Primary amines through reductive amination

Perhaps the advantage of the medicinal chemistry route lies in the flexibility of introducing different alkyl groups on the primary amine through reductive amination on 2-aminoethyl indole 10 and hence allows access to various N, N-dialkyl tryptamine derivatives for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. 

Catalytic hydrogenation of the nitrile function of cyanohydrins can give amines. As in the case of ordinary nitriles, catalytic reduction of cyanohydrins can yield a mixture of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines. Addition of acid or acetic anhydride to the reaction medium minimizes formation of secondary or tertiary amines through formation of the amine salt or acetamide derivative of the primary amine. 

Formation of C—Nu The second mode of nucleophilic addition, which often occurs with amine nucleophiles, involves elimination of oxygen and formation of a C=Nu bond. For example, aldehydes and ketones react with primary amines, RNH2, to form imines, R2C=NR. These reactions proceed through exactly the same kind of tetrahedral intermediate as that formed during hydride reduction and Grignard reaction, but the initially formed alkoxide ion is not isolated. Instead, it is protonated and then loses water to form an imine, as shown in Figure 3. 

The reductive alkylation of a primary amine with ketone leads to the formation of a stable imine. In the presence of hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst, the imine is reduced to a secondary amine. Similarly, a diamine reacts stepwise to form dialkylated secondary amines. However, several side reactions are possible for these reactions as outlined by Greenfield (12). The general scheme depicting the reaction between primary amine or diamine to yield secondary amine through a Schiff base is shown in Figure 17.1. 

An interesting procedure has been proposed for the synthesis of amylose-b-PS block copolymers through the combination of anionic and enzymatic polymerization [131]. PS end-functionalized with primary amine or dimethylsilyl, -SiMe2H groups were prepared by anionic polymerization techniques, as shown in Scheme 56. The PS chains represented by the curved lines in Scheme 56 were further functionalized with maltoheptaose oligomer either through reductive amination (Scheme 57) or hydrosilyla-tion reactions (Scheme 58). In the first case sodium cyanoborohydride was used to couple the saccharide moiety with the PS primary amine group. 

Several characterized NRPSs utilize alternative methods for chain termination. In some synthetases, the TE domain of the final module is replaced by an NAD(P)H-dependent reductase domain. Reduction of a peptidyl-S-PCP substrate through a two-electron reaction leads to the formation of a transient aldehyde, which is subsequently converted into a cyclic imine or hemiaminal through intramolecular cyclization. This two-electron reaction is utilized in the biosynthesis of nostocyclopeptides, the saframycins, ° and anthramycin. Alternatively, a four-electron reduction to the primary alcohol is observed in the biosynthesis of mycobacterial peptidolipids, linear gramicidin," " the myxalamides, lyngbyatoxin, " and myxochelin A 75,76 alternative four-electron reduction pathway involving aldehyde formation, transamination, and reduction to a primary amine occurs in the biosynthesis of myxochelin B. ... 

The reduction of nitro groups may also be catalyzed by microsomal reductases and gut bacterial enzymes. The reduction passes through several stages to yield the fully reduced primary amine, as illustrated for nitrobenzene (Fig. 4.39). The intermediates are nitrosobenzene and phenylhydroxylamine, which are also reduced in the microsomal system. These intermediates, which may also be produced by the oxidation of aromatic amines (Fig. 4.21), are involved in the toxicity of nitrobenzene to red blood cells after oral administration to rats. The importance of the gut bacterial reductases in this process is illustrated by the drastic reduction in nitrobenzene toxicity in animals devoid of gut bacteria, or when nitrobenzene is given by the intraperitoneal route. 

JV-Nitraminopyridines are reducible both in acid and alkali. In hydrochloric acid the main product from 2-nitraminopyridine was the hydrazino-pyridine, formed in a six-electron reduction, but 2-aminopyridine and 2-chloropyridine were side products, the latter possibly through reaction by an intermediate diazonium compound with chloride. Contrary to nitramines of most primary amines, 2-nitraminopyridine431 is reducible in alkaline solution uptake of the first two electrons forms the 2-pyridyl-N-nitrosamine, which is further reduced to 2-aminopyridine. 

Dyestuffs in general, and azo dyes in particular, are likely to undergo. substantial primary biodegradation in an anaerobic environment through reductive cleavage of azo bonds into aromatic amines. Lipophilic aromatic... 

The types of nitrogen-containing compounds that are most frequently involved in reductive biotransformation are those containing nitro, azo, and N-oxide functional groups. Similar enzymes are involved that are generally located in the endoplasmic reticulum or cytosol of the liver or in the intestinal microflora. Complete reduction of a nitro compound to the primary amine involves a six-electron transfer and proceeds through nitroso and hydroxylamine intermediates [Eq. (16)]. 

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