Reductive keto acids

This synthesis of the pyrrole ring system, due to Knorr, consists in the condensation of an a-aminoketone with a 1,3-diketone or the ester of a p-keto-acid, a-Aminoketones are unstable in the free state, readily undergoing self-condensation consequently they must be prepared, by the reduction of an a-nitroso (or oximino) ketone, in the presence of the 1,3-diketone or p-ketoester, to ensure rapid interaction. 

The two oxidoreductase systems most frequentiy used for preparation of chiral synthons include baker s yeast and horse hver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLAD). The use of baker s yeast has been recendy reviewed in great detail (6,163) and therefore will not be coveted here. The emphasis here is on dehydrogenase-catalyzed oxidation and reduction of alcohols, ketones, and keto acid, oxidations at unsaturated carbon, and Bayer-Vidiger oxidations. 

Ring fission occurs readily in many of these compounds. For example, azlactones, i.e. 4JT-oxazolin-5-ones containing an exocyclic C=C bond at the 4-position (508), are hydrolyzed to a-benzamido-a,/3-unsaturated acids (509), further hydrolysis of which gives a-keto acids (510). Reduction and subsequent hydrolysis in situ of azlactones is used in the synthesis of a-amino acids e.g. 508 -> 507). 

Although the nature of the general polar effect suggested by Kamernitzsky and Akhrem " to account for axial attack in unhindered ketones is not clear, several groups have reported electrostatic interactions affect the course of borohydride reductions. Thus the keto acid (5a) is not reduced by boro-hydride but its ester (5b) is reduced rapidly further, the reduction of the ester (6b) takes place much more rapidly than that of the acid (6a). Spectroscopic data eliminate the possibility that in (5a) there is an interaction between the acid and ketone groups (e.g. formation of a lactol). The results have been attributed to a direct repulsion by the carboxylate ion as the borohydride ion approaches. " By contrast, House and co-workers observed no electrostatic effect on the stereochemistry of reduction of the keto acid (7). However, in this compound the acid group may occupy conformations in which it does not shield the ketone. Henbest reported that substituting chlorine... 

The NAD- and NADP-dependent dehydrogenases catalyze at least six different types of reactions simple hydride transfer, deamination of an amino acid to form an a-keto acid, oxidation of /3-hydroxy acids followed by decarboxylation of the /3-keto acid intermediate, oxidation of aldehydes, reduction of isolated double bonds, and the oxidation of carbon-nitrogen bonds (as with dihydrofolate reductase). 

The extent of reduction of the carbonyl group of ketones and keto acids during desulfurization depends on the kind of catalyst used and on the solvent. The W 7 catalyst was most effective in reducing... 

Oxidation of ecgonine (2) by means of chromium trioxide was found to afford a keto acid (3). This was formulated as shown based on the fact that the compound undergoes ready themnal decarboxylation to tropinone (4)The latter had been obtained earlier from degradative studies in connection with the structural determination of atropine (5) and its structure established independently. Confirmation for the structure came from the finding that carbonation of the enolate of tropinone does in fact lead back to ecgonine. Reduction, esterification with methanol followed by benzoylation then affords cocaine. 

The solubility of the resulting product may dictate the choice of solvent. Reductive alkylation of norepinephrine with a series of keto acids proceeded smoothly over platinum oxide in methanol-acetic acid mixtures. However, when n = 4 or 5, the product tended to precipitate from solution, making catalyst separation difficult. The problem was circumvented by using glacial acetic acid as solvent 38). 

The first known pseudo-hexose, pseudo-a-DL-toZopyranose (34) was prepared by reduction of the keto-acid monoacetate (30) 26, 27). This intermediate, which had been used by Daniels, Doshi, and Smissman (9, JO) for a synthesis of shikimic acid, is prepared from the Diels-Alder adduct (31) of 2-acetoxyfuran and maleic anhydride, by a remarkable series of transformations. 

