Recent advances in the stereoselective synthesis of trans-3,4-disubstituted-piperidines: applications to (−)-paroxetine

Harnessing a Continuous-Flow Persulfuric Acid Generator for Direct Oxidative Aldehyde Esterifications

Persulfuric acid is a well-known oxidant in various industrial-scale purification procedures. However, due to its tendency toward explosive decomposition, its usefulness in organic synthesis remained largely underexplored. Herein, a continuous in situ persulfuric acid generator was developed and applied for oxidative esterification of aldehydes under flow conditions. Sulfuric acid served as a readily available and benign precursor to form persulfuric acid in situ. By taking advantage of the continuous-flow generator concept, safety hazards were significantly reduced, whilst a robust and effective approach was ensured for direct transformations of aldehydes to valuable esters. The process proved useful for the transformation of diverse aliphatic as well as aromatic aldehydes, while its preparative capability was verified by the multigram-scale synthesis of a pharmaceutically relevant key intermediate. The present flow protocol demonstrates the safe, sustainable, and scalable application of persulfuric acid in a manner that would not be amenable to conventional batch processing.

Continuous flow asymmetric synthesis of chiral active pharmaceutical ingredients and their advanced intermediates

Catalytic enantioselective transformations provide well-established and direct access to stereogenic synthons that are broadly distributed among active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). These reactions have been demonstrated to benefit considerably from the merits of continuous processing and microreactor technology. Over the past few years, continuous flow enantioselective catalysis has grown into a mature field and has found diverse applications in asymmetric synthesis of pharmaceutically active substances. The present review therefore surveys flow chemistry-based approaches for the synthesis of chiral APIs and their advanced stereogenic intermediates, covering the utilization of biocatalysis, organometallic catalysis and metal-free organocatalysis to introduce asymmetry in continuously operated systems. Single-step processes, interrupted multistep flow syntheses, combined batch/flow processes and uninterrupted one-flow syntheses are discussed herein.

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of the Antidepressant Paroxetine

Paroxetine is a potent inhibitor of serotonin reuptake and is widely prescribed for the treatment of depression and other neurological disorders. The synthesis of paroxetine and the possibility to prepare derivatives with a specific substitution pattern that may allow their use as biological probes is an attractive topic especially for medicinal chemists engaged in neurosciences research. Considering the extensive work that was developed in the last decade on the total synthesis of paroxetine, this review summarizes the most important contributions in this field, organized according to the reagent that was used as a starting material. Most of the methods allowed to prepare paroxetine in 4-9 steps with an overall yield of 9-66%. Despite the progress made in this area, there is still room for improvement, searching for new eco-friendly and sustainable synthetic alternatives.

Regioselective difunctionalization of pyridines via 3,4-pyridynes

A new regioselective 3,4-difunctionalization of 3-chloropyridines via 3,4-pyridyne intermediates is reported. Regioselective lithiation of 3-chloro-2-ethoxypyridine and a related 2-thio-derivative followed by treatment with aryl- and alkylmagnesium halides as well as magnesium thiolates at -78 °C produced 3,4-pyridynes during heating to 75 °C. Regioselective addition of the Grignard moiety in position 4 followed by an electrophilic quench in position 3 led to various 2,3,4-trisubstituted pyridines. This method was adapted into a continuous flow set-up. As an application, we have prepared a key intermediate for (±)-paroxetine.

Marine Bacterial Esterases: Emerging Biocatalysts for Industrial Applications

The marine ecosystem has been known to be a significant source of novel enzymes. Esterase enzymes (EC 3.1.1.1) represent a diverse group of hydrolases that catalyze the cleavage and formation of ester bonds. Although esterases are widely distributed among marine organisms, only microbial esterases are of paramount industrial importance. This article discusses the importance of marine microbial esterases, their biochemical and kinetic properties, and their stability under extreme conditions. Since culture-dependent techniques provide limited insights into microbial diversity of the marine ecosystem, therefore, genomics and metagenomics approaches have widely been adopted in search of novel esterases. Additionally, the article also explains industrial applications of marine bacterial esterases particularly for the synthesis of optically pure substances, the preparation of enantiomerically pure drugs, the degradation of human-made plastics and organophosphorus compounds, degradation of the lipophilic components of the ink, and production of short-chain flavor esters.

