Enolate anions, amino-esters, reaction with

A typical reaction that uses an amino acid derivative involves initial conversion to an enolate anion. This nucleophilic species is then reacted with an alkyl halide or a carbonyl derivative. An example that produces a new amino acid is the reaction of the ethyl ester of n-benzyl glycine with lithium diisopropylamide to give the enolate. Subsequent reaction with the mixed anhydride shown below proceeded with displacement of acetate to give /.22J.13 Acid hydrolysis generated a P-keto amino acid, which decarboxylated under the reaction conditions to give 4-oxo-5-aminopen-tanoic acid 1.156, also known as 5-aminolevulinic acid). 

A last example shows the reaction of a vinyl chloride such as 3.30 with ethylamine (see reaction 7). Addition of the amine generated the usual enolate anion intermediate, which displaced the P-chlorine to give a new conjugated ester. In this case, the product was ethyl 3-(N,N-diethylamino)but-2-enoate (3.57).23 The yield was relatively poor, but this example illustrates that conjugate addition of amines can lead to either the normal saturated product or, as in this case, an unsaturated amino acid. 

Davis and coworkers have exploited the reactions of chiral JV-sulfinyl-amines in the synthesis of numerous alkaloids. Their route to (—)-epimyr-tine (1098) began with the diastereoselective addition of the enolate anion of methyl acetate to the (Ss)-(4-)-sulfmimine (+)-1128, from which the (Ss,S)-p-amino ester derivative (- -)-1129 was obtained in better than 97% de (Scheme 144). After Claisen condensation of 1129 with ierf-butyl acetate, the sulfmyl group was removed from the resulting P-keto ester (4-)-1130 by treatment with acid, the desuhinylated product then undergoing Mannich cyclization with acetaldehyde. The relative stereochemistry of the sole product, 2,6-a5-disubstituted piperidine (4-)-1131, was corroborated by nOe experiments, which indicated that no epimerization at the stereogenic centers had occurred. After hydrolysis and decarboxylation of... 

NaBHj/NiC or Raney nickel, the menthyloxy group is removed with NaBH /KOH to give 3,4-disubstituted butyrolactones with a high diastereo- and enantioselectivity (Figure 7.69). Corey and Houpis [1458] have described asymmetric Michael reactions of ketone enolates with a 2-thiophenyl crotonate of 8-phenmenthol. Chirality has also been introduced on the amino group of 2-ami-nomethyiacrylates to perform the asymmetric addition of the anion of the tert-Bu ester of cyclopentanecarboxylate [1459], More important developments have been reported with chiral a,p-unsaturated sulfoxides and nitro compounds as Michael acceptors (see below). 

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