Racemic epoxides

The MTO-based epoxidation system offers a particularly effective and practical route for the fonnation of racemic epoxides. Attempts to prepare chiral MTO com-... 

Two recent reports described addition of nitrogen-centered nucleophiles in usefully protected fonn. Jacobsen reported that N-Boc-protected sulfonamides undergo poorly selective (salen) Co-catalyzed addition to racemic epoxides. However, by performing a one-pot, indirect kinetic resolution with water first (HKR, vide infra, Table 7.1) and then sulfonamide, it was possible to obtain highly enantiomer-ically enriched addition products (Scheme 7.39) [71]. These products were transformed into enantioenriched terminal aziridines in straightforward manner. 

Vinylepoxides can be obtained by various strategies, all with their inherent limitations. Racemic epoxidation of olefins is a straightforward route to epoxides, as pure trans- or cis-epoxides can be obtained from ( )- or (Z)-alkenes, respectively. Various oxidants - such as mCPBA and other peracids, H2O2, or VO(acac)2/TBHP - can all be employed in this transformation [1],... 

One way of overcoming these problems is by kinetic resolution of racemic epoxides. Jacobsen has been very successful in applying chiral Co-salen catalysts, such as 21, in the kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides (Scheme 9.18) [83]. One enantiomer of the epoxide is converted into the corresponding diol, whereas the other enantiomer can be recovered intact, usually with excellent ee. The strategy works for a variety of epoxides, including vinylepoxides. The major limitation of this strategy is that the maximum theoretical yield is 50%. 

Scheme 9.20 Dynamic kinetic resolution of racemic epoxide...

Figure 6.72 shows an enantioconvergent multistep process leading to an enantio-pure epoxide. The racemic epoxide was resolved by A. niger EH leading to the (R)-diol and the residual (S)-epoxide with excellent optical purity [195]. The chemical... 

Mechanistic studies103 revealed that chiral ketone-mediated asymmetric epoxidation of hydroxyl alkenes is highly pH dependent. Lower enantioselectivity is obtained at lower pH values at high pH, epoxidation mediated by chiral ketone out-competes the racemic epoxidation, leading to higher enantioselectivity. (For another mechanistic study on ketone-mediated epoxidation of C=C bonds, see Miaskiewicz and Smith.104)... 

Fig. 25) (Baldwin, 1976). By raising antibodies to the charged hapten [67], Janda and co-workers produced an abzyme which accelerated 6-exo attack of the racemic epoxide to yield exclusively the disfavoured tetrahydropyran product [68] and in an enantiomerically pure form (Appendix entry 14.1) (Janda et al 1993). 

Benzyloxy-2-methylpropane-l,2-diol, a desymmetrized form of 2-methylpropane-1,2,3-triol with its terminal hydroxy being protected as a benzyl ether, was prepared using the B. subtilis epoxide hydrolase-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of the racemic benzyloxymethyl-l-methyloxirane readily available from methallyl chloride and benzyl alcohol. The preparation of the racemic epoxide, a key intermediate, was described in Procedures 1 and 2 (Sections 5.6.1 and 5.6.2), its overall yield being 78 %. The combined yield of enantiomerically pure (7 )-3-benzyloxy-2-methylpropane-l,2-diol was 74 % from ( )-benzyloxymethyl-l-methyloxirane, as described in Procedures 3-5 (Sections 5.6.3 and 5.6.5), with the overall procedures leading to the biocatalytic dihydroxylation of benzyl methallyl ether . 

In contrast to the asymmetrization of meso-epoxides, the kinetic resolution of racemic epoxides by whole fungal and bacterial cells has proven to be highly selective (see above). These biocatalysts supply both the unreacted epoxide enantiomer and the corresponding vidnal diol in high enantiomeric excess. This so-called classic kinetic resolution pattern of the biohydrolysis is often regarded as a major drawback since the theoretical chemical yield can never exceed 50% based on the racemic starting material. As a consequence, methods... 

To overcome this issue Kureshy et al. [55, 56] reported dimeric form of Jacobsen s catalysts 3, 4. They used the concept of solubility modification by altering the molecular weight of the catalyst so that in a post catalytic work-up procedure the catalyst is precipitated, filtered and used for subsequent catalytic runs. The complexes 3, 4 (0.2 mol % of Co(lll)-salen unit) (Figure 2) were effectively used for HKR of racemic epoxides, e.g., styrene oxide, epichlorohydrin, 1,2-epoxypropane, 1,2-epoxyhexane, 1,2-epoxyoctane, and 1,2-epoxydodecane to achieve corresponding epoxides and 1,2-diols in high optical purity and isolated yields. In this process, once the catalytic reaction is complete the product epoxides were collected by reduced pressure distillation. Addition of diethylether to the residue precipitated the catalyst which was removed by filtration. However, the recovered catalyst was required to be reactivated by its treatment with acetic acid in air. The catalysts were reused 4 times with complete retention of its performance. 

Kim et al. [67] recently reported the synthesis of heterometallic chiral polymer (salen) Co-(Al, Ga, ln)Cl3 complexes 26-32 (Figure 10) and their use in the HKR of racemic epoxides. Polymeric salen catalysts showed very high reactivity and enantioselectivity at substantially lower catalyst loadings for the asymmetric ring opening of terminal epoxide to obtain the enantio-enriched products. The performance of catalysts is retained on multiple-use and do not suffer the problems of solubility and deactivation (Scheme 5). 

Annis et al. [69] reported the synthesis of polystyrene- 36 and silica bound Co(salen) 37 and their use in HKR of racemic epoxides (Scheme 7-9). Polystyrene bound systems 36 demonstrated highly practical solutions to certain technical difficulties associated with the isolation of reaction products from HKR especially problematic substrates like epichlorohydrin and other high boiling epoxides (Table 1). 

Aminolytic Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Epoxides with... 

Kureshy, R. I. Singh, S. Khan, N. H. Abdi, S. H. R. Ahmad, I. Bhatt, A. Jasra R. V. (2005) Improved catalytic activity of homochiral dimeric cobalt salen complex in hydrolytie kinetic resolution of terminal racemic epoxides.. Chirality, 17 590-594. 

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