Naproxen asymmetric synthesis

Although very efficient, the broad application of the direct preparation is restricted due to the limited number of pure starting enantiomers. The design of a multistep process that includes asymmetric synthesis is cumbersome and the development costs may be quite high. This approach is likely best suited for the multi-ton scale production of commodity enantiomers such as the drugs ibuprofen, naproxen, atenolol, and albuterol. However, even the best asymmetric syntheses do not lead to products in an enantiomerically pure state (100 % enantiomeric excess). Typically, the product is enriched to a certain degree with one enantiomer. Therefore, an additional purification step may be needed to achieve the required enantiopurity. 

Here is a simple example it is, in fact, an asymmetric synthesis of the analgesic drug naproxen. First, look at the reaction—we ll consider the catalyst in a moment. 

In an industrial asymmetric synthesis en route to the antiinflammatory agent naproxen, the dimethyl L-tartrate acetals of ethyl aryl ketones are brominated in high yield and selectivity to give the corresponding a-bromo derivatives. Subsequent stereospecific Ag -promoted 1,2-aryl migration provides the 2-alkyl-2-arylacetic acid after hydrolysis of the tartrate auxiliary, which is recovered (e.g. eq 4). 

Scheme 3. Asymmetric synthesis of naproxen. Electrolysis (A1 anode, Pb cathode).

Enzymatic reduction, oxidation, ligase, or lyase reactions, especially, provide us with numerous examples in which prochiral precursor molecules are stereo-selectively functionalized. Ajinomoto s S-tyrosinase-catalyzed L-dopa process [112], the formation of L-camitine from butyro- or crotonobetaine invented by Lonza [113], and the IBIS naproxen route oxidizing an isopropylnaphthalene to an (S)-2-arylpropionic acid are representative, classic examples for many successful applications of enzymatic asymmetric synthesis on an industrial scale. A selection of recent industrial contributions in this field are summarized below. 

The synthetic utility of this reaction was further demonstrated by a three-step asymmetric synthesis of (S)-naproxen 22 an anti-inflammatory agent [16]. The thiol addition/asymmetric protonation on acrylate 19c resulted in the Michael adduct (S)-21c in 46% ee followed by a Raney nickel mediated desulfurization and acid hydrolysis. (S)-Naproxen 22 was isolated in 85% ee after a single crystallization (Scheme 7.12). 

Another interesting example of asymmetric synthesis from a prochiral substrate is the preparation of (S)-naproxen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It has been shown that several strains are able to regioselectively oxidize one of the enantiotopic methyl groups of the isopropyl moiety. This allows the preparation of the corresponding acid, which is obtained with high enantiomeric purity (Fig. 16.1-16). 

We describe the extension of this class of bisphosphite catalysts to asymmetric hydroformylation and hydrocyanation of vinylarenes.(3) These enantiose-lective catalytic transformations are employed for the asymmetric synthesis of S-Naproxen, a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Factors which influence regioselectivity and enantioselectivity, as well as characterization of the catalyst resting states, are discussed. 

Figure 9.5 lists the more important P-, N-, and S-containing chiral ligands used in asymmetric synthesis. Of these, Noyori s BINAP (axially dissymmetric phosphine-substituted binaphthyl) is probably the most effective and is used, for instance, as a Ru complex in the synthesis of (5)-naproxen (Noyori and Takaya,... 

Besides the more common reactions such as hydrogenation, isomerization, alkylation, and the Diels-Alder reaction. Sharpless epoxidation and dihydroxylation by asymmetrical catalysis are rapidly emerging as reactions with immense industrial potential. Table 9.7 lists some important syntheses based on asymmetric catalysis. These include processes for the pharmaceutical drugs (S)-naproxen, (S)-ibuprofen, (,S)-propranolol, L-dopa, and cilastatin, a fragrance chemical, L-menthol, and an insecticide (/ )-disparlure. Deltamethrin, an insecticide, is another very good example of industrial asymmetric synthesis. The total synthetic scheme is also given for each product. In general, the asymmetric step is the key step in the total synthesis, but this is not always so, as in the production of ibuprofen. Many of the processes listed in the table are in industrial production. 

