Studies of the Deracemization of (±)-2-Hydroxy-1-tetralone byTrichosporon cutaneum

Ruthenium-catalyzed insertion of adjacent diol carbon atoms into C-C bonds: Entry to type II polyketides

Current catalytic processes involving carbon-carbon bond activation rely on π-unsaturated coupling partners. Exploiting the concept of transfer hydrogenative coupling, we report a ruthenium(0)-catalyzed cycloaddition of benzocyclobutenones that functionalizes two adjacent saturated diol carbon-hydrogen bonds. These regio- and diastereoselective processes enable convergent construction of type II polyketide substructures.

Osmium(0)-Catalyzed C-C Coupling of Ethylene and α-Olefins with Diols, Ketols, or Hydroxy Esters via Transfer Hydrogenation

Osmium(0) complexes derived from Os3(CO)12 and XPhos (2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',4',6'-triisopropylbiphenyl) catalyze the C-C coupling of α-hydroxy esters 1a-1i, α-ketols 1j-1o, or 1,2-diols dihydro-1j-1o with ethylene 2a to form ethylated tertiary alcohols 3a-3o. As illustrated in couplings of 1-octene 2b with vicinally dioxygenated reactants 1a, 1b, 1i, 1j, 1k, 1m, higher α-olefins are converted to adducts 4a, 4b, 4i, 4j, 4k, 4m with complete levels of branched regioselectivity. Oxidation level independent C-C coupling is demonstrated by the reaction of 1-octene 2b with diol dihydro-1k, α-ketol 1k, and dione dehydro-1k. Functionalized olefins 2c-2f react with ethyl mandelate 1a to furnish adducts 5a-8a as single regioisomers. The collective data, including deuterium labeling studies, are consistent with a catalytic mechanism involving olefin-dione oxidative coupling to form an oxa-osmacyclopentane, which upon reductive cleavage via hydrogen transfer from the secondary alcohol reactant releases the product of carbinol C-alkylation with regeneration of the ketone. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of the dinuclear complex Os2(CO)4(O2CR)2(XPhos)2 and the trinuclear complex Os3(CO)11(XPhos) are reported. These studies suggest increased π-backbonding at the stage of the metal-olefin π-complex plays a critical role in facilitating alkene-carbonyl oxidative coupling, as isostructural ruthenium(0) complexes, which are weaker π-donors, do not catalyze the transformations reported herein.

Verification of the Major Metabolic Oxidation Path for the Naphthoyl Group in Chemoattractant Receptor-Homologous Molecule Expressed on Th2 Cells (CRTh2) Antagonist 2-(2-(1-Naphthoyl)-8-fluoro-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-5(2H)-yl)acetic Acid (Setipiprant/ACT-129968)

Various racemic and enantioenriched (trans)-X,Y-dihydroxy-X,Y-dihydronaphthoyl analogues as well as X-hydroxy-naphthoyl analogues of CRTh2 antagonist 2-(2-(1-naphthoyl)-8-fluoro-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-5(2H)-yl)acetic acid (1, Setipiprant/ACT-129968) were synthesized in order to gain insight into regio- and enantioselectivity of the metabolic oxidation of 1 and to verify the structures of four metabolites that were proposed earlier in a clinical ADME study. Analytical data of the synthetic standards were compared with data from samples of biological origin. The two major metabolites M7 and M9 were unambiguously verified as 2-(2-((trans)-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalene-1-carbonyl)- and 2-(2-((trans)-5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydronaphthalene-1-carbonyl)-8-fluoro-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-5(2H)-yl)acetic acid, respectively, each composed of two enantiomers with 68% and 44% ee in favor of (+)-(3S,4S)-M7 and (+)-(5S,6S)-M9, respectively. Likewise, minor metabolites M3 and M13 were identified as 2-(8-fluoro-2-(5-hydroxy-1-naphthoyl)- and 2-(8-fluoro-2-(4-hydroxy-1-naphthoyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-5-yl)acetic acid, respectively.

Biocatalysis and biotransformation in Brazil: An overview

This review presents the recent research in biocatalysis and biotransformation in Brazil. Several substrates were biotransformed by fungi, bacteria and plants. Biocatalytic deracemization of secondary alcohols, oxidation of sulfides, sp(3) CH hydroxylation and epoxidation of alkenes were described. Chemo-enzymatic resolution of racemic alcohols and amines were carried out with lipases using several substrates containing heteroatoms such as silicon, boron, selenium and tellurium. Biotransformation of nitriles by marine fungi, hydrolysis of epoxides by microorganisms of Brazilian origin and biooxidation of natural products were described. Enzymatic reactions under microwave irradiation, continuous flow, and enzymatic assays using fluorescent probes were reported.