Stereoselective modification

The synthesis of alcohols, ethers, and ketones by metal-catalyzed addition of water or alcohols to alkenes and alkynes is a well-established reaction in organic chemistry. Many regio- and stereoselective modifications of these reactions are known. In contrast, the analogous addition of ammonia or primary and secondary amines to nonactivated alkenes and alkynes has not had a comparable development, in spite of extensive efforts. In this section, we summarize the recent results of amination to unsaturated compounds. 

Like a,/Lunsaturated carbonyl compounds, vinyl silanes and particularly vinylsiloxanes do not dimerise readily and can thus be used in excess to drive selective CM reactions. Pietraszuk et al. [56] have exploited this to couple vinyl-triethoxysilane with a variety of olefin partners in good yield and with high stereoselectivity (Scheme 8) [57]. Given the importance of vinylsiloxanes as nucleophilic components in Pd-catalysed coupling reactions [58], their facile and stereoselective modification by CM is a significant development. 

It has taken a vast synthetic effort over a number of years to exploit the advantages of steroids as potent and effective anti-inflammatory agents. Much of the success that has been achieved has resulted from significant and innovative chemical transformations that allowed both regio- and stereoselective modifications within the steroidal skeleton to be accomplished. As a result of this research, several useful analogues of cortisone have been discovered and developed. 

M. Jaseja, R. N. Rej, F. Sauriol, and A. S. Perlin, Novel regio- and stereoselective modifications of heparin in alkaline solution. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic evidence, Can. J. Chem., 67 (1989) 1449-1456. 

Asymmetric Allylations. The asymmetric allylation of (3-diketones with r-allyl complexes using the chiral ligand (1) was reported to proceed with low stereoselectivity. Modification of the alkyl side-chain of (1) led to significant improvements in enantioselectivity (eq... 

Aziridine-incorporated peptides, capable of site- and stereoselective modification, have been formed using FmocAzyOH in Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis. This nonproteinogenic... 

Fig. 19 Stereoselective modification of pendent secondary alcohol catalyzed by Novozym 435 [151]. Reproduced by permission of Wiley...

Two syntheses of amino-sugars have utilized isoxazolines as key inter-mediates. 2 In one, the stereoselective modification to derivatives of the xylo and tdo series with 3 - 5 adjacent chiral centres has been achieved, and in the other,a novel conversion of hydroxylamines into the corresponding amines has been reported (Scheme 9). 

Since this original synthesis, a great number of improvements (191—201) have been made in the stereoselective preparation and derivatization of the CO-chain precursor, in cuprate reagent composition and preparation, in protecting group utilization, and in the preparation and resolution of hydroxycyclopentenones. Illustration of some of the many improvements are seen in a synthesis (202) of enisoprost, a PGE analogue. The improvements consist of a much more efficient route to the enone as well as modifications in the cuprate reactions. Preparation of the racemic enone is as follows ... 

Industrial Synthetic Improvements. One significant modification of the Stembach process is the result of work by Sumitomo chemists in 1975, in which the optical resolution—reduction sequence is replaced with a more efficient asymmetric conversion of the meso-cyc. 02Lcid (13) to the optically pure i7-lactone (17) (Fig. 3) (25). The cycloacid is reacted with the optically active dihydroxyamine [2964-48-9] (23) to quantitatively yield the chiral imide [85317-83-5] (24). Diastereoselective reduction of the pro-R-carbonyl using sodium borohydride affords the optically pure hydroxyamide [85317-84-6] (25) after recrystaUization. Acid hydrolysis of the amide then yields the desired i7-lactone (17). A similar approach uses chiral alcohols to form diastereomic half-esters stereoselectivity. These are reduced and direedy converted to i7-lactone (26). In both approaches, the desired diastereomeric half-amide or half-ester is formed in excess, thus avoiding the cosdy resolution step required in the Stembach synthesis. 

Another useful modification of this reagent is the reaction of CF3CCI3 with zinc and DMF in the presence of AICI3 [60, 63] (equation 53). The alcohol product can be treated subsequently with DAST, thionyl chloride, or phosphorus chlorides to afford the allyl substitution product regio- and stereoselectively [66] (equation 54). 

In recent years, several modifications of the Darzens condensation have been reported. Similar to the aldol reaction, the majority of the work reported has been directed toward diastereo- and enantioselective processes. In fact, when the aldol reaction is highly stereoselective, or when the aldol product can be isolated, useful quantities of the required glycidic ester can be obtained. Recent reports have demonstrated that diastereomeric enolate components can provide stereoselectivity in the reaction examples include the camphor-derived substrate 26, in situ generated a-bromo-A -... 

