From a-amino esters

Dipolar [3 + 2] cycloadditions are one of the most important reactions for the formation of five-membered rings [68]. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction is frequently utihzed to obtain highly substituted pyrroHdines starting from imines and alkenes. Imines 98, obtained from a-amino esters and nitroalkenes 99, are mixed together in an open vessel microwave reactor to undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to produce highly substituted nitroprolines esters 101 (Scheme 35) [69]. Imines derived from a-aminoesters are thermally isomerized by microwave irradiation to azomethine yhdes 100,... 

Imidazopyrimidopyrimidines such as 324 can be prepared simply by treatment of the pyrimidines 323 with isocyanates and isothiocyanates derived from a-amino esters (Equation 112) <1998HCA646>. 

Microwave-induced 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions involving azomethine ylides have been widely reported in the literature. Bazureau showed that imidates derived from a-amino esters 120, as potential azomethine ylides, undergo 1,3-dipolar cyclo-additions with imino-alcohols 121 in the absence of solvent under microwave irradiation. This reaction leads to polyfunctionalized 4-yliden-2-imidazolin-5-ones 122 (Scheme 9.36) [87]. 

Therefore, in principal, condensation of a primary amine with an enantiomerically pure ketone should allow asymmetric synthesis of a-substituted primary amines. This approach has been applied to the synthesis of a-amino acids, for example, using the imine prepared from a-amino esters and (l.S, 2,S ,5,S )-2-hydroxy-3-pinanone, via an amino-substituted ester enolate anion with some success39 40. Application of this approach to simple primary amines has seldom been reported. 

Often, esters are homologated by one carbon using the diazomethane-based Amdt-Eistert procedure. Kowalski homologation, addition of the inexpensive dibromomethane followed by -elimination, is a more scalable alternative. Timothy Gallagher of the University of Bristol recently reported (J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69, 4849) the use of Kowalski homologation to prepare P-amino esters from a-amino esters, including the conversion of 3 to 4. Note that the transformation can be carried out without protection of the OH, and that it proceeds without loss of stereochemical integrity. 

Asymmetric aza-DA reactions using chiral imines derived from a-amino esters an carbohydrates were extensively studied by Waldmann [310] and Kunz [311], re P o tively, at the end of fhe nineteen-eighties. After these significant works Yamamoto e al. reported the utility of homochiral N-(l-phenylefhyl)imines in asymmetric cy dition [219, 312]. In fhe presence of a stoichiometric amount of chiral boron tors 83 and 84, the cycloaddition of Danishefsky s diene 102 to these imines rea iz s almost complete diastereocontrol in the matched cases (Scheme 10.115), a e... 

Reaction with imines derived from a-amino esters. In the presence of ZnC (1 equiv.) the imine 1 derived from L-valinc reacts with this diene to form 6-substituted 2,3-didehydro-4-pipcridinones 2 and 3 with high diastcreosclcctivity (92 8). This reaction is believed to involve a Mannich reaction to form a, which undergoes Michael cyclization to form 2 and 3 in the ratio 92 8. 

A range of a-keto-esters are prepared, in reasonable yield, from a-amino-esters by conversion first into the a-diazo-ester followed by oxidation with a peracid. Cyclopentanecarboxylic esters are prepared (in 48—77% yield) by the intramolecular C-H insertion of an a-diazo-ester (Scheme 61). ... 

Aluminum chloride [7446-70-0] is a useful catalyst in the reaction of aromatic amines with ethyleneknine (76). SoHd catalysts promote the reaction of ethyleneknine with ammonia in the gas phase to give ethylenediamine (77). Not only ammonia and amines, but also hydrazine [302-01-2] (78), hydrazoic acid [7782-79-8] (79—82), alkyl azidoformates (83), and acid amides, eg, sulfonamides (84) or 2,4-dioxopyrimidines (85), have been used as ring-opening reagents for ethyleneknine with nitrogen being the nucleophilic center (1). The 2-oxopiperazine skeleton has been synthesized from a-amino acid esters and ethyleneknine (86—89). 

Aziridine-2-carboxylates 12 (Scheme 3.4) have also been prepared from 3-hy-droxy-a-amino esters 9 by treatment with sulfuryl chloride in place of tosyl or mesyl chloride. Treatment of 9 with thionyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, followed by oxidation of 10 with sodium periodate and a catalytic amount of... 

In general, metalated 2-azaallyl anions derived from imines of a-amino esters serve both as Michael donors and as 1,3-dipolar reagents the course of the reaction, as well as the stereochemical outcome depends upon the base and the reaction conditions82,83. 

