Polystyrene-supported N-sulfonylated amino alcohols and their applications to titanium(IV) complexes catalyzed enantioselective diethylzinc additions to aldehydes

Crosslinked polystyrene-supported resins 4, 7a, and 7b containing N-sulfonylated beta-amino alcohol in 98, 20, and 40% loadings are prepared. Asymmetric diethylzinc additions to benzaldehyde employing titanium complexes of 10 mol % resins 4, 7a, or 7b are examined and the best performed 7a/Ti(O-i-Pr)4 catalytic system applies to various aldehydes to afford desired secondary alcohols in excellent enantioselectivities up to 95% ee. The resin 7a is reused five times, giving the product with enantioselectivities >or=86% ee and an 81% ee is obtained when the resin is used the sixth time. The used resin 7a is refreshed with 1 M HCl and the asymmetric reaction employing the regenerated resin 7a gives the product in 88% ee.     

Synthesis and application of 3‐substituted (S)‐BINOL as chiral ligands for the asymmetric ethylation of aldehydes

A series of (S)‐BINOL ligands substituted at the 3 position with some five‐membered nitrogen‐containing aromatic heterocycles were effectively prepared and their catalytic abilities were evaluated in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde in the presence of titanium tetraisopropoxide. Under the optimized reaction conditions, titanium complex of (S)‐3‐(1H‐benzimidazol‐1‐yl)‐1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol was found to be the most efficient catalyst for asymmetric ethylation of various aldehydes to generate the corresponding secondary alcohols in up to 99% yield and 91% ee. Chirality, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Enantioselective addition of phenylacetylene to aldehydes catalyzed by polymer‐supported titanium(IV) complexes of β‐hydroxy amides

A series of polymer‐supported chiral β‐hydroxy amides and C₂‐symmetric β‐hydroxy amides have been synthesized and successfully used for the enantioselective addition of phenylacetylene to aldehydes. High yields (up to 93%) and enantioselectivities (up to 92% ee) were achieved by using polymer‐supported chiral β‐hydroxy amide 4b . The resin 4b is reused four times, giving the product with enantioselectivity 80% ee. Fortunately, it is found that this heterogonous system is suitable not only for aromatic aldehydes but also aliphatic aldehyde. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Asymmetric Addition of Triethylaluminium to Aromatic Aldehydes Catalyzed by Titanium‐(5,5’‐Biquinoline‐6,6’‐Diol) Complexes

A novel convenient procedure for the resolution of 5,5’‐biquinoline‐6,6’‐diol (BIQOL) was achieved by separating the corresponding diastereomeric mixture of (S)‐(+)‐camphorsulfonates on a semiprepared XDB‐C8 column followed by hydrolysis. The efficient asymmetric addition of triethylaluminium to aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by Ti‐(+)/(–)BIQOL complexes under mild conditions is described. The reactions led to the formation of 1‐arylpropan‐1‐ol in up to 87.5% ee. Chirality 26:268‐271, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

C(2)-Symmetric dialkoxyphosphoramide and dialkoxythiophosphoramide derivatives of (1R, 2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane as chiral ligands for the titanium(IV) alkoxide-promoted asymmetric addition reactions of diethylzinc to arylaldehydes.

C(2)-Symmetric chiral diethoxyphosphoramide 4, diethoxythiophosphoramide 5, and diisopropoxyphosphoramide 6 of (1R, 2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane were prepared by the reactions of diethoxyphosphinic chloride, diethoxythiophosphinic chloride, and diisopropoxyphosphinic chloride with (1R, 2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane, respectively. They were used as catalytic chiral ligands in the asymmetric addition reactions of diethylzinc to aldehydes in the presence of titanium(IV) isopropoxide to give the corresponding sec-alcohols with 43-70% ee. Chiral ligands 4 and 5 gave the sec-alcohols with opposite absolute configuration.     