Prescribed drugs containing nitrogen heterocycles: an overview

Heteroatoms as well as heterocyclic scaffolds are frequently present as the common cores in a plethora of active pharmaceuticals natural products. Statistically, more than 85% of all biologically active compounds are heterocycles or comprise a heterocycle and most frequently, nitrogen heterocycles as a backbone in their complex structures. These facts disclose and emphasize the vital role of heterocycles in modern drug design and drug discovery. In this review, we try to present a comprehensive overview of top prescribed drugs containing nitrogen heterocycles, describing their pharmacological properties, medical applications and their selected synthetic pathways. It is worth mentioning that the reported examples are actually limited to current top selling drugs, being or containing N-heterocycles and their synthetic information has been extracted from both scientific journals and the wider patent literature.

Stereoselective Allylic Alkylations of Amino Ketones and Their Application in the Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Piperidines

Chelated ketone enolates are excellent nucleophiles for allylic alkylations. Electron-withdrawing groups on the allyl moiety allow subsequent intramolecular Michael additions giving rise to piperidines with up to five stereogenic centers.

Organocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of 2,5,5-trisubstituted piperidines bearing a quaternary stereocenter. Vinyl sulfonamide as a new amine protecting group

An organocatalytic desymmetrizing IMAMR with vinyl sulfonamides as nitrogen nucleophiles has been devised with good levels of diastereo- and enantioselectivity.

Evolution of flow-oriented design strategies in the continuous preparation of pharmaceuticals

This review focuses on the flow-oriented design (FOD) in the multi-step continuous-flow synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Multigram-scale flow synthesis of the chiral key intermediate of (-)-paroxetine enabled by solvent-free heterogeneous organocatalysis

The catalytic enantioselective synthesis of the chiral key intermediate of the antidepressant (-)-paroxetine is demonstrated as a continuous flow process on multi-gram scale. The critical step is a solvent-free organocatalytic conjugate addition followed by a telescoped reductive amination-lactamization-amide/ester reduction sequence. Due to the efficient heterogeneous catalysts and the solvent-free or highly concentrated conditions applied, the flow method offers key advances in terms of productivity and sustainability compared to earlier batch approaches.

One-pot five-component high diastereoselective synthesis of polysubstituted 2-piperidinones from aromatic aldehydes, nitriles, dialkyl malonates and ammonium acetate

A novel five-component diastereoselective synthesis of polysubstituted 2-piperidinones is reported. The Knoevenagel condensation-Michael addition-Mannich cascade of two equivalents of aromatic aldehydes, nitriles, dialkyl malonates and ammonium acetate or aqueous ammonia in alcohols provides convenient access to alkyl (3SR,4RS,6SR)-5,5-dicyano-2-oxo-4,6-diarylpiperidine-3-carboxylates with three stereocenters in 52-90% or dialkyl (2SR,3RS,4RS,5SR)-2,4-diaryl-3-cyano-6-oxopiperidine-3,5-dicarboxylates with four stereocenters in 38-88%. The formation of products was highly stereoselective, with only one diastereomer formed. Ammonium acetate or aqueous ammonia plays a role both as a catalyst and as a nitrogen source. 2,4,6-triaryl-3,3,5,5-tetracyanopiperidines were obtained as a side products in the reactions with nitro-substituted aldehydes or with ethyl and n-propyl cyanoacetates. A series of 14 2-piperidinones and piperidines was assessed for antimicrobial activity against a panel of five bacteria and two fungi; no significant activity was observed. Two side piperidines with nitro substituents in aromatic ring possess bacteriostatic action against S. aureus ATCC 43300 and A. baumannii ATCC 19606 at 32 ug/mL.

Cobalt-Catalyzed (Hetero)arylation of Saturated Cyclic Amines with Grignard Reagents

(Hetero)aryl substituted saturated cyclic amines are ubiquitous scaffolds in biologically active molecules. Metal-catalyzed cross-couplings between halogeno N-heterocycles and organometallic species are efficient and modular reactions to access these attractive scaffolds. An overview of our work concerning the cobalt-catalyzed arylation of iodo-substituted cyclic amines is presented.

