On the Mechanism of the Asymmetric Aldol Addition of Chiral N-Amino Cyclic Carbamate Hydrazones: Evidence of Non-Curtin-Hammett Behavior.

he mechanistic details of the aldol addition of N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) hydrazones is provided herein from both an experimental and computational perspective. When the transformation is carried out at room temperature the anti-aldol product is formed exclusively. Under these conditions the anti- and syn-aldolate intermediates are in equilibrium and the transformation is under thermodynamic control. The anti-aldolate that leads to the anti-aldol product was calculated to be 3.7 kcal mol-1 lower in energy at room temperature than that leading to the syn-aldol product, which sufficiently accounts for the exclusive formation of the anti-aldol product. When the reaction is conducted at -78 °C it is under kinetic control and favors formation of the syn-aldol addition product. In this case, it was found that a solvent separated aza-enolate anion and aldehyde form a σ-intermediate in which the lithium cation is coordinated to the aldehyde. The σ-intermediate collapses with a very small activation barrier to form the ß-alkoxy hydrazone intermediate. The chiral nonracemic lithium aza-enolate discriminates between the two diastereotopic faces of the pro-chiral aldehyde, and there is no rapid direct pathway that interconverts the two diastereomeric intermediates. Consequently, the reaction does not follow the Curtin-Hammett principle and the stereochemical outcome at low temperature instead depends on the relative energies of the two σ-intermediates.

Synthesis of 1,3-Diketones and ß-Keto Thioesters via Soft Enolization.

Ketones and thioesters undergo soft enolization and acylation using crude acid chlorides on treatment with MgBr2·OEt2 and i-Pr2NEt to give 1,3-diketones and ß-keto thioesters, respectively. The use of crude acid chlorides adds efficiency and cost reduction by avoiding the need to purify and/or purchase them. The process is conducted in a direct fashion that does not require prior enolate formation, further enhancing its efficiency and making it very easy to carry out. The method is suitable for large scale applications.

The antimalarial drug mefloquine enhances TP53 premature termination codon readthrough by aminoglycoside G418.

Nonsense mutations constitute ~10% of TP53 mutations in cancer. They introduce a premature termination codon that gives rise to truncated p53 protein with impaired function. The aminoglycoside G418 can induce TP53 premature termination codon readthrough and thus increase cellular levels of full-length protein. Small molecule phthalimide derivatives that can enhance the readthrough activity of G418 have also been described. To determine whether readthrough enhancers exist among drugs that are already approved for use in humans, we tested seven antimalarial drugs for readthrough of the common R213X TP53 nonsense mutation in HDQ-P1 breast cancer cells. Mefloquine induced no TP53 readthrough activity as a single agent but it strongly potentiated readthrough by G418. The two enantiomers composing pharmaceutical mefloquine potentiated readthrough to similar levels in HDQ-P1 cells and also in SW900, NCI-H1688 and HCC1937 cancer cells with different TP53 nonsense mutations. Exposure to G418 and mefloquine increased p53 phosphorylation at Ser15 and P21 transcript levels following DNA damage, indicating p53 produced via readthrough was functional. Mefloquine does not appear to enhance readthrough via lysosomotropic effects as it did not significantly affect lysosomal pH, the cellular levels of G418 or its distribution in organellar or cytosolic fractions. The availability of a readthrough enhancer that is already approved for use in humans should facilitate study of the therapeutic potential of TP53 readthrough in preclinical cancer models.

Formation, Alkylation, and Hydrolysis of Chiral Nonracemic N-Amino Cyclic Carbamate Hydrazones: An Approach to the Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Ketones.

The α-alkylation of ketones is a fundamental synthetic transformation. The development of asymmetric variants of this reaction is important given that numerous natural products, drugs, and related compounds exist as α-functionalized ketones or derivatives thereof. We previously reported our preliminary studies on the development of a new enantioselective ketone α-alkylation procedure using N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) auxiliaries. In comparison to other auxiliary-based methods, ACC alkylation offers a number of advantages and is both highly enantioselective and high yielding. Herein, we provide a full account of our studies on the enantioselective ACC ketone α-alkylation method.

A Mismatch-Free Strategy for the Diastereoselective α,α-Bisalkylation of Chiral Nonracemic Methyl Ketones.

A chiral auxiliary-based diastereoselective transformation that entirely avoids the stereochemically mismatched pairing, providing equally high levels of asymmetric induction in the formation of each diastereomer is described. In particular, we show that chiral nonracemic methyl ketones undergo α,α-bisalkylation using phenylalanine-derived N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) auxiliaries with essentially perfect diastereoselectivity, as well as excellent yield and regioselectivity. Significantly, with the use of a single enantiomer of the auxiliary, either diastereomeric product can be synthesized with an equally high level of asymmetric induction.

