Enzymatic approach resolution

Scheme 1.39 Enzymatic kinetic resolution approaches to abacavir...

In a succeeding publication, the same authors reported on an enantiose-lective approach to diquinane enones 6 and ent-6 by combining the above-described synthesis with an enzymatic kinetic resolution (Scheme 4) [12]. After lipase-catalyzed enantioselective transesterification of diol rac-12. 

Alternative synthetic approaches include enantioselective addition of the organometallic reagent to quinoline in the first step of the synthesis [16], the resolution of the racemic amines resulting from simple protonation of anions 1 (Scheme 2.1.5.1, Method C) by diastereomeric salts formation [17] or by enzymatic kinetic resolution [18], and the iridium-catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of 2-substituted quinolines [19]. All these methodologies would avoid the need for diastereomer separation later on, and give direct access to enantio-enriched QUINAPHOS derivatives bearing achiral or tropoisomeric diols. Current work in our laboratories is directed to the evaluation of these methods. 

The chiral bicyclic phosphines 5 (and in particular 5a [7b]) are currently the most active phosphorus-based acylation catalysts, enabling use of low reaction temperatures. Under these conditions (i.e. —40 °C) selectivity factors as high as 370-390 were achieved (Scheme 12.2). This is the best selectivity factor ever reported for metal-free, non-enzymatic kinetic resolution. As a consequence, very good enantiomeric purity of both the isobutyric esters 7 and the remaining alcohols 6 was obtained, even at substrate conversions approaching 50% (Scheme 12.2) [7, 8],... 

Asymmetric synthesis with lipases and esterases can basically be performed by two different approaches - the desymmetrization of prochiral or meso compounds and the enzymatic kinetic resolution of racemic mixtures. The main bottleneck of kinetic resolutions, product yields of maximum 50%, can be overcome if an in situ racemization of the starting material is possible. In this case all starting material can theoretically be converted to the desired product [34],... 

Australian Penicillium striatisporum strain (Fig. 5) [68]. Before, neither a synthetic approach, nor the absolute configuration of this butenolide had been reported. Combining the enzymatic kinetic resolution with a palladium(II)-mediated racemization [69] could lead to a highly efficient dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of allenes. 

Several approaches to the enantioselective oxidation of sulfides have been reported,61 including enzymatic approaches,62 use of optically pure oxidants,63 and several modifications of the Sharpless epoxidation procedure.63,64 The success of these procedures is somewhat substrate dependent for example, dialkyl sulfides and more complex substrates can give unpredictable results. 1,3-Dithiane itself is oxidized with only ca. 20% ee optically pure DiTOX has, however, been obtained by resolution.65... 

For the enantiopure production of human rhinovirus protease inhibitors scientists from Pfizer developed a kinetic resolution and recycling sequence (Scheme 6.14 A). The undesired enantiomer of the ester is hydrolysed and can be racemised under mild conditions with DBU. This enzymatic kinetic resolution plus racemisation replaced a significantly more expensive chemical approach [52]. An enzymatic kinetic resolution, in combination with an efficient chemically catalysed racemisation, is the basis for a chiral building block for the synthesis of Talsaclidine and Revatropate, neuromodulators acting on cholinergic muscarinic receptors (Scheme 6.14B). In this case a protease was the key to success [53]. Recently a kinetic resolution based on a Burkholderia cepacia lipase-catalysed reaction leading to the fungicide Mefenoxam was described [54]. Immobilisation of the enzyme ensured >20 cycles of use without loss of activity (Scheme 6.14 C). 

Next, Danishefsky s allosamizoline synthesis will be described [143,144]. The key point of their synthetic strategy is the utilization of enzymatic optical resolution to the racemic substrate. As illustrated in O Fig. 8, there are two approaches for the enzymatic optical resolution. One is the enzymatic hydrolysis of a diester [145,146,147], and the other is the enzymatic transacylation of the meso-dk> [148,149,150] (O Fig. 8). In Danishefsky s group, the former route was chosen as the key step. Treatment of diacetate 186 with electric eel acetylcholinesterase provided the monoacetate 187, which was reported by Deardorrf et al. [147]. This work was also applied to the synthesis of PG p2a in Danishefsky s laboratory [151]. On the basis of the success of their synthesis of PG p2a, diacetate 188, which was derived from the 2-alkene-l,4-diol derivative 176, was treated with electric eel acetylcholinesterase as well. Interestingly, this treatment provided the unexpected monoacetate 189 in 95% yield, > 95% ee (O Fig. 8). 

Another enzymatic approach to obtain the desired stereochemistry in the side chain is shown in Scheme 17.13. The keto ester precursor 10 of the side chain ethyl ester can be reduced to the hydroxy (2R,3S) ester 11 using either of the yeasts Hansenula polymorpha SC 13865 or Hansemla fabianii SC 13894. Screening a variety of strains from our culture collection revealed many other strains that could carry out the reduction reaction, but the best yields and ee s using whole cells were obtained with the two strains of Hansenula. Of four possible reduction products, the desired product 11 is obtained with 95 to 99% ee and 80 to 90% yield. Because of rapid ketone/enol tautomerism, the enzymatic reduction can work as a dynamic resolution and fix the stereochemistry at both the 2- and 3-positions. 