Computational chemical analysis of Ru(II)‐Pheox–catalyzed highly enantioselective intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions

Computational chemical analysis of Ru(II)‐Pheox–catalyzed highly enantioselective intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions was performed using density functional theory (DFT). In this study, cyclopropane ring–fused γ‐lactones, which are 5.8 kcal/mol more stable than the corresponding minor enantiomer, are obtained as the major product. The results of the calculations suggest that the enantioselectivity of the Ru(II)‐Pheox–catalyzed intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction is affected by the energy differences between the starting structures 5l and 5i . The reaction pathway was found to be a stepwise mechanism that proceeds through the formation of a metallacyclobutane intermediate. This is the first example of a computational chemical analysis of enantioselective control in an intramolecular carbene‐transfer reaction using C₁‐symmetric catalysts.     

Highly enantioselective Michael addition of pyrazolin‐5‐ones to nitroolefins catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid derived 4‐methylbenzoylthioureas

Cinchona alkaloid‐derived 4‐methyl/nitro benzoylthioureas were synthesized, which smoothly catalyzed the asymmetric Michael addition of pyrazolin‐5‐ones to nitroolefins. The results showed that electronic effects of substituents in the benzene ring of benzoylthioureas have subtle influences on their catalytic abilities and electron donating methyl group is favored than electron withdrawing nitro group. Preliminary Hartree‐Fock calculations revealed that in the catalytic cycle, hydrogen bond energies of the complex formed with 4‐methylbenzoylthioureas are about 0.19 to 1.56 kcal/mol higher than with the corresponding 4‐nitrobenzoylthioureas. 4‐Methylbenzoylthioureas were identified as the most effective catalysts that promoted asymmetric Michael addition of pyrazolin‐5‐ones to nitroolefins to give the S‐ or R‐products with high enantioselectivities.     

The asymmetric synthesis of (R,R)‐formoterol via transfer hydrogenation with polyethylene glycol bound Rh catalyst in PEG2000 and water

(R,R)‐formoterol was synthesized in seven steps with 4‐hydroxyl‐3‐nitro‐acetophenone as the starting material. The key intermediate, the chiral secondary alcohol 4 , was prepared via Rh‐catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation with (S,S)‐PEGBsDPEN as the ligand and sodium formate as the hydrogen donor under mild conditions. With a mixture of PEG 2000 and water as the reaction media, the catalyst system could be recycled four times. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

One‐pot synthesis of (R)‐1‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl acetate using tandem catalyst prepared by co‐immobilization of palladium and lipase on mesoporous foam: Optimization and kinetic modeling

The synthesis of (R )‐1‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl acetate was achieved over tandem palladium‐lipase catalyst with 100% selectivity using 4‐acetyl pyridine as a reactant. The 2% w /w palladium and lipase catalyst was successfully co‐immobilized in the microenvironment of the mesocellular foam and characterized by various techniques. The palladium metal from catalyst hydrogenated 4‐acetyl pyridine to form 1‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethanol. The generated intermediate product then underwent kinetic resolution over lipase and selectively gave (R )‐1‐(pyridin‐4‐ yl)ethyl acetate. The catalytic conditions were then studied for optimal performance of both steps. The reaction conditions were optimized to 50 °C and toluene as a solvent. Both chemical and enzymatic kinetic models of the reaction were developed for a given set of reaction conditions and kinetic parameters were predicted. At optimal conditions, the obtained selectivity of intermediate (1‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethanol) was 51.38%. The final product yield of ((R )‐1‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethyl acetate) was 48.62%.     

Enantioselective synthesis of (R)‐Cinacalcet via cobalt‐catalysed asymmetric Negishi cross‐coupling

A novel enantioselective synthesis of (R)‐cinacalcet with 99% enantiomeric excesses (ee) has been achieved. The main strategies of the approach include a gram‐scale cobalt‐catalysed asymmetric cross‐coupling of racemic ester with arylzinc reagent, Hoffman‐type rearrangement of acidamide, the amidation of chiral amine, and improving the ee of chiral amide from 87% to 99% via recrystallization.     

