Hydroxy-keto acids

A good example of the simplicity and power of the chemistry to rapidly construct complex systems is provided by the Kolbe dimerization of (55) as the key step of a total synthesis of the triterpene (+)-Q -onocerin (57 Scheme 14) [33], Thus, oxidation of (+)-hydroxy keto acid (55) in methanol containing a trace of sodium methoxide and at a temperature of 50 C, followed by acylation and chromatography, provided (+)-diacetoxydione (56) in a 40% yield. 

A similar type of acid-catalyzed condensation of aldehydes with 4-methylene-2-oxetanone (diketene), giving 4-oxo-6-methyl-l,3-dioxins, has been patented (73GEP2149650). However, other work has established that <5-hydroxy-/ -keto acids or unsaturated keto acids are formed as the principal products (equation 24) (78CPB3877, 78CL409). The latter reaction probably involves electrophilic attack of the protonated aldehyde on the nucleophilic exocyclic methylene carbon atom of the diketone. A closely related reaction of acetals with diketene, catalyzed by titanium tetrachloride, gives the corresponding <5-alkoxy-/3-keto esters (74CL1189). 

A good example of the simplicity of the operation is provided by Stork s total synthesis of the complex triterpene (+)-o -onocerin (13) [5]. In tliis instance, the (+)-hydroxy keto acid 11 was oxidized in a methanol solution containing a trace of sodium methoxide at 0.1 A and 50 V, at a temperature of 50" C. Following acetylation with acetic anhydride/pyridine and chromatography, the (+)-diacetoxydione 12 was isolated in a 40% yield. 

Rings containing One Heteroatom.—Oxygen Heterocycles. Base-catalysed addition of 17j8-hydroxy-5a-androstan-3-one to glyoxylic acid, to afford either the hydroxy-keto-acid (197) when the reaction is performed at room temperature, or the rra 5-ayS-unsaturated acid (199) in high yield when done under reflux, provides an entry to both cis-lactone (198) and trans-lactone (201). 

Similarly, 5-thiazole alkanoic acids and their salts are obtained from thioamides and /3-halo -y-keto acids (695). Thus thioarylamides condensed with 3-aroyl-3-bromopropionic acid (88) in isopropanolic solution in the presence of Na COs give first 4-hydroxy-2-aryl-A-2-thiazoline-5-acetic acid intermediates (89), which were dehydrated in toluene with catalytic amounts of p-toluene sulfonic acid to 2,4-diaryl-5-thiazole acetic acid (90) (Scheme 39) (657), with R = H or Me Ar = Ph, o-, m- or p-tolyl, o-, m-, or P-CIC6H4, 0-, m-, or p-MeOC(iH4, P-CF3C6H4, a-thienyl, a-naphthyl (657). 

From the preceding data it can be seen that reduction studies with NaBH4 have not been as extensive as those with Li AIH4. Reduction at the 4-position of the 5a-H series should give a predominance of the -epimer. Reduction of a 2-keto-3j -acetoxy compound gives 84% of the 2, 3)5-diol. ° In the 5J -H series reduction of 7-ketocholanic acid gives a 75% yield of 7a-hydroxy-cholanic acid with only traces of the 7 -ol, but 7-ketocholesterol gives a mixture of the 7a- and 7j8-epimers. ... 

A solution of bismuth trioxide in hot glacial acetic acid provides a specific method for the oxidation of acyloins. " The reaction rate is dependent on the steric accessibility of the ketol system. A 2,3-ketol requires less than one hour for completion but an 11,12-ketol is not yet fully oxidized in thirty hours." The reaction is highly selective as a-keto acids, hydrazines and phenols are not oxidized. In a direct comparison with cupric acetate, this procedure is somewhat superior for the preparation of a 2,3-diketone from a 2-keto-3-hydroxy steroid. ... 

P-Acetoxy-5-hydroxy-B-mrcholestan-6-carboxylic Acid 5,6-Lactone (TO)."" A solution of 5 g (0.011 mole) of keto acid (69), 4.4 g of benzoyl chloride and 10 ml of anhydrous pyridine is allowed to stand for 3 days at room temperature. After a short period the mixture turns red-brown and at the end of the reaction the dark semi-solid mass is poured into 200 ml of water and extracted with two 100 ml portions of ether. The ethereal extracts are washed twice with equal portions of 5 % sodium hydroxide and water, dried and the ether evaporated. The red sirupy residue is mixed with 10 ml of methanol and a brown solid separates immediately. After standing for 1 hr the solid is removed by filtration and washed with methanol. A second crop is obtained upon concentration of the filtrate. The combined crops are recrystallized twice from methanol to give (70) as white needles mp 124-125° yield 2.8 g (58 %). 

In a typical Knof procedure, 3jS-hydroxyandrost-5-en-17-one acetate is epoxidized with perbenzoic acid (or m-chloroperbenzoic acid ) to a mixture of 5a,6a- and 5)5,6)5-epoxides (75) in 99 % yield. Subsequent oxidation with aqueous chromium trioxide in methyl ethyl ketone affords the 5a-hydroxy-6-ketone (76) in 89% yield. Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of the hydroxy ketone (76) with perbenzoic acid (or w-chloroperbenzoic acid ) gives keto acid (77) in 96% yield as a complex with benzoic acid. The benzoic acid can be removed by sublimation or, more conveniently, by treating the complex with benzoyl chloride and pyridine to give the easily isolated )5-lactone (70) in 40% yield. As described in section III-A, pyrolysis of j5-lactone (70) affords A -B-norsteroid (71). Knof used this reaction sequence to prepare 3)5-hydroxy-B-norandrost-5-en-17-one acetate, B-noran-... 

