Lactones enantioselective formation

Garbe L-A, Tressl R (2004) Metabolism of deuterated t/jreo-dihydroxy fatty acids in Saccha-romyces cerevisiae Enantioselective formation and characterization of hydroxylactones and y-lactones. Helv Chim Acta 87 180... 

Arylalkylketenes react with P,y-unsaturated a-ketophosphonates with chiral catalysis by N-heterocyclic carbenes giving enantioselective formation of products of formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition (Eqn (4.103)). ° These ketenes react similarly with acylcarboxylates forming the corresponding esters and amides with high enantioselectivity (Eqn (4.104)). ° A similar lactone synthesis by [4 + 2] cycloaddition is shown in Eqn (4.99), and such ketene reactions catalyzed by N-heterocycHc carbenes have been recently reviewed. 

The initial results of an early directed evolution study are all the more significant, because no X-ray data or homology models were available then to serve as a possible guide [89]. In a model study using whole E. coU cells containing the CHMO from Adnetohacter sp. NCIM B9871,4-hydroxy-cydohexanone (3 5) was used as the substrate. The WT leads to the preferential formation of the primary product (i )-36, which spontaneously rearranges to the thermodynamically more stable lactone (R)-37. The enantiomeric excess of this desymmetrization is only 9%, and the sense of enantioselectivity (R) is opposite to the usually observed (S)-preference displayed by simple 4-alkyl-substituted cydohexanone derivatives (see Scheme 2.10) [84—87]. 

You and co-workers have demonstrated enantioselective y-lactone formations nsing glyoxalate 163, achieving up to 78% ee with the NHC derived from chiral triazohum salt 164, although with low levels of diastereoselectivity (Scheme 12.35) [70],... 

Nair and co-workers have demonstrated NHC-catalysed formation of spirocyclic diketones 173 from a,P-unsaturated aldehydes 174 and snbstitnted dibenzylidine-cyclopentanones 175. Where chalcones and dibenzylidene cyclohexanones give only cyclopentene products (as a result of P-lactone formation then decarboxylation), cyclopentanones 175 give only the spirocychc diketone prodncts 173 [73]. Of particular note is the formation of an all-carbon quaternary centre and the excellent level of diastereoselectivity observed in the reaction. An asymmetric variant of this reaction has been demonstrated by Bode using chiral imidazolium salt 176, obtaining the desymmetrised product with good diastereo- and enantioselectivity, though in modest yield (Scheme 12.38) [74],... 

In recent years, the variety of useful diazo substrates for asymmetric intramolecular cyclopropanation processes has really expanded. As another example, Charette and Wurz have reported the first example of an intramolecular cyclopropanation involving a-nitro-a-diazo carbonyl compounds.This reaction, catalysed by Rh2[(S)-DOSP]4, led to the formation of nine-membered nitrocyclopropyl lactones in good yields and enantioselectivities with extremely high diastereoselectivities (Scheme 6.17). This novel methodology constituted an efficient entry into chiral functionalised macrocyclic-fused cyclopropane oc-amino acids. 

Zhang68 has applied the cyclization of esters to the formation of a-methylene-y-butyrolactones, thus offering a novel and enantioselective entry to these substructures. The importance of this unsaturated lactone is evidenced by its ubiquitous presence in nearly a third of all naturally occurring secondary metabolites. The Alder-ene reaction has been applied to a formal total synthesis of (+)-pilocarpine, a leading therapeutic reagent for the treatment of narrow and wide glaucoma. Zhang intersected Btichi s synthetic intermediate (i )-181 (Scheme 47) in only two steps with a 99% ee and a 91% overall yield. In comparison, Biichi synthesized (i )-181 in five steps with a 92% ee and a 20% overall yield. 

Scheme 38 Enantioselective lactone formation via haloalcohol radical conjugate addition...

Ester-tethered enyne systems cycloisomerized to give lactone products (Eq. 11) [24]. Eor example, enyne 6 reacted under the Alder-ene conditions of [Rh(COD)Cl]2/BlNAP/ AgSbEg to give the corresponding lactone (Eq. 11). Once again free hydroxyl groups on the allylic terminus were incorporated into the cyclization precursors and subjected to the Alder-ene conditions, which led to the exclusive formation of the tautomerized products in good yields and enantioselectivities (Eq. 12). 

Intramolecular ylide formation with the lactone carbonyl oxygen (53) in 145 provided a carbonyl ylide 146 that was trapped with Al-phenyl maleimide to give cycloadduct 147. Likewise (54), carbonyl yhde 149, derived from ester 148, suffers intramolecular cycloaddition with the tethered alkene to deliver acetal 150 in 87% yield. An enantioselective version of this process has also been described (Scheme 4.33). 

Asymmetric ring opening of achiral monocyclic, bicyclic and tricyclic anhydrides under formation of the corresponding chiral monoesters can be accomplished in high yield with modest enantioselectivity with methanol in the presence of less than stoichiometric amounts of cinchona alkaloids in toluene or diethyl ether (Table 9)91 94. As expected the use of cinchonine A or quinidine C, and of cinchonidine B or quinine D gives opposite enantiomers. Recrystallization of the monoesters and lactones affords material of considerably higher enantiomeric purity (Table 9, entries 15, 16, 21, and 23). 

Reaction of cinnamyl alcohol (36) catalyzed by Rh-BINAPHOS gives the product as lactol 37 (1 1 mixture of diastereomers at the anomeric carbon) with high enantioselectivity (88% ee) [94] (Scheme 7.7). The enantiopurity of lactol 37 is determined by oxidizing the lactol to the corresponding lactone 38. In the same manner, homoallyl alcohol (39) is converted to the corresponding a-methyl-y-butyrolactone (42) with 73% ee via lactol 40 [94] (Scheme 7.7). However, the regioselectivity of the reaction is not favorable to the formation of 40, forming achiral 6-lactol 41 as the major product. 

Romo et al. have used Lewis acids to catalyze the formation of a-silyl-/ -lactones in their synthesis of potential inhibitors of yeast 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase <1998BMC1255>. In addition to various Lewis acid catalysts, a chiral promoter based on the chiral diol (l/ ,2R)-2-[(diphenyl)hydroxymethyl]cyclo-hexan-l-ol was introduced to the reaction in an attempt to improve the stereoselectivity. A variety of chiral 2-oxetanones were formed, with enantioselectivities ranging from 22% to 85%. Dichlorotitanium-TADDOL catalysts 113 and 114 have also been used in an attempt to encourage the stereoselective [2+2] cycloaddition of silyl ketenes and aldehydes (TADDOL = (—)-/ra r-4,5-bis(diphenyl-hydroxymethyl)-2,2-dimethyl-l,3-dioxolane), although this method only afforded 2-oxetanones in moderate yields and optical purity (Equation 41) <1998TL2877>. 

The enantioselective intramolecular C-H insertion of alkyl diazoacetates has been used to prepare a variety of pharmaceutical and natural products [1], One example is the synthesis of (-)-enterolactone (8) shown in Scheme4 [2], The Rh2(4S-MPPIM)4-catalyzed reaction of 6 favors C-H insertion to form the y-lac-tone 7 in 93 % ee, which was the readily converted to 8. Competing C-H insertion at the highly activated benzylic C-H bond to form a /3-lactone was not observed, which illustrates the strong preference for five-membered ring formation over six-membered. 

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