Racemization-free oxidation

Figure 14.15 illustrates a third advanced procedure for the alcohol —> aldehyde oxidation with the example of a racemization-free oxidation of an enantiomerically pure alcohol. Two oxidizing agents are employed, a stoichiometric amount of NaOCl... 

This type of disconnection is mainly used for the preparation of dipeptides of type Xaai >[ , CH=CH]Gly. It allows control of the stereochemistry of the Xaa residue by starting from chiral a-amino aldehydes. For the construction of the /ram -p,y-unsaturated carboxylic acid moiety, the use of the triphenylphosphonium salt 31 (Scheme 9) derived from 3-chloro-propanoic acid was not suitable.14 Instead, the trimethylsilylprop-2-ynyl phosphonium salt 33 serves as a three-carbon unit, which can be converted into the P,y-unsaturated acid by hydroboration and oxidation. The required Boc-protected a-amino aldehyde 32 can be prepared using virtually racemization-free procedures. 37 However, at the end of the reaction sequence, racemization has been detected, especially for Boc-Phet )[ , CH=CH]Gly-OH, but not for the Ala and Pro analogues. 63 A mixture of E- and Z-enynes 34 and 35 is formed (8 2 to 9 1), which can be separated by column chromatography. 4,48 50 53 64 65 ... 

Popular oxidation reactions of peptide alcohols such as the Parikh-Doering or Dess-Martin in addition to older oxidation reactions such as Collins, pyridinium chlorochromate, or Swern oxidation afford racemization free productsJ9121415 37-39 Oxidations using pyridinium dichromate results in racemization and low yields of product.[l3 Oxidation reactions have also been utilized in semisynthetic pathways of peptide aldehydes (1) peptide aldehydes are obtained through the enzymatic acylation of a peptide ester to an amino alcohol with subsequent oxidation of the peptide alcohol to afford the aldehyde, and (2) peptide aldehydes can also be obtained by direct enzymatic oxidation of the peptide alcohol by alcohol de-hydrogenaseJ40 41 ... 

It should be noted that the related imine-oxaziridine couple E-F finds application in asymmetric sulfoxidation, which is discussed in Section 10.3. Similarly, chiral oxoammonium ions G enable catalytic stereoselective oxidation of alcohols and thus, e.g., kinetic resolution of racemates. Processes of this type are discussed in Section 10.4. Whereas perhydrates, e.g. of fluorinated ketones, have several applications in oxidation catalysis [5], e.g. for the preparation of epoxides from olefins, it seems that no application of chiral perhydrates in asymmetric synthesis has yet been found. Metal-free oxidation catalysis - achiral or chiral - has, nevertheless, become a very potent method in organic synthesis, and the field is developing rapidly [6]. 

Fig. 3.6.6. Smooth and racemization-free polymer-assisted preparation of peptide aldehydes with oxidizing polymer 5.

FIGURE 4.19. Kinetic resolution of racemic propylene oxide in solvent-free conditions... 

Pyridine N-oxide derivatives were found to produce a remarkable rate enhancement. It is not believed that they function as an axial ligand on the active catalyst species, since product ee s and cis/trans epoxide ratios are insensitive to the presence of these additives. Current theory suggests that the active Mn(V) oxo complex exists in equilibrium with an inactive dimer with the Mn(III) complex (see below). By binding to the latter, pyridine N-oxide derivatives shift the equilibrium toward the free active catalyst and thus enhance the reaction rates. It has also been observed that in dichloromethane, N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO) and m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPB A) produce a 1 1 salt which is unreactive toward olefins yet which is very efficient in oxidizing the (salen)Mn catalyst. This is significant in preserving the enantioselectivity of the process, as it prevents uncatalyzed racemic side-oxidation of the substrate [94JA9333]. 

Chiral (salen)Co catalysts were found to be efficient catalysts for hydrolytic kinetic resolution of terminal epoxides with water [78]. The solvent-free reaction condition with racemic propylene oxide with 0.55 equiv of water and 0.2 mol%... 

Sheldon et al. have combined a KR catalyzed by CALB with a racemization catalyzed by a Ru(II) complex in combination with TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpi-peridine 1-oxyl free radical) [28]. They proposed that racemization involved initial ruthenium-catalyzed oxidation of the alcohol to the corresponding ketone, with TEMPO acting as a stoichiometric oxidant. The ketone was then reduced to racemic alcohol by ruthenium hydrides, which were proposed to be formed under the reaction conditions. Under these conditions, they obtained 76% yield of enantiopure 1-phenylethanol acetate at 70° after 48 hours. 

Reaction temperature is one of the parameters affecting the enantioselectivity of a reaction [16]. For the oxidation of an alcohol, the values of kcat/fQn were determined for the (R)- and (S)-stereodefining enantiomers E is the ratio between them. From the transition state theory, the free energy difference at the transition state between (R) and (S) enantiomers can be calculated from E (Equation 2), and AAG is in turn the function of temperature (Equation 3). The racemic temperature (% ) can be calculated as shown in (Equation 4). Using these equations, % for 2-butanol and 2-pentanol of the Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus alcohol dehydrogenase were determined to be 26 and 77 °C, respectively. 

Related to the nitrile oxide cycloadditions presented in Scheme 6.206 are 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones with alkenes leading to isoxazolidines. The group of Comes-Franchini has described cycloadditions of (Z)-a-phenyl-N-methylnitrone with allylic fluorides leading to enantiopure fluorine-containing isoxazolidines, and ultimately to amino polyols (Scheme 6.207) [374]. The reactions were carried out under solvent-free conditions in the presence of 5 mol% of either scandium(III) or indium(III) triflate. In the racemic series, an optimized 74% yield of an exo/endo mixture of cycloadducts was obtained within 15 min at 100 °C. In the case of the enantiopure allyl fluoride, a similar product distribution was achieved after 25 min at 100 °C. Reduction of the isoxazolidine cycloadducts with lithium aluminum hydride provided fluorinated enantiopure polyols of pharmaceutical interest possessing four stereocenters. 

Experimental evidence indicates that the alkyl radical intermediates from the anodic oxidation of carboxylates are generated in free solution and have no memory of the configuration of the carboxyl group that was eliminated. Where the carboxylic acid function is attached to an asymmetric carbon atom as in 15, the Kolbe coupling reaction leads to complete racemization [67]. Anodic oxidation of (+)-2-... 

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