Ring contraction by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 5-hydroxy-6-keto steroids—cyclization of keto acids 3/S-acetoxy-B-norandrost-5-en-17-one from 3/3-acetoxyandrost-5-en-17-one, 434... 

The NAD- and NADP-dependent dehydrogenases catalyze at least six different types of reactions simple hydride transfer, deamination of an amino acid to form an a-keto acid, oxidation of /3-hydroxy acids followed by decarboxylation of the /3-keto acid intermediate, oxidation of aldehydes, reduction of isolated double bonds, and the oxidation of carbon-nitrogen bonds (as with dihydrofolate reductase). 

Certain ketoximes can be converted to nitriles by the action of proton or Lewis acids. Among these are oximes of a-diketones (illustrated above), a-keto acids, a-dialkylamino ketones, a-hydroxy ketones, p-keto ethers, and similar compounds. These are fragmentation reactions, analogous to 17-25 and 17-26. For example, ot-dialkylamino ketoximes also give amines and aldehydes or ketones besides nitriles. 

As the name implies, the odor of urine in maple syrup urine disease (brancbed-chain ketonuria) suggests maple symp or burnt sugar. The biochemical defect involves the a-keto acid decarboxylase complex (reaction 2, Figure 30-19). Plasma and urinary levels of leucine, isoleucine, valine, a-keto acids, and a-hydroxy acids (reduced a-keto acids) are elevated. The mechanism of toxicity is unknown. Early diagnosis, especially prior to 1 week of age, employs enzymatic analysis. Prompt replacement of dietary protein by an amino acid mixture that lacks leucine, isoleucine, and valine averts brain damage and early mortality. 

In intact cell systems or vivo, the primary products of a-hydroxylation, 22. have not been detected. The principal urinary metabolites of NNN resulting from a-hydroxylation are keto acid 21 from 2 -hydroxyl at ion and hydroxy acid 21 from 5 -hydroxylation. Trace amounts of 7 y 21> H ve also been detected as urinary metabolites (34). The interrelationships of these metabolites as shown in Figure 2 have been confirmed by administration of each metabolite to F-344 rats (37). The other metabolites which are routinely observed in the urine are NNN-1-N-oxide U1 and 5-(3-pyridyl)-2-pyrrolidinone [norcotinine, ]. The p-hydroxy derivatives 2. 1 were also detected in the urine of NNN treated rats, but at less than 0.1% of the dose (36). An HPLC trace of the urinary metabolites of NNN is shown in Figure 3. Urine is the major route of excretion (80-90% of the dose) of NNN and its metabolites in the F-344 rat in contrast to NPYR which appears primarily as CO2 (70%) after a dose of 16 mg/kg (17). This is because the major urinary metabolite of NNN, hydroxy acid 21> fs not metabolized further, in contrast to 4-hy-droxybutyric acid [2, Figure 1] which is converted to CO2. In addition, a significant portion of NNN is excreted as NNN-l-N-oxide U ], a pathway not open to NPYR. 

It has been postulated that secophthalideisoquinoline ene lactams and hydroxy lactams are most probably artifacts of isolation resulting from the reaction of enol lactones or keto acids with ammonia during the extraction process. The hydroxy lactams are probably formed initially and then undergo dehydration to give ene lactams (5,8). For this reason, this section covers the hydroxy lactams in addition to the ene lactams. The hydroxy lactams are... 

Adam, W., Lazarus, M., Saha-Moller, C.R. and Schreier, P. (1998) Quantitative transformation of racemic 2-hydroxy acids into (R)-2-hydroxy acids by enantioselective oxidation with glycolate oxidase and subsequent reduction of 2-keto acids with D-lactate dehydrogenase. Tetrahedron Asymmetry, 9 (2), 351-355. 

It will be seen that the enediolic system can theoretically be written in the isomeric 2-keto (II) or 3-keto (III) forms and these in turn are seen to be derived from the 2-keto and the 3-keto acids IV and V, respectively (compare with benzoin which reacts with iodine in an analogous fashion to L-ascorbic acid). Consequently the synthesis of L-ascorbic acid and of its analogs has consisted in devising methods for the formation of 2-keto or 3-keto hydroxy acids followed by their enolization and lactonization. Four main methods are available for the synthesis of analogs of L-ascorbic acid containing the characteristic five-membered unsaturated enediolic ring. 

A new class of cyclic dipeptidyl ureas, namely 3-hydroxy-6-oxo[l,2,4]triazin-l-yl-alaninamides 12, have been synthesized using the Ugi reaction. This reaction involved an a-keto-acid acid 8, an isocyanide 9 and semicarbazones 10 to give the Ugi adducts 11, wich were then stirred with sodium ethoxide <06JOC4578>. 

Carbon dioxide is not a common oxidation product in periodate work, but it does appear in the oxidation of ketoses,49 a-keto acids,14,39 and a-hydroxy acids,14 39 and it is often a product23 141 of overoxidation. Carbon dioxide analyses have been carried out using the Plantefol apparatus,49 the Warburg apparatus,14 23 and the Van Slyke-Neill mano-metric apparatus,39 and by absorption in standard sodium hydroxide141 followed by back-titration with acid. A most convenient method is the very old, barium hydroxide absorption scheme.16 The carbon dioxide is swept from the reaction mixture into a saturated, filtered barium hydroxide solution by means of a stream of pure nitrogen. The precipitated barium carbonate is filtered, dried, and weighed. This method is essentially a terminal assay. The manometric methods permit kinetic measurements, but involve use of much more complicated apparatus. 

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