Thus, the dianion derived from a-amino acid substitutes the /1-chloride to give the ester of 2-(phenylsulfonyl)ethenyl amino acid and subsequent desulfonylation provides N-(benzoyl)vinylalanine methyl ester (62) (equation 61). The conjugate addition of enolates to methyl styryl sulfone (63) and subsequent intramolecular addition to the carbonyl moiety provide a synthetically valuable method for the construction of bicyclic and tricyclic skeletons52. Desulfonylation of the cyclization product 64 with sodium in ethanol-THF gives the diene 65 in good yield (equation 62). 

A very elegant approach has been developed by Kanerva et al. DKR of N-hetrocyclic a-amino esters is achieved using CAL-A [54]. Racemization occurs when acetaldehyde is released in situ from the acyl donor. In this case aldehyde-catalyzed racemization of the product cannot occur (Figure 4.28). This is one of the few examples reported for DKR of secondary amines (For a recent example see the above text and Ref. [38]). 

Solvent evaporation in a rotary evaporator afforded the amino alcohol product (4.14g, 90% yield). The purity of the crude product is high enough to be used in the catalysis experiments, but it can be purified further by vacuum distillation in a Kugelrohr [90-100 °C, 0.030-0.035 mbar] cooling the recipient flask with dry ice (84% yield from the amino ester, as white needles). 

Conversely, activated methylene compounds undergo an addition reaction across the C=N bond of imines. For example, benzylic ketones react with benzylidene anilines to from P-aminoketones [35], whereas the analogous reaction of diphenyl-methylene-protected a-amino esters, and nitriles, produces a disastereomeric mixture of the A-protected a,p-diamino esters, and nitriles [36, 37]. 

The enolization (LDA, THF) and subsequent condensation of a-amino ester 53a under kinetic conditions affords low levels of kinetic aldol diastereoselection. From the preceding discussion it is probable that the major enolate derived from 53a possesses the E)-geometry. The observation that moderate levels of erythro diastereoselection are observed with benzaldehyde (Table 16) are consistent... 

Cram and co-workers have experimented extensively with chiral recognition in crown ethers derived from various 3-binaphthols (73). In nonpolar solvents, these chiral ethers complex salts of PEA and various chiral a-amino esters (with fast exchange), inducing nonequivalence in their NMR spectra. The senses of proton nonequivalence induced in these solutes have been used to support proposed structures of the diastereomeric solvates (74). 

The fourth method also involves a tandem bond-forming strategy of N1-C2 and N4—C5, in which simultaneous formation of both amide bonds of a 2,5-DKP occurs in a one-pot reaction from an a-amino ester derivative. ... 

FeCl2 has been used to catalyse nitrene transfer from l-butyloxycarbonyl azide to sulfoxides (to form sulfoximides), sulfides (to give sulfimides), and a ketene acetal (to form an a-amino ester). ... 

Potassium enolates derived from the chiral Schiff bases obtained by reaction of racemic a-amino esters with 2-hydroxypinan-3-one undergo diastereoselective protonation, as evidenced by release of optically active a-amino esters on subsequent cleavage of the imine (Scheme 5). ... 

Diazepines represent an important class of bicyclic seven-membered heterocycles. They are the basis of several tranquilizers and are accessible from a-amino acid esters and o-azidobenzoyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine. The A/ -(o-azidobenzoyl)amino esters (333) formed in this way (Scheme 121) are cyclized by Staudinger and aza-Wittig reactions to give 2-ethoxy-l,4-benzodiazepin-5-ones (334) (92MI2). 

Enantiocontrolled anti-selective Michael additions of the metalated ylides derived from a-(alkylideneamino)alkanoates are attractive as a new synthetic route to enantiomers of a-amino esters. Although there are a variety of chiral glycine equivalents available, only the enolates derived from 1,4-dihydropyrazine have been successfully applied to asymmetric Michael additions (Scheme 11.22) (103-105). In these reactions, the diastereoselectivities are high. 

One problem in the anti-selective Michael additions of A-metalated azomethine ylides is ready epimerization after the stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation. The use of the camphor imines of ot-amino esters should work effectively because camphor is a readily available bulky chiral ketone. With the camphor auxiliary, high asymmetric induction as well as complete inhibition of the undesired epimerization is expected. The lithium enolates derived from the camphor imines of ot-amino esters have been used by McIntosh s group for asymmetric alkylations (106-109). Their Michael additions to some a, p-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have now been examined, but no diastereoselectivity has been observed (108). It is also known that the A-pinanylidene-substituted a-amino esters function as excellent Michael donors in asymmetric Michael additions (110). Lithiation of the camphor... 

The chiral auxiliary (the a-amino ester 4) is regenerated and can be separated from the desired amino ester 3 by distillation or chromatography. (S)- or (/ )-Valine (R2 = z -Pr) is commonly used as the chiral auxiliary. The corresponding bis-lactimether (with R3 = H or CH3) is commercially available as the Schollkopf-Hartwig reagent 6. 

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