Strecker enantioselective

A very efficient and universal method has been developed for the production of optically pue L- and D-amino adds. The prindple is based on the enantioselective hydrolysis of D,L-amino add amides. The stable D,L-amino add amides are effidently prepared under mild reaction conditions starting from simple raw materials (Figure A8.2). Thus reaction of an aldehyde with hydrogen cyanide in ammonia (Strecker reaction) gives rise to the formation of the amino nitrile. The aminonitrile is converted in a high yield to the D,L-amino add amide under alkaline conditions in the presence of a catalytic amount of acetone. The resolution step is accomplished with permeabilised whole cells of Pseudomonas putida ATCC 12633. A nearly 100% stereoselectivity in hydrolysing only the L-amino add amide is combined with a very broad substrate spedfidty. 

Hydantoinases belong to the E.C.3.5.2 group of cyclic amidases, which catalyze the hydrolysis of hydantoins [4,54]. As synthetic hydantoins are readily accessible by a variety of chemical syntheses, including Strecker reactions, enantioselective hydantoinase-catalyzed hydrolysis offers an attractive and general route to chiral amino acid derivatives. Moreover, hydantoins are easily racemized chemically or enzymatically by appropriate racemases, so that dynamic kinetic resolution with potential 100% conversion and complete enantioselectivity is theoretically possible. Indeed, a number of such cases using WT hydantoinases have been reported [54]. However, if asymmetric induction is poor or ifinversion ofenantioselectivity is desired, directed evolution can come to the rescue. Such a case has been reported, specifically in the production of i-methionine in a whole-cell system ( . coli) (Figure 2.13) [55]. 

Both the ureas and thioureas are highly suitable organocatalysts for the asymmetric Strecker synthesis. For example, the thiourea function was replaced by an urea function (note the opposite configurations). The organocatalysts thus obtained showed similar activity and slightly higher enantioselec-tivities with N-allyl benzaldimine (Scheme 39,74% yield with 95% ee for Ri = Bn and R2 = H). Once again, better enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) was at-... 

Jacobsen and co-workers also described the highly enantioselective hydrocyanation of ketimines with the urea analogue. After recrystallisation of the corresponding Strecker adduct, formylation and hydrolysis, the N-benzyl R-methylphenylglycine, was obtained. The R-amino acid hydrochloride is obtained in 93% overall yield with > 99.9% ee on a gram scale [149]. 

Similar organocatalytic species to those successfully used for the Strecker reaction were used for the asymmetric Mannich reaction. Catalyst structure/ enantioselectivity profiles for the asymmetric Strecker and Mannich reactions were compared by the Jacobsen group [160]. The efficient thiourea... 

Zr-Catalyzed Enantioselective Cyanide Additions to Imines (Strecker Reactions)... 

Shibasaki et al. developed a polymer-supported bifunctional catalyst (33) in which aluminum was complexed to a chiral binaphtyl derivative containing also two Lewis basic phosphine oxide-functionahties. The binaphtyl unit was attached via a non-coordinating alkenyl Hnker to the Janda Jel-polymer, a polystyrene resin containing flexible tetrahydrofuran-derived cross-Hnkers and showing better swelling properties than Merifield resins (Scheme 4.19) [105]. Catalyst (33) was employed in the enantioselective Strecker-type synthesis of imines with TMSCN. 

A new cinchona alkaloid-derived catalyst has been developed for the enantioselective Strecker reaction of aryl aldimines via hydrogen-bonding activation. For reference, see Huang, J. Corey, E. J. Org. Lett. 2004, 6, 5027-5029. 

Furthermore, a highly efficient route to A-tert-butoxycarbonyl (Boc)-protected p-amino acids via the enantioselective addition of silyl ketene acetals to Al-Boc-aldimines catalyzed by thiourea catalyst 4 has been reported (Scheme 12.2)." From a steric and electronic standpoint, the A-Boc imine substrates used in this reaction are fundamentally different from the A-alkyl derivatives used in the Strecker reaction. 

Snapper and Hoveyda reported a catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of aldimines using peptide-based chiral titanium complex [Eq. (13.11)]. Rapid and combinatorial tuning of the catalyst structure is possible in their approach. Based on kinetic studies, bifunctional transition state model 24 was proposed, in which titanium acts as a Lewis acid to activate an imine and an amide carbonyl oxygen acts as a Bronsted base to deprotonate HCN. Related catalyst is also effective in an enantioselective epoxide opening by cyanide "... 

For catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of ketoimines from other groups, see ... 

New catalyst design further highlights the utility of the scaffold and functional moieties of the Cinchona alkaloids. his-Cinchona alkaloid derivative 43 was developed by Corey [49] for enantioselective dihydroxylation of olefins with OsO. The catalyst was later employed in the Strecker hydrocyanation of iV-allyl aldimines. The mechanistic logic behind the catalyst for the Strecker reaction presents a chiral ammonium salt of the catalyst 43 (in the presence of a conjugate acid) that would stabilize the aldimine already activated via hydrogen-bonding to the protonated quinuclidine moiety. Nucleophilic attack by cyanide ion to the imine would give an a-amino nitrile product (Scheme 10). 

