Enantioselective synthesis hydrogenation

A wide variety of iridium-based hydrogenation catalysts are currently under development, notably for organic syntheses including enantioselective synthesis. Hydrogenation by hydrogen transfer is well known [15], and the reduction of C=0 and C=N double bonds is also possible [16, 17]. 

Efficient enantioselective asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral ketones and olefins has been accompHshed under mild reaction conditions at low (0.01— 0.001 mol %) catalyst concentrations using rhodium catalysts containing chiral ligands (140,141). Practical synthesis of several optically active natural... 

Depending on the stereoselectivity of the reaction, either the or the 5 configuration can generated at C-2 in the product. This corresponds to enantioselective synthesis of the d md L enantiomers of a-amino acids. Hydrogenation using chiral catalysts has been carefully investigated. The most effective catalysts for the reaction are ihodiiun... 

Biocatalysis has emerged as an important tool for the enantioselective synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates and several review articles have been published in recent years [133-137]. For example, quinuclidinol is a common pharmacophore of neuromodulators acting on muscarinic receptors (Figure 6.50). (JJ)-Quinudidin-3-ol was prepared via Aspergillus melleus protease-mediated enantioselective hydrolysis of the racemic butyrate [54,138]. Calcium hydroxide served as a scavenger of butyric acid to prevent enzyme inhibition and the unwanted (R) enantiomer was racemized over Raney Co under hydrogen for recycling. 

Tocopherol can be produced as the pure 2R,4 R,8 R stereoisomer from natural vegetable oils. This is the most biologically active of the stereoisomers. The correct side-chain stereochemistry can be obtained using a process that involves two successive enantioselective hydrogenations.28 The optimum catalyst contains a 6, 6 -dimethoxybiphenyl phosphine ligand. This reaction has not yet been applied to the enantioselective synthesis of a-tocopherol because the cyclization step with the phenol is not enantiospecific. 

The same authors also used this approach for an enantioselective synthesis of the natural product (-i-)-royleanone (4-54), a member of the abietane diterpenoid family [17]. The enantiopure sulfoxide 4-50 was oxidized using DDQ to give crude 1,4-ben-zoquinone 4-51, which by reaction with the diene 4-52 in CH2C12 under high pressure led to the tricyclic compound 4-53 with 97 % ee and 60% yield based on 4-50 (Scheme 4.11). Hydrogenation of the unconjugated double bond in 4-53 afforded 35% of the desired compound 4-54 after crystallization to separate it from the unwanted cis-isomer. 

The chiral (R)-bcnzazepine derivative 20 is a key intermediate in the synthesis of a non-peptide AVP V2-agonist. Efficient production of this intermediate was thus required, and this has been achieved by highly enantioselective asymmetric hydrogenation of the easily made acids 18 (E and Z) and 19, using Ru(II) complex catalysts <00CHIR425>. 

The synthesis of cationic rhodium complexes constitutes another important contribution of the late 1960s. The preparation of cationic complexes of formula [Rh(diene)(PR3)2]+ was reported by several laboratories in the period 1968-1970 [17, 18]. Osborn and coworkers made the important discovery that these complexes, when treated with molecular hydrogen, yield [RhH2(PR3)2(S)2]+ (S = sol-vent). These rhodium(III) complexes function as homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts under mild conditions for the reduction of alkenes, dienes, alkynes, and ketones [17, 19]. Related complexes with chiral diphosphines have been very important in modern enantioselective catalytic hydrogenations (see Section 1.1.6). 

As with most chiral atropisomeric ligands, resolution or enantioselective synthesis is requisite. Mikami developed a novel ligand-accelerated hydrogenation catalyst in which the chirality of an atropos but achiral triphos-Ru complex could be controlled by chiral diamines. Using (S)-dm-dabn as controller, a single diastereomeric triphos-Ru complex was obtained through isomerization of the (R)-triphos-Ru complex in dichloroethane at 80°C (Scheme 26.1) [36]. 