Asymmetric Induction in Hydroacylation by Cooperative Iminium Ion-Transition-Metal Catalysis.

A new strategy for the rhodium-catalyzed enantioselective hydroacylation is described. This has been achieved through the merger of iminium ion catalysis and transition-metal catalysis such that asymmetric induction derives from a readily accessible, inexpensive chiral nonracemic secondary amine catalyst rather than a chiral nonracemic phosphine as is typical of conventional asymmetric hydroacylation methods.

Asymmetric Synthesis of (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-Mefloquine Hydrochloride.

The asymmetric (er > 99:1) total synthesis of (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-mefloquine hydrochloride from a common intermediate is described. The Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation is the key asymmetric transformation used in the synthesis of this intermediate. It is carried out on an olefin that is accessed in three steps from commercially available materials, making the overall synthetic sequence very concise. The common diol intermediate derived from the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation is converted into either a trans- or cis-epoxide, and these are subsequently converted to (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-mefloquine, respectively. X-ray crystallographic analysis of derivatives of (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-mefloquine is used to lay to rest a 40 year argument regarding the absolute stereochemistry of the mefloquines. A formal asymmetric (er > 99:1) synthesis of (+)-anti-mefloquine hydrochloride is also presented that uses a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation as a key step.

Direct carbon-carbon bond formation via reductive soft enolization: a syn-selective Mannich addition of α-iodo thioesters.

The ß-amino carboxylic acid moiety is a key feature of numerous important biologically active compounds. We describe a syn-selective direct Mannich addition reaction that uses α-iodo thioesters and sulfonyl imines and produces ß-amino thioesters. Enolate formation is achieved by reductive soft enolization. The products of the reaction provide straightforward access to biologically important ß-lactams through a variety of known reactions.

Diastereoselective addition of Grignard reagents to α-epoxy N-sulfonyl hydrazones.

The α-alkylation of ketones and their derivatives by the addition of their corresponding enolates to alkyl halides is a fundamental synthetic transformation, but its utility is limited because the key bond-forming step proceeds in a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution fashion. Here we describe how an umpolung strategy that involves the addition of Grignard reagents to α-epoxy N-sulfonyl hydrazones-directed by the alkoxide of the 1-azo-3-alkoxy propenes formed in situ via base-induced ring opening of the epoxide-leads to the syn-selective production of α-alkyl-ß-hydroxy N-sulfonyl hydrazones with α-quaternary centres. This transformation is remarkable in its ability to incorporate an unprecedented range of carbon-based substituents, which include primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl, as well as alkenyl, aryl, allenyl and alkynyl groups. Subsequent hydrolysis of the ß-hydroxy N-sulfonyl hydrazone products produces the corresponding ß-hydroxy ketones. In addition to hydrolysis, the hydrazone products are poised to undergo numerous different known synthetic transformations via well-established chemistry, which would provide access to a wide array of useful structures.

A Concise and Highly Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-Mefloquine Hydrochloride: Definitive Absolute Stereochemical Assignment of the Mefloquines.

A concise asymmetric (>99:1 e.r.) total synthesis of (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-mefloquine hydrochloride from a common intermediate is described. The key asymmetric transformation is a Sharpless dihydroxylation of an olefin that is accessed in three steps from commercially available materials. The Sharpless-derived diol is converted into either a trans or cis epoxide, and these are subsequently converted into (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-mefloquine, respectively. The synthetic (+)-anti- and (-)-syn-mefloquine samples were derivatized with (S)-(+)-mandelic acid tert-butyldimethylsilyl ether, and a crystal structure of each derivative was obtained. These are the first X-ray structures for mefloquine derivatives that were obtained by coupling to a known chiral, nonracemic compound, and provide definitive confirmation of the absolute stereochemistry of (+)-anti- as well as (-)-syn-mefloquine.

Asymmetric anti-aldol addition of achiral ketones via chiral N-amino cyclic carbamate hydrazones.

The asymmetric anti-aldol addition of ketone-derived donors and aldehyde acceptors is described. Asymmetric induction is achieved through the use of chiral N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) auxiliaries. The transformation exhibits essentially perfect anti-diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity, and has the unusual feature of proceeding via thermodynamic, rather than kinetic control.

Asymmetric total synthesis of apratoxin D.

The first asymmetric total synthesis of the marine natural product apratoxin D, a highly potent inhibitor of H-460 human lung cancer cell growth (IC(50) value of 2.6 nM), is described. Asymmetric N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) α,α-bisalkylation was utilized to establish the isolated C-37 methyl group with excellent selectivity. Other key asymmetric transformations employed were an Evans syn-aldol and a Paterson anti-aldol, both of which also proceeded with excellent stereoselectivity.

Catalytic asymmetric addition of thiols to nitrosoalkenes leading to chiral non-racemic α-sulfenyl ketones.

