Stereoselective synthesis ketone hydrogenation

Oxynitrilases are enzymes that catalyze the formation and cleavage of cyanohydrins through the stereoselective addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes or methyl ketones giving enantiopure a-hydroxynitriles. The use of (R)-oxynitrilases for the preparation of chiral cyanohydrins has dramatically grown in the last decade because of their possibihties as precursors for the synthesis of many compounds with physiological properties [50]. 

Dynamic Resolution of Chirally Labile Racemic Compounds. In ordinary kinetic resolution processes, however, the maximum yield of one enantiomer is 50%, and the ee value is affected by the extent of conversion. On the other hand, racemic compounds with a chirally labile stereogenic center may, under certain conditions, be converted to one major stereoisomer, for which the chemical yield may be 100% and the ee independent of conversion. As shown in Scheme 62, asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-substituted 3-oxo carboxylic esters provides the opportunity to produce one stereoisomer among four possible isomers in a diastereoselective and enantioselective manner. To accomplish this ideal second-order stereoselective synthesis, three conditions must be satisfied (1) racemization of the ketonic substrates must be sufficiently fast with respect to hydrogenation, (2) stereochemical control by chiral metal catalysts must be efficient, and (3) the C(2) stereogenic center must clearly differentiate between the syn and anti transition states. Systematic study has revealed that the efficiency of the dynamic kinetic resolution in the BINAP-Ru(H)-catalyzed hydrogenation is markedly influenced by the structures of the substrates and the reaction conditions, including choice of solvents. 

Liu and Zhou applied Roush s crotylboration to the stereoselective synthesis of the orostanal 70, a novel sterol that induces apoptosis in human acute promyelotic leukemia cells28 (Scheme 3.ly). The aldehyde 72, prepared from hyodeoxycholic acid methyl ester, underwent asymmetric reaction with crotylboronate (R,R)-43E to furnish 73. Hydrogenation of the terminal alkene followed by Swem oxidation gave the ketone 74. Methylenation of the ketone and removal of the protective groups afforded orostanal in 50% yield. 

S.M. Weinreb and co-workers were surprised to find that the convergent stereoselective synthesis of marine alkaloid lepadiformine resulted in a product that gave a totally different NMR spectra than the natural product. This finding led to the revision of the proposed structure of lepadiformine. In the final stages of the synthesis, they exposed a tricyclic piperidone intermediate to Ciemmensen conditions to remove the ketone functionality. Under these conditions the otherwise minor elimination product (alkene) was formed predominantly however, it was possible to hydrogenate the double bond to give the desired alkane. 

Koike T, Murata K, Dcariya T. Stereoselective synthesis of optically active a-hydroxy ketones and anti-l,2-diols via asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of unsymme-trically substituted 1,2-diketones. Org. Lett. 2000 2(24) 3833-3836. 

Conjugate addition.s The key step in a stereocontrolled synthesis of the Lyth-raceae alkaloid lasubine II (4) is the conjugate addition of an alkylcopper complexed with BF3 to the N-acyl-2,3-dihydro-4-pyridone 1 to give the d.v-product 2 in 56% yield and >96% stereoselectivity. Hydrogenation in the presence of Li2C03 effects cyclization and deprotection of nitrogen to give the ketone 3, which is reduced stereoselectively by lithium trisiamylborohydride to the desired alcohol 4. 

The amino acid synthesis from Strecker has been known since 1850 [25]. Stereoselective versions of this synthesis start with chiral amines, which are condensed with carbonyl compounds to form imines. Addition of hydrogen cyanide and subsequent hydrolysis of the amino nitriles yields the amino acids. When ketones are used for the condensation, a-alkylated amino acids are obtained in high yields and optical purities... 

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