Optically active Mannich reactions

Instead of using Br0nsted bases, chiral Br0nsted acids can also be utilized to enanti-oselectively acquire Mannich products. The acidic catalyst assists in the Mannich reaction by protonating the imine, thereby forming an iminium ion to which the deprotonated Brpnsted acid catalyst coordinates. This chiral counterion directs the incoming nucleophile and leads to an optically active Mannich product. 

Even if organocatalysis is a common activation process in biological transformations, this concept has only recently been developed for chemical applications. During the last decade, achiral ureas and thioureas have been used in allylation reactions [146], the Bayhs-Hillman reaction [147] and the Claisen rearrangement [148]. Chiral organocatalysis can be achieved with optically active ureas and thioureas for asymmetric C - C bond-forming reactions such as the Strecker reaction (Sect. 5.1), Mannich reactions (Sect. 5.2), phosphorylation reactions (Sect. 5.3), Michael reactions (Sect. 5.4) and Diels-Alder cyclisations (Sect. 5.6). Finally, deprotonated chiral thioureas were used as chiral bases (Sect. 5.7). 

The original synthesis of duloxetine (3) is relatively straightforward, involving a four-step sequence from readily available 2-acetylthiophene 30 (Scheme 14.7). Understandably, the main synthetic challenge stems from the presence of a chiral center, because duloxetine (3) is marketed as the (5)-enantiomer as shown. Thus, a Mannich reaction between 30 and dimethylamine generated ketone amine 31, which was then reduced to provide intermediate racemic alcohol amine 32. The desired optically active (5)-alcohol 32a was accessed via resolution of racemate 32 with (5)-(+)-mandelic acid, which provided the necessary substrate for etherihcation with 1-fluoronaphthalene to afford optically active amine 33. Finally, A -demethylation with 2,2,2-trichloroethyl chloroformate and cleavage of the intermediate carbamate with zinc powder and formic acid led to the desired target duloxetine (3). 

Asymmetric Mannich reactions provide useful routes for the synthesis of optically active p-amino ketones or esters, which are versatile chiral building blocks for the preparation of many nitrogen-containing biologically important compounds [1-6]. While several diastereoselective Mannich reactions with chiral auxiliaries have been reported, very little is known about enantioselective versions. In 1991, Corey et al. reported the first example of the enantioselective synthesis of p-amino acid esters using chiral boron enolates [7]. Yamamoto et al. disclosed enantioselective reactions of imines with ketene silyl acetals using a Bronsted acid-assisted chiral Lewis acid [8]. In all cases, however, stoichiometric amounts of chiral sources were needed. Asymmetric Mannich reactions using small amounts of chiral sources were not reported before 1997. This chapter presents an overview of catalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions. 

In 1998, a new type of Pd(II) binuclear complex was reported which was effective for Mannich reactions of an imine derived from glyoxylate and anisidine with silicon enolates [38,39]. In these reactions, use of solvents including a small amount of water was essential. It was shown that water played an important role in this system water not only activated the Pd(II) complex to generate a cation complex, but also cleaved the N-Pd bond of the intermediate to regenerate the chiral catalyst. This reaction reportedly proceeded via an optically active palladium enolate on the basis of NMR and ESIMS analyses. A unique binuclear palladium-sandwiched enolate was obtained in the reaction of the p-hydroxo palladium complex with the silyl enol ether [(Eq. (9)]. 

Use of hydroxyacetone as donor in the asymmetric Mannich reaction led to the formation of optically active syn /i-amino alcohols bearing two stereogenic centers [22, 23], In the presence of 35 mol% L-proline as organocatalyst several types of syn / -amino alcohol syn-35 were successfully synthesized with enantioselectivity up to 99% ee and high diastereomeric ratio. For example, a high yield of 92%, a diaster-eomeric ratio of 20 1, and enantioselectivity >99% ee were observed by List et al. for formation of the syn yfi-amino alcohol 35a (Scheme 5.17) [23]. In addition to hydroxyacetone the methylated derivative methoxyacetone was also applied successfully in this reaction (93% yield, d.r. > 39 1, >99% ee). 

