glycosidase inhibitors have been obtained by the nitrone cycloaddition strategy (Fig. 2.32) (733). 

In the contemporary production of enantiopure compounds this feature is highly appreciated. Currently, kinetic resolution of racemates is the most important method for the industrial production of enantiomerically pure compounds. This procedure is based on chiral catalysts or enzymes, which catalyze conversion of the enantiomers at different rates. The theoretical yield of this type of reaction is only 50%, because the unwanted enantiomer is discarded. This generates a huge waste stream, and is an undesirable situation from both environmental and economic points of view. Efficient racemization catalysts that enable recycling of the undesired enantiomer are, therefore, of great importance. 

As already mentioned, the most important industrial application of homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts is for the enantioselective synthesis of chiral compounds. Today, not only pharmaceuticals and vitamins [3], agrochemicals [4], flavors and fragrances [5] but also functional materials [6, 7] are increasingly produced as enantiomerically pure compounds. The reason for this development is the often superior performance of the pure enantiomers and/or that regulations demand the evaluation of both enantiomers of a biologically active compound before its approval. This trend has made the economical enantioselective synthesis of chiral performance chemicals a very important topic. 

In all three of the above-mentioned chiral transformations, stoichiometric amounts of enantiomerically pure compounds are required. An important development in recent years has been the introduction of more sophisticated methods that combine the elements of the first-, second-, and third-generation methods and involve the reaction of a chiral substrate with a chiral reagent. The method is particularly valuable in reactions in which two new stereogenic units are formed stereoselectively in one step (Fig. 1-30, 4). 

Asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation is one of the most efficient and convenient methods for preparing a wide range of enantiomerically pure compounds, and Ru-BINAP-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-arylacrylic acids has attracted a great deal of attention,11 as the chiral 2-arylpropionic acid products constitute an important class of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. 

Enzyme-catalyzed reactions can provide a rich source of chiral starting materials for organic synthesis.2 Enzymes are capable of differentiating the enantiotopic groups of prochiral and mew-compounds. The theoretical conversion for enzymatic desymmetrization of mew-compounds is 100% therefore enzymatic desymmetrization of mew-compounds has gained much attention and constitutes an effective entry to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds. 

More recently, Doris et al. have described the reductive ring-opening of a-keto epoxides [16]. In this manner, p-hydroxy ketones can be obtained in high yields. The synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds can easily be realized. The titanocene] 111) reagents are distinctly superior to samarium diiodide, which is also known to induce this transformation. 

Asymmetric catalytic reduction reactions represent one of the most efficient and convenient methods to prepare a wide range of enantiomerically pure compounds (i.e. a-amino acids can be prepared from a-enamides, alcohols from ketones and amines from oximes or imines). The chirality transfer can be accomplished by different types of chiral catalysts metallic catalysts are very efficient for the hydrogenation of olefins, some ketones and oximes, while nonmetallic catalysts provide a complementary method for ketone and oxime hydrogenation. 

Enantiomerically pure compounds of type 208 have been synthesized and submitted to asymmetric Michael addition with secondary cyclic amines such as A -methylpiperazine to give enantiomerically pure derivatives 209 (Equation 20) <2004AF35>. 

There are several reports dealing with the use of tetrahydropyrrolo[l,4]oxazinones derived from natural proline or prolinol as chiral auxiliaries for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds. The preparation of the heterocycle is described in Scheme 33 (Section 11.11.7.4). The presence of a rigid bicyclic skeleton allows stereoselective introduction of different substituents. The final ring opening of the system (generally by hydrolysis) provides enantiomerically pure compounds with the possibility of recycling the starting chiral auxiliary. 

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