Thioesters, reduction

The synthesis of the C29-C43 EF segment 479 is summarized in Scheme 68. Methylation of 467 under Prater s conditions stereoselectively afforded 2,3-anti compound 468 (dr = 5-8 1). After TES protection followed by thioester reduction, aldol reaction of the resulting aldehyde with thioketene acetal afforded a-alcohol 469 under Felkin-Anh selectivity. TES deprotection and silver-mediated lactonization followed by TES protection and lactone reduction gave lactol 470. Dehydration, debenzylation, and oxidation furnished aldehyde 471, which was transformed to benzotriazolyl amide 472. 

The hydrogenation of acylpalladium species is a very effective means for preparing the aldehyde functionality. The reduction of a carboxylic acid derivative is very reliable and high yielding, whether a modified-Rosenmund procedure or the Fukuyama thioester reduction is used. Most notable is the tolerance of these reactions for other functionahties and chiral centers. 

Earlier works on thioester reduction were performed by Kobayashi et al. on aUphatic thioesters [80,91-93]. Thioesters 61 have been synthesized by addition of potassium thioacetate to Merrifield resin in DMF and following IiBH4-reduction to the thiol. The group could selectively reduce alkyl thioesters 61 to give alcohols 62 by the addition of LiBH4 and was successful in the reduction to aldehydes 64 via DIBAL-H (Scheme 9). To prove diversity potential of the Unker, also hydrolysis to the corresponding carboxylic acid 63 has been performed. 

FIGURE 25.32 A reaction mechanism for HMGCoA reductase. Two successive NADPH-dependent reductions convert the thioester, HMGCoA, to a primary alcohol. 

Activity is also retained when oxygen at the 21 position is replaced by sulfur. Preparation of one of these compounds follows a route quite analogous to the foregoing thus, displacement of the mesylate group in the cortisone (56) derivative 57 with the anion from thiopivalic acid affords thioester 58. Reduction of the 11-ketone by means of borohydride affords tixocortol pivalate (59)[13j. 

The aldehyde intermediate can be isolated if 1 equivalent of diisobutvl-aluminum hydride (D1BAH) is used as the reducing agent instead of LiAlH4. The reaction has to be carried out at -78 °C to avoid further reduction to the alcohol. Such partial reductions of carboxylic acid derivatives to aldehydes also occur in numerous biological pathways, although the substrate is either a thioester or acyl phosphate rather than an ester. 

Another example of a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction, this one a substitution by hydride inn to effect partial reduction of a thioester to an aldehyde, occurs in the biosynthesis of mevaldehyde, an intermediate in terpenoid... 

Reduction of the thioester group by 2 equivalents of NADPH gives (ft)-mevalonate, a dihydroxy acid. 

Reduction of the ketone by NADPH yields the corresponding /i hydroxy thioester. 

Steps 6-8 of Figure 29.5 Reduction and Dehydration The ketone carbonyl group in acetoacetyl ACP is next reduced to the alcohol /S-hydroxybutyry] ACP by yS-keto thioester reductase and NADPH, a reducing coenzyme closely related to NADH. R Stereochemistry results at the newly formed chirality center in the /3-hydroxy thioester product. (Note that the systematic name of a butyryl group is biitanoyl.)... 

Thiol esters undergo smooth reduction to give aldehydes by the Fukuyama hydrosilylation procedure, which is an alternative way to transform carboxylic acids to aldehydes. Upon treatment with Et3SiH and 10% Pd/C, a thioester underwent smooth reduction to give an aldehyde.409,410 For example, to a stirred mixture of thioester and Pd/C in acetone may be added Et3SiH at room temperature under an Ar atmosphere. Stirring is continued until the hydrogenolysis is complete (0.5-1 h) (Scheme 4.117). 

The process outlined above led to the provision of the necessary quantities of hydrogen for the reduction of CO2, CO, N03 and other oxidized starting materials, which were in turn converted to biomolecules in further reaction steps. The question as to whether contemporary living cells contain relicts, in the form of thioesters or thio compounds, which indicate the great importance of this class of substances, can clearly be answered positively. 

Fig. 7.8 Two examples of important reactions in the thioester world a the phosphorolysis of thioesters leads to acylphosphates and b a-ketoadds are formed in the reductive cleavage of thioesters with accompanying carbonylation (de Duve, 1991)...

According to de Duve, thioesters on the young Earth were capable of a broad spectrum of chemical reactions for example, of phosphorolysis leading to acylphos-phates (Fig. 7.8a) or of reductive thioester cleavage, which (after carbonylation) made possible the synthesis of ketoacids (Fig. 7.8b). 

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