While most of the syntheses of hyacinthacines are based on the modification and elaboration of precursors from the chiral pool, less effort has been directed toward the construction of the pyrrolizidine skeleton using non-natural precursors. This chapter summarizes racemic as well as enantioselective total synthesis of hyacinthacines reported to date, which start from nonchiral pool sources. In this context, biocatalysis constitutes the most widely used alternative to the chiral pool approach. Enzymatic kinetic resolution using lipases but also aldolase-mediated reactions have been successfully employed to provide precursors that were later elaborated toward hyacinthacines. Synthetic chiral auxiliaries have also been used successfully in this context. 

The two most important enzymatic approaches are enzymatic kinetic resolution by lipases or esterases (whole cells or purified enzymes) [9-18] and enzymatic asymmetrical synthesis by R- or 5-hydroxynitrile lyases (NHLs). Disadvantages of kinetic resolution are the need of separating the hydrolyzed product from its ester and the maximum theoretical yield of only 50%. In some cases it is possible to racemize the unwanted enantiomer (distomer) and recycle the racemate [19]. 

One approach called enzymatic resolution, involves treating a racemic mixture with an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of only one of the enantiomers Some of the most commonly used ones are lipases and esterases enzymes that catalyze the hydrol ysis of esters In a typical procedure one enantiomer of the acetate ester of a racemic alcohol undergoes hydrolysis and the other is left unchanged when hydrolyzed m the presence of an esterase from hog liver... 

The primary disadvantage of the conjugate addition approach is the necessity of performing two chiral operations (resolution or asymmetric synthesis) ia order to obtain exclusively the stereochemicaHy desired end product. However, the advent of enzymatic resolutions and stereoselective reduciag agents has resulted ia new methods to efficiently produce chiral enones and CO-chain synthons, respectively (see Enzymes, industrial Enzymes in ORGANIC synthesis). Eor example, treatment of the racemic hydroxy enone (70) with commercially available porciae pancreatic Hpase (PPL) ia vinyl acetate gave a separable mixture of (5)-hydroxyenone (71) and (R)-acetate (72) with enantiomeric excess (ee) of 90% or better (204). 

Stereoinversion Stereoinversion can be achieved either using a chemoenzymatic approach or a purely biocatalytic method. As an example of the former case, deracemization of secondary alcohols via enzymatic hydrolysis of their acetates may be mentioned. Thus, after the first step, kinetic resolution of a racemate, the enantiomeric alcohol resulting from hydrolysis of the fast reacting enantiomer of the substrate is chemically transformed into an activated ester, for example, by mesylation. The mixture of both esters is then subjected to basic hydrolysis. Each hydrolysis proceeds with different stereochemistry - the acetate is hydrolyzed with retention of configuration due to the attack of the hydroxy anion on the carbonyl carbon, and the mesylate - with inversion as a result of the attack of the hydroxy anion on the stereogenic carbon atom. As a result, a single enantiomer of the secondary alcohol is obtained (Scheme 5.12) [8, 50a]. 

Catalytic transformation based on combined enzyme and metal catalysis is described as a new class of methodology for the synthesis of enantiopure compounds. This approach is particularly useful for dynamic kinetic resolution in which enzymatic resolution is coupled with metal-catalyzed racemization for the conversion of a racemic substrate to a single enantiomeric product. 

In another approach, the alcohol moiety, formed by an enzymatic hydrolysis of an ester, can act as a nucleophile. In their synthesis of pityol (8-37a), a pheromone of the elm bark beetle, Faber and coworkers [17] used an enzyme-triggered reaction of the diastereomeric mixture of ( )-epoxy ester 8-35 employing an immobilized enzyme preparation (Novo SP 409) or whole lyophilized cells of Rhodococcus erythro-polis NCIMB 11540 (Scheme 8.9). As an intermediate, the enantiopure alcohol 8-36 is formed via kinetic resolution as a mixture ofdiastereomers, which leads to the diastereomeric THF derivatives pityol (8-37a) and 8-37b as a separable mixture with a... 

In carrying out kinetic resolution, these in the standard approach are limited to 50% yield regarding the racemate. However, different approaches were developed [28] to overcome this limitation. The classical standard solution is to reracemize the unconverted enantiomer. A more advanced solution is the establishment of a dynamic kinetic resolution that has considerably expanded the synthetic scope of chemical processes. Here, the unconverted enantiomer is, in contrast to the latter method, racemized in situ. A great number of novel enzymatic methods have been developed [29]. Within this chapter, process solutions for enzymatic resolutions of racemic mixtures will be highlighted. 

Several hundred tons of L-methionine per year are produced by enzymatic conversion in an enzyme membrane reactor. An alternative approach is dynamic resolution, where the unconverted enantiomer is racemized in situ. Starting from racemic /V-acetyl-amino acid, the enantioselective L-acylase is used in combination with an TV-acyl-amino acid racemase to enable nearly total conversion of the substrate. 

This is a simple procedure for the enzymatic resolution of a secondary amine. The acylating agent can be modified by altering the substitution on the phenol ring. This tuning of the reactivity and selectivity should allow other amines to be resolved using a similar approach. 

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