The neutral (2S,4S)-MCCPM 9-rhodium complex was also found to be an efficient catalyst for the enantioselective hydrogenation of other a-aminoacetophe-none derivatives. A practical enantioselective synthesis of (S)-(-)-levamisole [23 a], phenylephrine [23 b], and mephenoxalone [23] was realized by using this hydrogenation as a key reaction (Scheme 33.13). 

The (2S,4S)-MCCPM-Rh(I) complex was found previously by Achiwa and colleagues to be an efficient catalyst for the enantioselective hydrogenation of /9-amino ketone derivatives, leading to a practical enantioselective synthesis of (F)-fluoxetine [N-methyl-3-(4-trifluoromethylphenoxy)-3-phenylpropylamine] hydrochloride [22 b]. Moreover, the use of AMPP ligands again proved to be efficient for these substrates, as exemplified in Table 33.6 [15 i],... 

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. 

Many methods have been reported for the enantioselective synthesis of the remaining PG building block, the (J )-4-hydroxy-cyclopent-2-enone. For example, the racemate can be kinetically resolved as shown in Scheme 7-28. (iS )-BINAP-Ru(II) dicarboxylate complex 93 is an excellent catalyst for the enantioselective kinetic resolution of the racemic hydroxy enone (an allylic alcohol). By controlling the reaction conditions, the C C double bond in one enantiomer, the (S )-isomer, will be prone to hydrogenation, leaving the slow reacting enantiomer intact and thus accomplishing the kinetic resolution.20... 

Related catalytic enantioselective processes It is worthy of note that the powerful Ti-catalyzed asymmetric epoxidation procedure of Sharpless [27] is often used in the preparation of optically pure acyclic allylic alcohols through the catalytic kinetic resolution of easily accessible racemic mixtures [28]. When the catalytic epoxidation is applied to cyclic allylic substrates, reaction rates are retarded and lower levels of enantioselectivity are observed. Ru-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation has been employed by Noyori to effect the resolution of five- and six-membered allylic carbinols [29] in this instance, as with the Ti-catalyzed procedure, the presence of an unprotected hydroxyl function is required. Perhaps the most efficient general procedure for the enantioselective synthesis of this class of cyclic allylic ethers is that recently developed by Trost and co-workers, involving Pd-catalyzed asymmetric additions of alkoxides to allylic esters [30]. 

Scheme 13. Enantioselective synthesis of hirsutine 67 by a Knoevenagel-hetero-Diels-Alder solvolysis hydrogenation process...

Enantioselective synthesis of /1-amino acids is important as they are present in various natural products and in many biologically active compounds [26,27]. Several methods exist for the enantioselective synthesis of -substituted /1-amino acids (/l3-amino acids) however, synthesis of a-substituted /1-amino acids (/l2-amino acids) is very limited [28,29]. A report on highly enantioselective hydrogen atom transfer reactions to synthesize /l2-amino acids (Scheme 9) has recently been described [30]. 

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]). 

Ll-Rh complex was employed for the enantioselective synthesis of (S)-2-(4-fluorophe-nyl)-3-mefhylbutanoic acid (98% ee) [107], while the Pr-DuPhos-Rh complex was utilized for the enantioselective hydrogenation of a,/ -unsaturated carboxylic acids, as exemplified by tiglic acid [29]. 

The enantioselective synthesis of the jS-amino acid ester shown in Figure 1.6 has recently been reported by Kubryk and Hansen (Merck) where good ees were obtained by asymmetric hydrogenation. Using an in-situ reaction with diBoc-anhydride to protect the amine group a crystalline product was obtained that was recrystallized to the required 99 % + ee purity very easily. 

METAL-FREE BR0NSTED ACID CATALYZED TRANSFER HYDROGENATION ENANTIOSELECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF TETRAHYDROQUINOLINES... 

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