In further modifications of these norprogestins, reaction of norethindrone with acetic anhydride in the presence of p-toluene-sulfonic acid, followed by hydrolysis of the first-formed enol acetate, affords norethindrone acetate (41). This in turn affords, on reaction with excess cyclopentanol in the presence of phosphorus pentoxide, the 3-cyclopentyl enol ether (42) the progestational component of Riglovic . Reduction of norethindrone affords the 3,17-diol. The 33-hydroxy compound is the desired product since reactions at 3 do not show nearly the stereoselectivity of those at 17 by virtue of the relative lack of stereo-directing proximate substituents, the formation of the desired isomer is engendered by use of a bulky reducing agent, lithium aluminum-tri-t-butoxide. Acetylation of the 33,173-diol iffords ethynodiol diacetate, one of the most potent oral proves tins (44). ... 

The low rate of reaction for trisubstituted olefins was shown to be a result of slow hydrolysis of the osmium glycolate 29. However, this hydrolysis can be accelerated by a factor of up to 50 simply by the addition of methanesulfonamide.26 This modification permits the AD to be performed at lower temperature, which nearly always results in an increase in the stereoselectivity of the reaction.27... 

In many instances, however, the intermediate triazoline can be isolated and separately converted into the aziridine, often with poor stereoselectivity. The first practical modification to the original reaction conditions generated the (presumed) nitrenes by in situ oxidation of hydrazine derivatives. Thus, Atkinson and Rees prepared a range of N-amino aziridine derivatives by treatment of N-aminophthali-mides (and other N-aminoheterocydes) with alkenes in the presence of lead tetraacetate (Scheme 4.10) [7]. 

An interesting example for the modification of steroids by the addition of 5a-cholestanes to an Af(V-dimethyl(methylene)iminium salt with good stereoselectivity has been reported7. 

Since stereoselectivities of biocatalytic reductions are not always satisfactory, modification of biocatalysis are necessary for practical use. This section explains how to find, prepare, and modify the suitable biocatalysts, how to recycle the coenzyme, and how to improve productivity and enantioselectivity of the reactions. 

Applications of peroxide formation are underrepresented in chiral synthetic chemistry, most likely owing to the limited stability of such intermediates. Lipoxygenases, as prototype biocatalysts for such reactions, display rather limited substrate specificity. However, interesting functionalizations at allylic positions of unsaturated fatty acids can be realized in high regio- and stereoselectivity, when the enzymatic oxidation is coupled to a chemical or enzymatic reduction process. While early work focused on derivatives of arachidonic acid chemical modifications to the carboxylate moiety are possible, provided that a sufficiently hydrophilic functionality remained. By means of this strategy, chiral diendiols are accessible after hydroperoxide reduction (Scheme 9.12) [103,104]. 

Parallel to the modification of the catalytic performance in Baeyer-Villiger oxidations, random mutagenesis was successfully applied to improve the stereoselectivity of CHMOAcineto hi cascs of essentially racemic sulfoxide formation. In addition, enantiodivergent clones with >98% ee for both antipodal products were identified (Table 9.5) [205]. However, improvement in stereoselectivity of mutant enzymes was often accompanied by increased formation of sulfone. This effect can also be utilized to resolve racemic sulfoxides. 

It was demonstrated that these effects did not result from a permanent modification of the nature of the catalyst after recycling the catalyst used in styrene and reusing it in CH2CI2. Indeed, under these conditions the same stereoselectivities were obtained as with the use of the fresh catalyst in... 

A powerful concept for improving the chemo- and stereoselectivity of metal catalysts is their modification by co-adsorbed auxiliaries. This concept should be particularly useful for... 

By modification of the elegant method of preparation of optically active sulfinates previously reported by Mikolajczyk and coworkers , an efficient stereospecific method for the conversion of readily available optically active sulfinamides to optically active sulfinates of inverted configuration at the sulfinyl function, has been recently reported by Hiroi and coworkers . The same authors subsequently reported the thermal rearrangement of several optically active cis- and trans-y-substituted allylic p-toluenesulfinates to optically active chiral sulfones with high stereoselectivity. For example, trans and cis (S)-( — )-crotyl p-toluenesulfinates rearranged to optically active (S)-(-l-)- and (R)-( — )-a-methylallyl p-tolyl sulfone, respectively (equation 19). 

---