Synthesis of a-Amino Acids

The use of alkenyl boronic acid derivatives 50, which are readily prepared via hydroboration or bromoboration of alkynes, affords the corresponding p,y-unsaturated amino acids (e.g. 52-57) in a geometrically pure form [34], A variety of amines 48, including primary and secondary amines, anilines, amino alcohols and hydroxylamines can effectively participate in this process, while the alkenyl boronic acid can contain alkyl, aryl or bromo-substituents. Although the alkenyl amino acid side chain is introduced through the boronic acid component, the use of more substituted a-keto acids 49 allows the simultaneous incorporation of an additional a-substituent (e.g. 57). 

An alternative multistep approach to the synthesis of a-amino acids, using the boronic acid as the precursor of the carboxylic acid group, was reported by Harwood et al. [56]. Thus, reaction of a chiral morpholinone derivative with furyl boronic acid and various aldehydes gave, in a diastereocontrolled manner, the corresponding adducts which were converted in several steps to the a-amino acids [56], 

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An important laboratory use involves the Gabriel synthesis of a-amino-acids. 

Many methods for chemical synthesis of a-amino acids have been estabUshed. Because excellent reviews have been pubUshed (25,38), weU-known reactions are introduced here only by their names and synthetic pathways. 

Hydroxyl Group. The OH group of cyanohydrins is subject to displacement with other electronegative groups. Cyanohydrins react with ammonia to yield amino nitriles. This is a step in the Strecker synthesis of amino acids. A one-step synthesis of a-amino acids involves treatment of cyanohydrins with ammonia and ammonium carbonate under pressure. Thus acetone cyanohydrin, when heated at 160°C with ammonia and ammonium carbonate for 6 h, gives a-aminoisobutyric acid [62-57-7] in 86% yield (7). Primary and secondary amines can also be used to displace the hydroxyl group to obtain A/-substituted and Ai,A/-disubstituted a-amino nitriles. The Strecker synthesis can also be appHed to aromatic ketones. Similarly, hydrazine reacts with two molecules of cyanohydrin to give the disubstituted hydrazine. 

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). 

STRECKER Aminoacid synthesis Synthesis of a-amino acids from aldehydes or ketones via cyanohydnns... 

The most widely used method for the laboratory synthesis of a-amino acids is a modification of the malonic ester synthesis (Section 21.7). The key reagent is diethyl acetamidomalonate, a derivative of malonic ester that aheady has the critical nitrogen substituent in place at the a-caibon atom. The side chain is introduced by alkylating diethyl acetamidomalonate in the same way as diethyl malonate itself is alkylated. 

The azlactones of a-benzoylaminocinnamic acids have traditionally been prepared by the action of hippuric acid (1, Ri = Ph) and acetic anhydride upon aromatic aldehydes, usually in the presence of sodium acetate. The formation of the oxazolone (2) in Erlenmeyer-Plochl synthesis is supported by good evidence. The method is a way to important intermediate products used in the synthesis of a-amino acids, peptides and related compounds. The aldol condensation reaction of azlactones (2) with carbonyl compounds is often followed by hydrolysis to provide unsaturated a-acylamino acid (4). Reduction yields the corresponding amino acid (6), while drastic hydrolysis gives the a-0X0 acid (5). ... 

Azlactones like 6 are mainly used as intermediates in the synthesis of a-amino acids and a-keto acids. The Erlenmeyer-Pldchl reaction takes place under milder conditions than the Perkin reaction. 

An a-amino acid 3 can be prepared by treating aldehyde 1 with ammonia and hydrogen cyanide and a subsequent hydrolysis of the intermediate a-amino nitrile 2. This so-called Strecker synthesis - is a special case of the Mannich reaction-, it has found application for the synthesis of a-amino acids on an industrial scale. The reaction also works with ketones to yield a, a -disubstituted a-amino acids. 

The importance of chemical syntheses of a-amino acids on industrial scale is limited by the fact that the standard procedure always yields the racemic mixture (except for the achiral glycine H2N-CH2-COOH and the corresponding amino acid from symmetrical ketones R-CO-R). A subsequent separation of the enantiomers then is a major cost factor. Various methods for the asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acids on laboratory scale have been developed, and among these are asymmetric Strecker syntheses as well. ... 

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. 

