Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of α-Substituted β-Ketoesters Catalyzed by Baeyer-Villiger Monooxygenases: Access to Enantiopure α-Hydroxy Esters

Enzymatic Kinetic Resolution by Addition of Oxygen

Kinetic resolution using biocatalysis has proven to be an excellent complementary technique to traditional asymmetric catalysis for the production of enantioenriched compounds. Resolution using oxidative enzymes produces valuable oxygenated structures for use in synthetic route development. This Minireview focuses on enzymes which catalyse the insertion of an oxygen atom into the substrate and, in so doing, can achieve oxidative kinetic resolution. The Baeyer-Villiger rearrangement, epoxidation, and hydroxylation are included, and biological advancements in enzyme development, and applications of these key enantioenriched intermediates in natural product synthesis are discussed.

Alkynes as Synthetic Equivalents of Ketones and Aldehydes: A Hidden Entry into Carbonyl Chemistry

The high energy packed in alkyne functional group makes alkyne reactions highly thermodynamically favorable and generally irreversible. Furthermore, the presence of two orthogonal π-bonds that can be manipulated separately enables flexible synthetic cascades stemming from alkynes. Behind these "obvious" traits, there are other more subtle, often concealed aspects of this functional group's appeal. This review is focused on yet another interesting but underappreciated alkyne feature: the fact that the CC alkyne unit has the same oxidation state as the -CH2C(O)- unit of a typical carbonyl compound. Thus, "classic carbonyl chemistry" can be accessed through alkynes, and new transformations can be engineered by unmasking the hidden carbonyl nature of alkynes. The goal of this review is to illustrate the advantages of using alkynes as an entry point to carbonyl reactions while highlighting reports from the literature where, sometimes without full appreciation, the concept of using alkynes as a hidden entry into carbonyl chemistry has been applied.

Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-artalbic acid

The first total synthesis of (+)-artalbic acid has been accomplished using asymmetric allylation of an acetoacetate derivative with a phase-transfer catalyst. This synthetic work was completed in 12 steps from isopropyl acetoacetate with high stereocontrol. In addition, the absolute configuration of naturally occurring artalbic acid was determined to be 7S, 9S, and 10S.

Asymmetric Synthesis of β-Amino Amides by Catalytic Enantioconvergent 2-Aza-Cope Rearrangement

Dynamic kinetic resolutions of α-stereogenic-β-formyl amides in asymmetric 2-aza-Cope rearrangements are described. Chiral phosphoric acids catalyze this rare example of a non-hydrogenative DKR of a β-oxo acid derivative. The [3,3]-rearrangement occurs with high diastereo- and enantiocontrol, forming β-imino amides that can be deprotected to the primary β-amino amide or reduced to the corresponding diamine.

Synthesis of the C1-C17 fragment of the archazolids by complex cis-homodimer cross metathesis

A synthesis of the C1-C17 fragment of the archazolids is described featuring a complex cross-metathesis coupling reaction between a cis-homodimer (prepared by silyl-tethered ring-closing metathesis) and the Z,Z-terminal triene containing "eastern domain" of the archazolid natural products. This cross-metathesis was only successful when using the cis- as opposed to the monomer or trans-homodimer, with the cis-dimer added batchwise to minimize cis/trans-isomerization. The product was obtained in an optimized 78% yield using the Hoveyda-Grubbs catalyst at 50 °C in toluene.

Catalytic Kinetic Resolution of a Dynamic Racemate: Highly Stereoselective β-Lactone Formation by N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysis

This study describes the combined experimental and computational elucidation of the mechanism and origins of stereoselectivities in the NHC-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of α-substituted-β-ketoesters. Density functional theory computations reveal that the NHC-catalyzed DKR proceeds by two mechanisms, depending on the stereochemistry around the forming bond: 1) a concerted, asynchronous formal (2+2) aldol-lactonization process, or 2) a stepwise spiro-lactonization mechanism where the alkoxide is trapped by the NHC-catalyst. These mechanisms contrast significantly from mechanisms found and postulated in other related transformations. Conjugative stabilization of the electrophile and non-classical hydrogen bonds are key in controlling the stereoselectivity. This reaction constitutes an interesting class of DKRs in which the catalyst is responsible for the kinetic resolution to selectively and irreversibly capture an enantiomer of a substrate undergoing rapid racemization with the help of an exogenous base.

Biocatalytic synthesis of enantiopure building blocks for pharmaceuticals

Biocatalytic transformations have emerged as a viable alternative to other asymmetric chemical methods due to the intrinsic high stereoselectivity of the enzymes and the mild reaction conditions. Just a decade ago, the reaction scope of applicable biotransformations for organic synthesis was limited to a handful of reaction types. Tremendous progress has been made in the meantime so that this review presents only a small selection of the broad range of possible biotransfromations for organic synthesis available today. Lyases (hydroxynitrile lyase, aldolases) and redox enzymes like alcohol dehydrogenases, Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase, dioxygenases, ene reductases, berberine bridge enzyme and v-transaminases are discussed besides hydrolases.

Discovery, application and protein engineering of Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases for organic synthesis

Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) are useful enzymes for organic synthesis as they enable the direct and highly regio- and stereoselective oxidation of ketones to esters or lactones simply with molecular oxygen. This contribution covers novel concepts such as searching in protein sequence databases using distinct motifs to discover new Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases as well as high-throughput assays to facilitate protein engineering in order to improve BVMOs with respect to substrate range, enantioselectivity, thermostability and other properties. Recent examples for the application of BVMOs in synthetic organic synthesis illustrate the broad potential of these biocatalysts. Furthermore, methods to facilitate the more efficient use of BVMOs in organic synthesis by applying e.g. improved cofactor regeneration, substrate feed and in situ product removal or immobilization are covered in this perspective.