In conclusion, this new organocatalytic direct asymmetric Mannich reaction is an efficient means of obtaining optically active //-amino carbonyl compounds. It is worthy of note that besides the enantioselective process, enantio- and diastereose-lective Mannich reactions can also be performed, which makes synthesis of products bearing one or two stereogenic centers possible. Depending on the type of acceptor or donor, a broad range of products with a completely different substitution pattern can be obtained. The range of these Mannich products comprises classic / -amino ketones and esters as well as carbonyl-functionalized a-amino acids, and -after reduction-y-amino alcohols. 

The Mannich adducts are readily transformed to optically active a-amino-y-lac-tones via a one-pot diastereoselective reduction and lactonization sequence and the tosyl group exchanged for a Boc group via a two-step procedure. The cop-per(II) ion is crucial for the success of this reaction [21]. It has the properties necessary both to generate the enol species in situ and, in combination with the C2-symmetric ligand, coordinate it as well as the imine in a bidentate fashion. The reaction proceeds via a cyclohexane-like transition state with the R substituent of the enol in the less sterically crowded equatorial position, which is required to obtain the observed diastereoselectivity (Fig. 5). 

Addition of nucleophiles to electrophilic glycine templates has served as an excellent means of synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives [2c, 4—6]. In particular, imines derived from a-ethyl glyoxylate are excellent electrophiles for stereoselective construction of optically active molecules [32], This research and retrosyn-thetic analysis led us to believe that amine-catalyzed asymmetric Mannich-type additions of unmodified ketones to glyoxylate derived imines would be an attractive route for synthesis of y-keto-ce-amino acid derivatives [33], Initially, L-proline-catalyzed direct asymmetric Mannich reaction with acetone and N-PMP-protected a-ethyl glyoxylate was examined in different solvents. The Mannich-type reaction was effective in all solvents tested and the corresponding amino acid derivative was isolated in excellent yield and enantioselectivity (ee >95 %). Direct asymmetric Mannich-type additions with other ketones afford Mannich adducts in good yield and excellent regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivity (Eq. 8). 

Bagley MC, Brace C, Dale JW, Ohnesorge M, Phillips NG, Xiong X, Bower J (2002) J Chem Soc [Perkin 1] 1663 Belattar A, Saxton JE (1992) J Chem Soc [Perkin 1] 679 Bernardi L, Gothelf AS, Hazell RG, Jprgensen KA (2003) Catalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions of glycine derivatives with imines. A new approach to optically active alpha,beta-diamino acid derivatives. J Org Chem 68 2583-2591... 

Racemization of the Mannich ba.se may be caused by intrinsic instability " of the optically active final product, or it may occur during the synthesis or the optical resolution. The former case is fiequently observed in the preparation of cyclic derivatives of natural products and concerns Mannich reactions of different types, including the tandem aza-Cope-Mannich rearrangement, which affords more or less extensively ra-cemized products starting from optically active materials. -" -" - This finding is explained on the basis of the equilibrium involved in the 3,3-reanangement leading to ketones 201 (Fig. 72), key intermediates for the synthesis of alkaloids. 

A very wide range of Mannich bases can be subjected to replacement reaction with —SH derivatives, including ketobases producing optically active y-ketosulfides [275, R = PhCO-CH(Me) , when the reaction is carried out in the presence of catalytic amounts of chiral amine of the cinchonidinc type. ... 

Chiral amines, also employed in the synthesis of perhydro-oxazepines and y-diaze-pines, have been used for the preparation of asymmetric P-Mannich bases such as the derivatives 102, which exhibit the contemporary presence of optically active P and amino group. The synthesis involves reaction of the hydroxymethyl derivative of the substrate with the chiral amine. ... 

Astik, J. K. and Thaker, K, A Mannich reaction of optically active (+)-ethyl-2-mcth-ylbutylacetoacetate, J. Inst. Chem. Calcutta. 47.68, 1975 Chem. Ahstr.. 83, 16.3594. 1975. 

Catalytic enantioselective Mannich reactions provide one of the most versatile approaches for the synthesis of optically active chiral amines. Recently, several organocatalytic protocols have been developed using the parent cinchona alkaloids or their derivatives. 

The development of enantioselective Mannich-type reactions is an important subject in synthetic organic chemistry, because fhese reactions provide optically active nitrogen-containing compounds which are very valuable in syntheses of biologically active products and their derivatives. Until recently, this subject had been solved by use of chiral auxiharies [215]. In recent years, catalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions using chiral Lewis acids have been studied extensively [216]. This section deals wifh chiral Lewis acid-promoted reactions. 

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