This procedure offers a reproducible method for the preparation of 2-phenyl-5-oxazolone, which is not commercially available It illustrates that strict attention to detail often smooths out an erratic procedure 2-Phenyl-5-oxazolone is, of course, an important intermediate in the synthesis of a-amino acids and related materials6... 

An application of this method is the enantioselective synthesis of a-amino acids [e.g., (5)-phenyl-glycine (11)]10. Hence, 8 can be regarded as a chiral synthetic equivalent of a carboxyl group. 

Historically the Strecker synthesis of a-amino acids constitutes the first chemical access to this important class of compounds1, In this process, an aldehyde reacts with ammonia and hydrogen cyanide to form an a-amino nitrile2 which subsequently is hydrolyzed to give the corresponding amino acid3... 

Abelian T., Chinchilla R., Galindo N., Guillena G., Najera C., Sansano J. M. Glycine and Alanine Imines As Templates for Asymmetric Synthesis of a-Amino Acids Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2000 2689-2697... 

The synthesis of a-amino acids by reaction of aldehydes or ketones with ammonia and hydrogen cyanide followed by hydrolysis of the resulting a-aminonitrile is called the Strecker synthesis. Enzymatic hydrolysis has been applied to the kinetic resolution of intermediate a-aminonitriles [90,91]. The hydrolysis of (rac)-phenylglycine nitrile... 

Recent Developments in the Stereoselective Synthesis of a-Amino Acids," Duthaler. R.Q. Tetrahedron, 1994, 50, 1539... 

Scheme 5.10 Enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of a-amino acids from hydantoins.

The use of rhodium catalysts for the synthesis of a-amino acids by asymmetric hydrogenation of V-acyl dehydro amino acids, frequently in combination with the use of a biocatalyst to upgrade the enantioselectivity and cleave the acyl group which acts as a secondary binding site for the catalyst, has been well-documented. While DuPhos and BPE derived catalysts are suitable for a broad array of dehydroamino acid substrates, a particular challenge posed by a hydrogenation approach to 3,3-diphenylalanine is that the olefin substrate is tetra-substituted and therefore would be expected to have a much lower activity compared to substrates which have been previously examined. 

Clerici and Porta reported that phenyl, acetyl and methyl radicals add to the Ca atom of the iminium ion, PhN+Me=CHMe, formed in situ by the titanium-catalyzed condensation of /V-methylanilinc with acetaldehyde to give PhNMeCHMePh, PhNMeCHMeAc, and PhNMeCHMe2 in 80% overall yield.83 Recently, Miyabe and co-workers studied the addition of various alkyl radicals to imine derivatives. Alkyl radicals generated from alkyl iodide and triethylborane were added to imine derivatives such as oxime ethers, hydrazones, and nitrones in an aqueous medium.84 The reaction also proceeds on solid support.85 A-sulfonylimines are also effective under such reaction conditions.86 Indium is also effective as the mediator (Eq. 11.49).87 A tandem radical addition-cyclization reaction of oxime ether and hydrazone was also developed (Eq. 11.50).88 Li and co-workers reported the synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives and amines via the addition of simple alkyl halides to imines and enamides mediated by zinc in water (Eq. 11.51).89 The zinc-mediated radical reaction of the hydrazone bearing a chiral camphorsultam provided the corresponding alkylated products with good diastereoselectivities that can be converted into enantiomerically pure a-amino acids (Eq. 11.52).90... 

Palchetti I, Mascini M (2005) Electrochemical Adsorption Technique for Immobilization of Single-Stranded Oligonucleotides onto Carbon Screen-Printed Electrodes. 261 27-43 Pascal R, Boiteau L, Commeyras A (2005) From the Prebiotic Synthesis of a-Amino Acids Towards a Primitive Translation Apparatus for the Synthesis of Peptides. 259 69-122 Paulo A, see Santos I (2005) 252 45-84 Perez EM, see Leigh DA (2006) 265 185-208 Perret F, see Coleman AW (2007) 277 31-88 Perron H, see Coleman AW (2007) 277 31-88 Pianowski Z, see Winssinger N (2007) 278 311-342 Piestert F, see Gansauer A (2007) 279 25-52... 