Yet a third method for the synthesis of a-amino acids is by reductive amination of an a-keto acid with ammonia and a reducing agent. Alanine, for instance, is prepared by treatment of pyruvic acid with ammonia in the presence of NaBH As described in Section 24.6, the reaction proceeds through formation of an intermediate imine that is then reduced. 

Amino acids can be synthesized in racemic form by several methods, including ammonolysis of an a-bromo acid, alkylation of diethyl acetamido-malonate, and reductive amination of an cv-keto acid. Alternatively, an enantio-selective synthesis of amino acids can be carried out using a chiral hydrogenation catalyst. 

The first carba-sugar, 4, was synthesized from the keto acid 13, which was obtained by a two-step reaction from the Diels-Alder adduct (12) of 2-ace-toxyfuran and maleic anhydride. Sodium borohydride reduction of 13, es-... 

L)-Phosphinotricin 67, which is the active component of naturally occurring antibiotic biolaphos, was synthesized from the corresponding keto acid 66 via reductive amination catalysed by L-glutamate dehydrogenase (EDH) (Equation 32)7 ... 

Purely aromatic ketones generally do not give satisfactory results pinacols and resinous products often predominate. The reduction of ketonic compounds of high molecular weight and very slight solubility is facilitated by the addition of a solvent, such as ethanol, acetic acid or dioxan, which is miscible with aqueous hydrochloric acid. With some carbonyl compounds, notably keto acids, poor yields are obtained even in the presence of ethanol, etc., and the difficulty has been ascribed to the formation of insoluble polymolecular reduction products, which coat the surface of the zinc. The adffition of a hydrocarbon solvent, such as toluene, is beneficial because it keeps most of the material out of contact with the zinc and the reduction occurs in the aqueous layer at such high dilution that polymolecular reactions are largdy inhibited (see Section IV,143). 

Summarizing the results obtained by controlled potential electrolysis and polarography, the reaction process for the electrolytic evolution of CO2 was estimated to be as follows the first step was one electron transfer from DMFC in NB to FMN in W as in Eq. (7). The second step was the catalytic reduction of O2 by FMNH as in Eq. (8). The final step was the oxidation of pyruvic acid by the reduction product of O2, H2O2, in W as in Eq. (9), well-known as an oxidative decarboxylation of a-keto acids [43] ... 

Keto acids can be dehydrated to enol lactones (Section III,A,1). They may also undergo esterification with alcohols e.g., /V-methylhydrasteine (104) in methanol at room temperature gave the expected keto ester 126 (R + R = CH2, R1 = CH3) (5,87). Sodium borohydride reduction of keto acid 104 supplies the saturated y-lactone 132 identical with that obtained from enol lactone 98 (5). 

Adam, W., Lazarus, M., Saha-Moller, C.R. and Schreier, P. (1998) Quantitative transformation of racemic 2-hydroxy acids into (R)-2-hydroxy acids by enantioselective oxidation with glycolate oxidase and subsequent reduction of 2-keto acids with D-lactate dehydrogenase. Tetrahedron Asymmetry, 9 (2), 351-355. 

From the very successful developments of the alcohol dehydrogenase technology for production of secondary alcohols and enzymatic reductive amination of keto-acids for production of amino acids, it is expected that we will also soon see applications for other enzymatic redox chemistries for example, reduction of unsaturated carbonyl compounds with... 

Reductive Esterification. Organosilane reductions of y- or 5-keto acids and esters provide the corresponding lactones as the final products (Eqs. 226 and 227).69,79,402... 

The highly enantioselective reductive animation of a-keto acids as a route to amino acids is possible with ligand 118 (3 R,4R)- l-W-benzyl)-3,4-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)pyrrolidine, DEGUPHOS] and [Rh(cod)2]BF4.649 (R,R)-NORPHOS (2-exo-3-endo-bis(diphenylphosphino)bicyclo[2.2.1 ]heptene) and (2. S, 3. S ) - C HIR AP H O S (bis(diphenylphosphino)butane) are also good ligands for this transformation. Arylpyruvic acids give the best results (>95% ee). 

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