A novel approach to 3-methylindoles by a Heck/cyclization/isomerization process.

A novel synthesis of 3-methylindoles from chlorotriflates through a Heck reaction, carbamate/aryl chloride coupling, and isomerization sequence is presented. The three-step sequence is highly efficient and general, enabling the regiocontrolled synthesis of substituted indoles in short order.

A novel crystallization-induced diastereomeric transformation based on a reversible carbon-sulfur bond formation. Application to the synthesis of a gamma-secretase inhibitor.

This paper describes a remarkably efficient process for the preparation of gamma-secretase inhibitor 1. The target is synthesized in only five steps with an overall yield of 58%. The key operation is a highly selective and practical, crystallization-driven transformation for the conversion of a mixture of tertiary benzylic alcohols into the desired sulfide diastereomer with 94:6 dr. This unprecedented process is based upon a reversible carbon-sulfur bond formation under acidic conditions.

A practical synthesis of a gamma-secretase inhibitor.

A practical and scaleable synthesis of the gamma-secretase inhibitor 1 is reported. The inhibitor consists of a central trisubstituted cyclohexane core with appended propionic acid, 2,5-difluorophenyl, and 4-chlorophenylsulfonyl moieties. Two alternative synthetic strategies, proceeding by way of a common disubstituted cyclohexanone derivative 5, were studied. In the preferred route, conjugate reduction of acrylonitrile derivative 4 with L-Selectride configures the desired relative stereochemistry of the cyclohexane core with >99.9:0.1 dr. A second strategy, based on catalyst-controlled hydrogenation of racemic cyclohexene derivative 2, is more convergent but less diastereoselective (up to 75:25 dr). The common cyclohexanone intermediate 5 was constructed by a regioselective Diels-Alder condensation of a 1,1-disubstituted vinyl sulfone 6 with 2-trimethylsiloxybutadiene.

The conformational bias of aryl, arylsulfonyl geminally substituted tertiary carbon centers: applications in substrate-based stereocontrol.

Intramolecular nitrile oxide-olefin cycloaddition to form hexahydrobenzisoxazole 14, which engenders a phenylsulfonyl, 2,5-difluorophenyl geminally substituted carbon substructure, proceeds with up to 99% ds. A rationalization of the high level of substrate-based stereo-induction observed in this and related ketone and acrylonitrile metallohydride reductions, supported by single crystal X-ray crystallography, is presented.

Practical asymmetric synthesis of a gamma-secretase inhibitor exploiting substrate-controlled intramolecular nitrile oxide-olefin cycloaddition.

A practical asymmetric synthesis of the gamma-secretase inhibitor (-)-1 is described. As the key transformation, a highly diastereoselective intramolecular nitrile oxide cycloaddition forms the hexahydrobenzisoxazole core of 3 in four operations. Other aspects of the route include a highly stereoselective reduction of an isoxazole to form a cis-gamma-amino alcohol, an efficient chemical resolution, a dianion cyclization to construct a sultam ring, and the alpha-alkylation of a sultam with excellent diastereoselectivity. In each instance, the relative stereochemistry was evolved by way of substrate-based induction with > or = 96% ds. Kilogram quantities of the targeted drug candidate (-)-1 were obtained, without recourse to chromatography, by way of 10 isolated intermediates and in 13% overall yield.

Practical asymmetric synthesis of a non-peptidic alphavbeta3 antagonist.

The development of a practical and highly convergent synthesis of an alpha(v)beta3 antagonist is described. The two key fragments present in this compound, a tetrahydropyrido[2,3-b]azepine ring system and a chiral 3-aryl-5-oxopentanoic acid, were constructed independently and then coupled at a late stage using a Wittig reaction. The pyridoazepine moiety was prepared from N-Boc 6-chloro-2-aminopyridine via directed ortho-metalation/alkylation followed by in situ cyclization. A Suzuki reaction was then used to attach the propionaldehyde side-chain required for Wittig coupling. The coupling partner was prepared from asymmetric methanolysis of a 3-substituted glutaric anhydride followed by elaboration of the acid moiety to the requisite beta-keto phosphorane. Using this route, kilogram quantities of the desired drug candidate were prepared.

Efficient one-pot synthesis of the 2-aminocarbonylpyrrolidin-4-ylthio-containing side chain of the new broad-spectrum carbapenem antibiotic ertapenem.

An efficient synthesis of the 2-aminocarbonylpyrrolidin-4-ylthio containing side chain of ertapenem (MK-0826) is described. Starting material N-(O,O-diisopropyl phosphoryl)-trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline is converted in a one-pot process to (2S)-cis-3-[[(4-mercapto-2-pyrrolidinyl)carbonyl]amino]benzoic acid monohydrochloride in 70-75% overall yield via a series of six reactions. The development of each of these reactions and the isolation of the product is discussed in detail.