I. Addition of C-Radicals to Nitrones Recently (525), the addition of alkyl radicals to chiral nitrones as a new method of asymmetrical synthesis of a-amino acids has been described. Addition of ethyl radicals to glycosyl nitrone (286) using Et3B as a source of ethyl radicals appears to proceed with a high stereo-control rate. 

The addition of cyanide to imines, the Strecker reaction, constitutes an interesting strategy for the asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives. Sigman and Jacobsen150 reported the first example of a metal-catalyzed enan-tioselective Strecker reaction using chiral salen Al(III) complexes 143 as the catalyst (see Scheme 2-59). 

B. Lygo, P. G. Wainwright, A New Class of Asymmetric Phase-Transfer Catalysts Derived from Cinchona Alkaloids - Application in the Enantioselective Synthesis of a-Amino Acids , Tetrahedron Lett., 1997, 38, 8595-8598. 

T. Ooi, M Kameda, K Maruoka, Molecular Design of a C2-Symmetric Chiral Phase-Transfer Catalyst for Practical Asymmetric Synthesis of a-Amino Acids , J. Am Chem Soc, 1999,121, 6519-6520. 

M J. O Donnell, F. Delgado, R, S. Pottorf, Enantiosdect-ive Solid-Phase Synthesis of a-Amino Acid Derivatives , Tetrahedron 1999,55, 6347-6362... 

Scheme 18 Synthesis of a-amino acid derivatives use of chiral stannane...

Remarks on Sections 6 and 7.-—The method here described for the synthesis of cyanohydrins—treatment of the bisulphite compound of the aldehyde with potassium cyanide—cannot be used in all cases. Concentrated solutions of hydrocyanic acid or anhydrous hydrogen cyanide are often used. The general method for the synthesis of a-amino-acids, the nitriles of which are formed by the union of ammonium cyanide with aldehydes or ketones (Strecker), is to be contrasted with that for the synthesis of a-hydroxy acids. For additional amino-acid syntheses see Chap. VII. 2, p. 276. 

Asymmetric Synthesis of a-Amino Acids by the Alkylation of Pseudoephedrine Glycinamide. Preparation of L-Allylglycine and N-Boc L-Allylglycine. 

Gu, R.-L., Lee, I.S. and Sih, C.J., Chemo-enzymatic asymmetric synthesis of amino acids. Enantioselective hydrolyses of 2-phenyl-oxazolin-5-ones. Tetrahedron Lett., 1992, 33, 1953-1956 Crich, J., Brieva, R., Marquart, P., Gu, R.-L., Flemming, S. and Sih, C.J., Enzymic asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acids. Enantioselective cleavage of 4-substituted oxazolin-5-ones and thiazolin-5-ones. J. Org. Chem., 1993, 58, 3252-3258. 

The diastereofacial selective imine-ene reactions with a-imino esters prepared from (—)-8-phenylmenthyl glyoxylate have provided an efficient entry to the asymmetric synthesis of a-amino acids, and a Lewis acid-mediated intramolecular imine-ene reaction has been used for the key spirocyclization step in a recent synthesis of (—)-perhydrohistrionicotoxin. Asymmetric azo-ene reactions have been effected using the chiral azo-enophile, di-(—)-(lR,2S)-2-phenyl-l-cyclohexyldiazenedicarboxylate. ... 

Lucet D. SabeUe, S. Kostelitz, O. Le Gall, T. Mioskowski, C. Enanti-oselective synthesis of a-amino acids and monosubstituted 1,2-diamines by... 

Pascal R, Boiteau L, Commeyras A (2005) From the Prebiotic Synthesis of a-Amino Acids Towards a Primitive Translation Apparatus for the Synthesis of Peptides. 259 69-122 Paulo A, see Santos I (2005) 252 45-84... 

By employing A-acetamidoacrylates, rhodium-catalyzed 1,4-addition reactions can be applied to the enantioselective synthesis of a-amino acids. Unlike other typical 1,4-addition reactions, which install a stereogenic center at the p-position of the 1,4-adducts, this process deals with the formation of a stereocenter at the a-position, and thus the protonation (hydrolysis) step becomes an important step... 

Asymmetric Strecker Synthesis of a-Amino Acids via a Crystallization-Induced Asymmetric Transformation Using (/Q-Phenylglycine Amide as Chiral Auxiliary... 

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)... 

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