Esterification Lactonization

There are a total of three ascorbic acid processes either in place or in late stages of development with firm expectations of commercialization (i) the traditional chemical Reichstein-Griissner synthesis (ii) the two-step fermentation process to 2-ketogulonic acid with subsequent chemical esterification/lactonization to ascorbic acid and (iii) the one-step fermentation to 2-ketogulonic acid with the same last chemical step. Figure 20.8 and Table 20.3 provide an overview of the three processes. 

Reactions with Carboxylic Acids, Alcohols, and Amines. Phosgene reacts with carboxylic acids to give anhydrides, with liberation of carbon dioxide. This has been used to activate acids to attack from nucleophiles, e.g. in esterification, lactonization, and thiolation. For example, acids can be protected as 3-butenyl esters using phosgene and Pyridine, followed by addition of 3-buten-l-ol (eq 1). 

Hydroxy acids compounds that contain both a hydroxyl and a carboxylic acid function have the capacity to form cyclic esters called lactones This intramolecular esterification takes place spontaneously when the ring that is formed is five or six membered Lac tones that contain a five membered cyclic ester are referred to as 7 lactones, their six membered analogs are known as 8 lactones... 

Section 19 15 An intramolecular esterification can occur when a molecule contains both a hydroxyl and a carboxyl group Cyclic esters are called lactones and are most stable when the nng is five or six membered... 

Schemes 15 and 16 summarize the syntheses of intermediates that represent rings A and D of vitamin Bi2 by the Eschenmoser group. Treatment of lactam/lactone 51, the precursor to B-ring intermediate 8 (whose synthesis has already been described, see Scheme 8), with potassium cyanide in methanol induces cleavage of the y-lac-tone ring and furnishes intermediate 76 after esterification of the newly formed acetic acid chain with diazomethane. Intermediate 76 is produced as a mixture of diastereomers, epimeric at the newly formed stereocenter, in a yield exceeding 95%. Selective conversion of the lactam carbonyl in 76 into the corresponding thiolactam...

Further work by the Ye group has shown that NHCs derived from pre-catalyst 215 can also promote the asymmetric dimerisation of alkylarylketenes 193 to generate alkylidene P-lactones 216 in good diastereo- and enantio-selectivity [83], The asymmetric [4+2] addition of enones and alkylarylketenes to generate 8-lactones 218 in high ee has also been accomplished [84], as has the asymmetric esterification of alkylarylketenes to give esters 217 using benzhydrol, which is assumed to proceed via a Lewis-base mediated mechanism (Scheme 12.46) [85]. 

Keto acids can be dehydrated to enol lactones (Section III,A,1). They may also undergo esterification with alcohols e.g., /V-methylhydrasteine (104) in methanol at room temperature gave the expected keto ester 126 (R + R = CH2, R1 = CH3) (5,87). Sodium borohydride reduction of keto acid 104 supplies the saturated y-lactone 132 identical with that obtained from enol lactone 98 (5). 

Notably, the Mukaiyama aldol/lactonizahon approach has been used in the total synthesis of panclicin D (2-258) [139b,c] and okinonellin B (2-261) (Scheme 2.61) [139d]. In the synthesis of 2-258, aldehyde 2-254 and the ketene acetal 2-255 were used to prepare the 3-lactone 2-256 with high simple and induced diastereoselectivity. There follows an esterification with the carboxylic acid 2-257. For the synthesis of 2-261, the aldehydes 2-259 and 2-252b were employed as substrates leading initially to the (1-lac tone 2-260. 

A strategy to access lactones via enzymatic hydrolysis of y- and /3-hydroxy aliphatic nitriles to their corresponding acids with subsequent internal esterification was applied using commercially available enzymes from BioCatalytics Inc. A number of y- and /3-hydroxy aliphatic nitrile substrates (Table 8.11) were evaluated, with the greatest selectivity observed with y-hydroxy nonanitrile, which was converted by nitrilase NIT1003 to the precursor of the rice weevil pheromone in 30% yield, 88% ee with an enatiomeric ratio of = 23 [90],... 

Reductive Esterification. Organosilane reductions of y- or 5-keto acids and esters provide the corresponding lactones as the final products (Eqs. 226 and 227).69,79,402... 

---