Enhanced diastereoselective synthesis of t‐Butyl 6‐cyano‐(3R,5R)‐dihydroxyhexanoate by using aldo‐keto reductase and glucose dehydrogenase co‐producing engineered Escherichia coli

t‐Butyl 6‐cyano‐(3R,5R)‐dihydroxyhexanoate ((3R,5R)‐ 2 ) is a key chiral diol precursor of atorvastatin calcium (Lipitor®). We have constructed a Kluyveromyces lactis aldo‐keto reductase mutant KlAKR‐Y295W/W296L (KlAKRm) by rational design in previous research, which displayed high activity and excellent diastereoselectivity (de_p > 99.5%) toward t‐butyl 6‐cyano‐(5R)‐hydroxy‐3‐oxohexanoate ((5R)‐ 1 ). To realize in situ cofactor regeneration, a robust KlAKRm and Exiguobacterium sibiricum glucose dehydrogenase (EsGDH) co‐producer E. coli BL 21(DE3) pETDuet‐esgdh (MCS1)/pET‐28b (+)‐klakrm was constructed in this work. Under the optimized conditions, AKR and GDH activities of E. coli BL 21(DE3) pETDuet‐esgdh (MCS1)/pET‐28b (+)‐klakrm peaked at 249.9 U/g DCW (dry cellular weight) and 29100 U/g DCW, respectively. It completely converted (5R)‐ 1 at substrate loading size of up to 60.0 g/L (5R)‐ 1 in the absence of exogenous NADH, which was one‐fifth higher than that of the separately prepared KlAKRm and EsGDH under the same conditions. In this manner, a biocatalytic process for (3R,5R)‐ 2 with productivity of 243.2 kg/m³ d was developed. Compared with the combination of separate expressed KlAKRm with EsGDH, co‐expression of KlAKRm and EsGDH has the advantages of alleviating cell cultivation burden and elevating substrate load. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1235–1242, 2017     

Large‐scale synthesis of tert‐butyl (3R,5S)‐6‐chloro‐3,5‐dihydroxyhexanoate by a stereoselective carbonyl reductase with high substrate concentration and product yield

To biosynthesize the (3R,5S)‐CDHH in an industrial scale, a newly synthesized stereoselective short chain carbonyl reductase (SCR) was successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The fermentation of recombinant E. coli harboring SCR was carried out in 500 L and 5000 L fermenters, with biomass and specific activity of 9.7 g DCW/L, 15749.95 U/g DCW, and 10.97 g DCW/L, 19210.12 U/g DCW, respectively. The recombinant SCR was successfully applied for efficient production of (3R,5S)‐CDHH. The scale‐up synthesis of (3R,5S)‐CDHH was performed in 5000 L bioreactor with 400 g/L of (S)‐CHOH at 30°C, resulting in a space‐time yield of 13.7 mM/h/g DCW, which was the highest ever reported. After isolation and purification, the yield and d.e. of (3R,5S)‐CDHH reached 97.5% and 99.5%, respectively. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:612–620, 2017     

Posttranslational oxidative modification of (R)‐2‐(2,4‐dichlorophenoxy)propionate/α‐ketoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenases (RdpA) leads to improved degradation of 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4‐D)

Microbial activities and the versatility gained through adaptation to xenobiotic compounds are the main biological forces to counteract environmental pollution. The current results present a new adaptive mechanism that is mediated through posttranslational modifications. Strains of Delftia acidovorans incapable of growing autochthonously on 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetate (2,4‐D) were cultivated in a chemostat on 2,4‐D in the presence of (R)‐2‐(2,4‐dichlorophenoxy)propionate. Long‐term cultivation led to enhanced 2,4‐D degradation, as demonstrated by improved values of the Michaelis–Menten constant K_m for 2,4‐D and the catalytic efficiency k_cat/K_m of the initial degradative key enzyme (R)‐2‐(2,4‐dichlorophenoxy)propionate/α‐ketoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenases (RdpA). Analyses of the rdpA gene did not reveal any mutations, indicating a nongenetic mechanism of adaptation. 2‐DE of enzyme preparations, however, showed a series of RdpA forms varying in their pI. During adaptation increased numbers of RdpA variants were observed. Subsequent immunoassays of the RdpA variants showed a specific reaction with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), characteristic of carbonylation modifications. Together these results indicate that posttranslational carbonylation modified the substrate specificity of RdpA. A model was implemented explaining the segregation of clones with improved degradative activity within the chemostat. The process described is capable of quickly responding to environmental conditions by reversibly adapting the degradative potential to various phenoxyalkanoate herbicides.     

Enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes catalyzed by titanium(IV) complexes of N-sulfonylated beta-amino alcohols with four stereogenic centers

An N-sulfonylated beta-amino alcohol (R,S,S,R)-9 with four stereogenic centers is prepared. The titanium complex of 9 is an effective catalyst to induce excellent enantioselectivities for diethylzinc addition to aromatic aldehydes with ee values up to 99%. The feature of doubling the quantity of Ti(O-i-Pr)4 required relative to the catalytic system of the Ti complex of bidentate N-sulfonylated beta-amino alcohols suggests that the two N-sulfonylated beta-amino alcohol moieties in 9 behave as two independent bidentate ligands in the catalytic system. The results obtained using ligand 15 having one N-sulfonylated beta-amino alcohol blocked support the argument of two independent active bidentate moieties in 9.     

Highly enantioselective synthesis, crystal structure, and circular dichroism spectroscopy of (R)-bambuterol hydrochloride

The present article describes the asymmetric synthesis of (R)-bambuterol hydrochloride based on 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanone as starting material, which was esterified by dimethylcarbamic chloride, and brominated by copper (II) bromide. Then the carbonyl group was reduced efficiently using (-)-B-chlorodiisopinocamphenylborane [(-)-DIP-chloridetrade mark] as an asymmetrical reducing agent. Followed by epoxide ring closure with NaOH and ring expansion with tert-butylamine led to the desired product (R)-bambuterol with e.e. up to 99%. The optical properties and absolute configuration of (R)-bambuterol hydrochloride were further investigated using circular dichroism spectroscopy and X-ray single crystal analysis.     

Co(II)‐salen catalyzed stereoselective cyclopropanation of fluorinated styrenes

Three cis‐selective Co(II)‐salen complexes have been developed for the asymmetric cyclopropanation of para‐fluorinated styrenes with ethyl diazoacetate. Increasing the steric reach of the C₂‐symmetric ligand side chains improved the enantiomeric ratio of the reaction from 28:1 to 66:1. The methodology was exemplified by the gram‐scale synthesis of a lead compound for the treatment of castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), as well as a structurally related analog.     

Direct asymmetric Michael addition of thioether‐based aryl sulfanyl‐propan‐2‐one to nitroalkenes catalyzed by a chiral amine‐thiourea bifunctional organocatalyst

Although the organocatalytic direct asymmetric Michael reactions of carbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes have been investigated intensely, the Michael reaction of the thioether‐based donors remains a rather undeveloped field. This work concerns the asymmetric Michael addition of aryl sulfanyl‐propan‐2‐one to nitroalkenes with benzoic acid as an additive, and chiral amine‐thiourea as a bifunctional organocatalyst. The reactions provided the highly functionalized chiral adducts with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) and good yields. Moreover, the further transformed products exhibited excellent diastereoselectivity. Chirality, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Green synthesis of enantiopure (S)‐1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl)ethanol by whole‐cell biocatalyst

Optically active aromatic alcohols are valuable chiral building blocks of many natural products and chiral drugs. Lactobacillus paracasei BD87E6, which was isolated from a cereal‐based fermented beverage, was shown as a biocatalyst for the bioreduction of 1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl) ethanone to (S)‐1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl) ethanol with highly stereoselectivity. The bioreduction conditions were optimized using L. paracasei BD87E6 to obtain high enantiomeric excess (ee) and conversion. After optimization of the bioreduction conditions, it was shown that the bioreduction of 1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl)ethanone was performed in mild reaction conditions. The asymmetric bioreduction of the 1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl)ethanone had reached 92% yield with ee of higher than 99.9% at 6.73 g of substrate. Our study gave the first example for enantiopure production of (S)‐1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl)ethanol by a biological green method. This process is also scalable and has potential in application. In this study, a basic and novel whole‐cell mediated biocatalytic method was performed for the enantiopure production of (S)‐1‐(benzofuran‐2‐yl)ethanol in the aqueous medium, which empowered the synthesis of a precious chiral intermediary process to be converted into a sophisticated molecule for drug production.