Protective groups carbobenzyloxy

Improved Catalyst for the Removal of Carbobenzyloxy Protective Groups... 

See K. Humphries, T. Dunn, K. Moebus, B. Chen, Improved Catalyst for the Removal of Carbobenzyloxy Protecting Groups, this issue, Ch. 54. 

In the synthesis of the antibiotic L-azatyrosine, the simultaneous removal of the carbobenzyloxy and diphenylethylene protecting groups presented a problem (Scheme 4.47). 

One of the first compounds to be introduced to the clinic, aztreonam (40-9), has been produced by total synthesis. Constmction of the chiral azetidone starts with amide formation of L-threonine (40-1) via its acid chloride treatment with ammonia leads to the corresponding amide (40-2). The primary amino group in that product is then protected as its carbobenzyloxy derivative (40-3). Reaction of that product with methanesulfonyl chloride affords the mesylate (40-4). Treatment of that intermediate with the pyridine sulfur trioxide complex leads to the formation of the A -sulfonated amide (40-5). Potassium bicarbonate is sufficiently basic to ionize the very acidic proton on the amide the resulting anion then displaces the adjacent mesylate to form the desired azetidone the product is isolated as its tetrabutyl ammonium salt (40-6). Catalytic hydrogenation over palladium removes the carbobenzyloxy protecting group to afford the free primary amine (40-7). The... 

Benzyl chloroformate. source of the carbobenzyloxy (Cbz-) protecting group. 

In order to transform the spirocyclic enone 445 to ( )-elwesine (439) and ( )-epielwesine (449), it was treated with boron trifluoride and dimethylsulfide to cleave the Al-carbobenzyloxy protecting group, and cyclization of the resulting amino enone spontaneously ensued to produce ( )-dihydrooxocrinine (447). Reduction of carbonyl function of 447 with sodium borohydride afforded ( )-3-epielwesine (449), which was converted to ( )-elwesine (439) by inversion of the hydroxyl function at C-3 via a Mitsunobu protocol using diethyl azodicarboxylate, triphenylphosphine, and formic acid. Attempted reduction of 447 directly to 439 by a Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction or with bulky hydride reagents gave only mixtures of 449 and 439 that were difficult to separate. 

The enone 445 was then converted to ( )-oxocrinine (415) by a sequence that commenced with the bromination of 445 using excess 5,5-dibromo-2,2-di-methyl-4,6-dioxo-l,3-dioxane to provide a mixture of bromo ketones 446. Removal of the jV-carbobenzyloxy protecting group according to the protocol previously detailed gave 448 as a mixture (a-Br (3-Br = 3 1) of diastereomers, but only the a-bromo isomer underwent dehydrobromination on heating with lithium bromide and lithium carbonate in dry DMF to furnish 415. Interestingly, treatment of the (3-bromo derivative of 448 under similar conditions afforded the debrominated product 447 (200). 

N-Carbobenzyloxy-L-a-alanine was condensed with linear polyethylenimine in the presence of DCC to give polymer 48, Cbz-Ala-PEI. The protective group of polymer 48 was removed by HBr in acetic acid to yield the grafted polymer 49, HBr-Ala-PEI. This polymer was found to be grafted almost quantitatively as determined by elemental analysis and the NMR spectrum. The IR spectrum suggested the presence of an amide bond. 

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