The chiral guanidine s role as a strong Brpnsted base for the reactions of protic substrates has been proposed. In 1999, Corey developed a C -symmetric chiral guanidine catalyst to promote the asymmetric Strecker reaction [117]. The addition of HCN to imines was promoted high yields and high enantioselectivities for both electron-withdrawing and electron-donating aromatic imines (Scheme 64). 

Furthermore, Rueping and coworkers applied their reaction conditions to the cyanation of ketimines [54]. The use of A-benzylated imines derived from aryl-methyl ketones generally gave comparable yields, but lower enantioselectivities. However, this method furnished Strecker products bearing a quaternary stereogenic center, which are valuable intermediates for the preparation of optically active a,a-disubstituted a-amino acids. 

Pll The asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acids and derivatives is an important topic as a result of their extensive use in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals and as chiral ligands. Many highly enantioselective approaches have been reported. Industrial production of a-amino acids via the Strecker reaction is historically one of the most versatile methods to obtain these compounds in a cost-effective manner, making use of inexpensive and easily accessible starting materials. (From Boesten et al., 2001)... 

Groger H (2003) Catalytic enantioselective Strecker reactions and analogous syntheses. Chem Rev 103(8) 2795-2827... 

Schiff base thiourea catalysts (2 mol%) first enantioselective (polymer-bound) thioureas, Strecker reactions (92% yl. 91% ee)... 

While all of the aryl imine substrates examined for this Strecker methodology existed predominantly or exclusively as the E-isomers, this did not appear to be a requirement for high enantioselectivity as demonstrated in the asymmetric 42-cat-alyzed (2 mol% loading) hydrocyanation of the cyclic Z-imine 3,4-dihydroisoquino-line, which was converted to the corresponding adduct (88% yield, 91% cc) with the same sense of stereoinduction with respect to the benzylic stereogenic center as the examined acyclic E-imines (Schemes 6.41 and 6.42) [196]. 

Scheme 6.43 Recycling study Polymer-bound Schiff-base thiourea 41 catalyzed the Strecker reaction of pivalaldimine without loss of activity or enantioselectivity even after 10 catalytic cycles.

On the basis of the observed stereoinduction trend, the addition of HCN took place over the diaminocyclohexane portion of the catalyst away from the amino acid and amide unit. The last hypothesis led to the prediction that a more sterically demanding amino acid or amide unit (Figure 6.14) could additionally favor the cyanide attack compared to the less bulky diaminocyclohexane unit and thus making the Schiff base catalyst more enantioselective in Strecker reactions of aldimines and ketimines. To evaluate this perspechve, the authors performed a model-(mechanism-) driven systematic structure optimizations by stepwise modification of the amide, the amino acid, and the (thio)urea unit of catalyst 42 and examined these derivatives of 42 (lmol% loading ) in the model Strecker reaction (toluene ... 

This tertiary amide-functionalized Schiff base thiourea was found to efficiently catalyze the asymmetric Strecker reaction [157] of N-benzyl-protected aldimines and also one ketimine in high enantioselectivities (86-99% ee) and proved superior to 42 examined under the same conditions (1 mol% loading, toluene, -78 °C, HCN) (Scheme 6.46) [198]. 

Figure 6.16 Structure optimization of 42 in the asymmetric Strecker reaction of N-benzyl-protected 2-methylpropionaldehyde imine identified tertiary amide-functionalized Schiff base thiourea 47 as the most enantioselective catalyst stmcture.

Tsogoeva and co-workers explored the catalytic potential of pyridyl- and imida-zoyl-containing thiourea derivatives (e.g., thiourea 92 and 93) in the asymmetric model Strecker reactions [157] of N-benzyl- and benzhydryl-protected benzaldi-mine with HCN [258], The observed enantioselectivities were consistently very low (4—14% ee) for all catalyst candidates and were far below synthetically useful levels, while imidazoyl-thiourea 93 was reported to be highly active and displayed 100% conversion (at 7% ee) of the N-benzhydryl-protected benzaldimine (Scheme 6.99). X-ray structure analysis of a pyridyl-thiourea revealed an intramolecular hydrogen-bond between the basic ring nitrogen and one amide proton. This could make this... 

Scheme 6.165 Enantioselective Strecker reactions catalyzed by biflinctional hydrogen-bonding guanidine organocatalyst 178. Catalytic action of 178 HCN hydrogen bonds to 178 and generates a guanidinium cyanide complex after protonation, which activates the aldimine through single hydrogen bonding and facilitates stereoselective cyanide attack and product formation.

In contrast to the results obtained by Jacobsen et al. when utilizing Schiff base catalyst 42, the decrease of reaction temperature to -40 °C reduced the yield as well as enantioselectivity of the resulting Mannich adduct (Scheme 6.175) [201]. Catalyst 198 found to be less effective in the Mannich reaction in terms of yield and enantiomeric induction due to reduced basicity of the N-acylamine and weaker hydrogen-bonding interactions compared to the more basic Strecker substrates (Scheme 6.174). 

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