The first asymmetric organocatalytic sulfenylation of in situ derived nitrosoalkenes leading to chiral nonracemic α-sulfenylated ketones is described. The transformation proceeds in an umpolung fashion, relative to enolate/azaenolate methods, and uses simple thiols, thereby obviating the need for electrophilic sulfur reagents.

Asymmetric total synthesis of the antimalarial drug (+)-mefloquine hydrochloride via chiral N-amino cyclic carbamate hydrazones.

Mefloquine hydrochloride is an important antimalarial drug. It is currently manufactured and administered in racemic form; however there are indications regarding the biological activity of the two enantiomers that suggest the superiority of the (+)-form. The asymmetric total synthesis of the (+)-enantiomer of mefloquine hydrochloride is described. The key asymmetric transformation utilized is a novel asymmetric Darzens reaction of a chiral α-chloro-N-amino cyclic carbamate hydrazone derived from an N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) chiral auxiliary.

Regioselective asymmetric α,α-bisalkylation of ketones via complex-induced syn-deprotonation of chiral N-amino cyclic carbamate hydrazones.

The first general method for the asymmetric α,α-bisalkylation of ketones having both α- and α'-protons is described. Both excellent regio- and stereoselectivity result. The transformation is enabled by complex-induced syn-deprotonation (CIS-D), which completely reverses the inherent preference of lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) to remove the less sterically hindered of two similarly acidic protons. CIS-D also overrides the normal tendency of LDA to remove the more strongly acidic proton in a substrate having protons differing significantly in their acidity. The regiochemical outcome is, thus, the opposite of that normally obtained for kinetic LDA-mediated deprotonation of ketones and (S)-1-amino-2-methoxymethylpyrrolidine/(R)-1-amino-2-methoxymethylpyrrolidine (SAMP/RAMP)hydrazones. Conveniently, this strategy allows access to either ketone enantiomer using a single enantiomer of the auxiliary. The utility of this method is demonstrated by a concise and highly efficient formal synthesis of both (R)- and (S)-stigmolone.

Asymmetric total synthesis of (+)- and (-)-clusianone and (+)- and (-)-clusianone methyl enol ether via ACC alkylation and evaluation of their anti-HIV activity.

The total asymmetric synthesis of (+)- and (-)-clusianone and (+)- and (-)-clusianone methyl enol ether is reported. Asymmetric induction is achieved through the use of ACC alkylation, providing the key intermediates with an er of 99:1. The four synthetic compounds were evaluated for their anti-HIV activity. Both (+)- and (-)-clusianone displayed significant anti-HIV activity.

Direct carbon-carbon bond formation via soft enolization: aldol addition of α-halogenated thioesters.

α-Halo thioesters undergo soft enolization and syn-selective direct aldol addition to aldehydes in the presence of MgBr(2)·OEt(2) and i-Pr(2)NEt to produce α-halo-ß-hydroxy thioesters.

Origins of stereoselectivity in the α-alkylation of chiral hydrazones.

Density functional theory calculations and experiment reveal the origin of stereoselectivity in the deprotonation-alkylation of chiral N-amino cyclic carbamate (ACC) hydrazones. When the ACC is a rigid, camphor-derived carbamate, the two conformations of the azaenolate intermediate differ in energy due to conformational effects within the oxazolidinone ring and steric interactions between the ACC and the azaenolate. An electrophile adds selectively to the less-hindered π-face of the azaenolate. Although it was earlier reported that use of ACC auxiliaries led to α-alkylated ketones with er values of 82:18 to 98:2, B3LYP calculations predict higher stereoselectivity. Direct measurement of the dr of an alkylated hydrazone prior to removal of the auxiliary confirms this prediction; the removal of the auxiliary under the reported conditions can compromise the overall stereoselectivity of the process.

Development of a strategy for the asymmetric synthesis of polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols via N-amino cyclic carbamate hydrazones: application to the total synthesis of (+)-clusianone.

A broadly applicable asymmetric synthetic strategy utilizing N-amino cyclic carbamate alkylation that provides access to the various stereochemical permutations of a common structural motif found in many polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols is described. The utility of this methodology is demonstrated through the first asymmetric total synthesis of the antiviral agent (+)-clusianone.

Direct carbon-carbon bond formation via reductive soft enolization: a kinetically controlled syn-aldol addition of α-halo thioesters and enolizable aldehydes.

The direct addition of enolizable aldehydes and α-halo thioesters to produce ß-hydroxy thioesters enabled by reductive soft enolization is reported. The transformation is operationally simple and efficient and has the unusual feature of giving high syn-selectivity, which is the opposite of that produced for (thio)esters under conventional conditions. Moreover, excellent diastereoselectivity results when a chiral nonracemic α-hydroxy aldehyde derivative is used.