K. T. Wan and M. E. Davis, Asymmetric Synthesis of Naproxen by Supported Aqueous-Phase... 

The Zambon process also starts from P-naphthol, and affords S-naproxen directly avoiding resolution and recycling. It is one of the few examples of a non-enzymatic, non-fermentation industrial asymmetric synthesis. Clearly, the early stages of the process produce similar waste streams to the Syntex process, with additionally waste from the Friedel-Crafts step. In principle, however, the aluminium salts can be recycled by work-up involving conversion back to aluminium chloride. The key step in this route is the highly diastereoselective (94 6) bromination of the ketal diester, derived from chirality pool 2R, 3R tartaric acid, which is used as an auxiliary. The subsequent acid catalysed 1,2-aryl shift occurs with complete inversion of configuration at the migration terminus [17]. The tartaric acid auxiliary can be efficiently recycled, but clearly there is a... 

This reaction was used in the highly successful commercial production of the drug l-DOPA by hydrogenation of the alkene 9. l-DOPA is effective against Parkinson s disease. Another commercial process is the asymmetric synthesis of the pain reliever, naproxen. ... 

Wan, K.T. Davis, M.E. (1994) Asymmetric-synthesis of naproxen by supported aqueous-phase catalysis, J. Catal, 148,1-8. 

SCHEME 31.13. Asymmetric synthesis of amides (77)-37a-c derived from naproxen, ibuprofen, and flurbiprofen. 

Early in the 1990s, Kumar and co-workers described an asymmetric synthesis of (5)-naproxen by means of a thia-Michael addition of thiophenol to acrylate 115 (Scheme 31.39). Desulfurization followed by acid cleavage... 

A possible way to induce selectivity in the photodecarboxylation process could be through photosensitized reactions in the soHd state. In fact, when a two-component molecular crystal of phenanthridine and 3-indoleacetic acid is irradiated at low temperature (-70°C), 3-methyHndole is formed in high yield as the sole product by contrast, when the same reaction is carried out in acetonitrile solution, four products are obtained.Furthermore, irradiation of two-component molecular crystals of arylalkyl carboxylic acids with stoichiometric amounts of electron acceptor causes decarboxylative condensation between the two components with important selectivities. " Thus, irradiation of (S)-naproxen in a chiral crystal with 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene produces a decarboxylated condensation product retaining the initial chirality." Photolysis of an enantiomorphous bimolecular crystal of acridine with the R or S enantiomer of 2-phenylpropionic acid causes stereoselective condensation to give three optically active products. An absolute asymmetric synthesis has also been achieved by the enantioselective decarboxylative condensation of a chiral molecular crystal formed from achiral diphenylacetic acid and acridine (Scheme 9). ... 

Hydroformylation has been extensively studied since it produces optically active aldehydes which could be important precursors for pharmaceutical and fine chemical compounds. Thus, asymmetric hydroformylation of styrene (Scheme 27) is a model reaction for the synthesis of ibuprofen or naproxen. Phosphorus ligands were used for this reaction with excellent results, espe-... 

The use of an analogous (S)-BINAP-Ru-diacetate catalyst with axial chirality has led to important industrial applications, such as the synthesis developed by Monsanto where the asymmetric hydrogenation is involved in the last step to yield naproxen, a widely prescribed, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (Equation (9)).96... 

One of the first applications of the then newly developed Ru-binap catalysts for a,/ -unsaturated acids was an alternative process to produce (S)-naproxen. (S)-Naproxen is a large-scale anti-inflammatory drug and is actually produced via the resolution of a racemate. For some time it was considered to be one of the most attractive goals for asymmetric catalysis. Indeed, several catalytic syntheses have been developed for the synthesis of (S)-naproxen intermediates in recent years (for a summary see [14]). The best results for the hydrogenation route were obtained by Takasago [69] (Fig. 37.15), who recently reported that a Ru-H8-binap catalyst achieved even higher activities (TON 5000, TOF 600 h 1 at 15 °C, 50 bar) [16]. 

In spite of extensive studies on the asymmetric hydroformylation of olefins using chiral rhodium and platinum complexes as catalysts in early days, enantioselectivity had not exceeded 60% ee until the reaction of styrene catalyzed by PtCl2[DBP-DIOP (l)]/SnCl-> was reported to attain 95% ee in 1982 [8]. Although the value was corrected to 73% ee in 1983 [9], this result spurred further studies of the reaction in connection to possible commercial synthesis of antiinflammatory drugs such as (S)-ibuprofen and (S)-naproxen. The catalyst PtCl2[BPPM... 

Scheme 7 Alternative mechanism for asymmetric decarboxylation of 2-cyano-2-(6-methoxy-naphth-2-yl)propionic acid in the synthesis of Naproxen involving a pre-association mechanism.

---