Rh-Catalyzed Conjugate Addition of Aryl and Alkenyl Boronic Acids to α-Methylene-β-lactones: Stereoselective Synthesis of trans-3,4-Disubstituted β-Lactones

A one-step preparation of 3,4-disubstituted β-lactones through Rh-catalyzed conjugate addition of aryl or alkenyl boronic acids to α-methylene-β-lactones is described. The operationally simple, stereoselective transformation provides a broad range of β-lactones from individual α-methylene-β-lactone templates. This methodology allowed for a direct, final-step C-3 diversification of nocardiolactone, an antimicrobial natural product.

Catalytic Michael/Ring-Closure Reaction of α,β-Unsaturated Pyrazoleamides with Amidomalonates: Asymmetric Synthesis of (-)-Paroxetine

A highly enantioselective tandem Michael/ring-closure reaction of α,β-unsaturated pyrazoleamides and amidomalonates has been accomplished in the presence of a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Yb(OTf)₃ complex (Tf: trifluoromethanesulfonyl) to give various substituted chiral glutarimides with high yields and diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Moreover, this methodology could be used for gram-scale manipulation and was successfully applied to the synthesis of (-)-paroxetine. Further nonlinear and HRMS studies revealed that the real catalytically active species was a monomeric L-PMe₂ -Yb³⁺ complex. A plausible transition state was proposed to explain the origin of the asymmetric induction.

Asymmetric Formal Aza-Diels-Alder Reaction of Trifluoromethyl Hemiaminals with Enones Catalyzed by Primary Amines

A primary amine-catalyzed asymmetric formal aza-Diels-Alder reaction of trifluoromethyl hemiaminals with enones was developed via a chiral gem-diamine intermediate. This novel protocol allowed facile access to structurally diverse trifluoromethyl-substituted piperidine scaffolds with high stereoselectivity. The utility of this method was further demonstrated through a concise approach to biologically active 4-hydroxypiperidine. More importantly, a stepwise mechanism involving an asymmetric induction process was proposed to rationalize the positive correlation between the chirality of the gem-diamine intermediate and the formal aza-Diels-Alder product.

Diastereoselective and enantioselective conjugate addition reactions utilizing α,β-unsaturated amides and lactams

The conjugate addition reaction has been a useful tool in the formation of carbon-carbon bonds. The utility of this reaction has been demonstrated in the synthesis of many natural products, materials, and pharmacological agents. In the last three decades, there has been a significant increase in the development of asymmetric variants of this reaction. Unfortunately, conjugate addition reactions using α,β-unsaturated amides and lactams remain underdeveloped due to their inherently low reactivity. This review highlights the work that has been done on both diastereoselective and enantioselective conjugate addition reactions utilizing α,β-unsaturated amides and lactams.

Asymmetric tandem reactions of N-sulfonylimines and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes: an alternative reaction pathway to that of using saturated aldehydes

An organocatalyzed asymmetric tandem reaction of cyclic N-sulfonylimines and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes was developed, undergoing an alternative reaction pathway while affording similar piperidines to that of reactions involving saturated aldehydes.

Total Synthesis of (±)-Paroxetine by Diastereoconvergent Cobalt-Catalysed Arylation

A total synthesis of paroxetine is reported, with a diastereoselective and diastereoconvergent cobalt-catalysed sp3-sp2 coupling reaction involving a 3-substituted 4-bromo-N-Boc-piperidine (Boc = tert-butoxycarbonyl) substrate as a key step. A 9:1 diastereoselectivity was obtained, while a control experiment involving a conformationally locked 3-substituted 4-bromo-tert-butyl cyclohexane ring proceeded with essentially complete stereoselectivity.

Fully diastereoselective synthesis of polysubstituted, functionalized piperidines and decahydroquinolines based on multicomponent reactions catalyzed by cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate

The cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN)-catalyzed, three-component reaction between primary amines, β-dicarbonyl compounds, and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in ethanol heated to reflux, constitutes a general, one-pot synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines. Their reduction with sodium triacetoxyborohydride furnished piperidine derivatives bearing up to five substituents with full diastereoselectivity in a hitherto inaccessible stereochemical arrangement. The reaction proceeded with no significant loss of enantiomeric purity under mild reduction conditions that are compatible with several functional groups that are normally sensitive to reduction. Octahydroquinolin-5-one derivatives, which were prepared by a modified version of the initial multicomponent reaction, were not suitable substrates for the sodium triacetoxyborohydride mediated reduction, but they were transformed into the corresponding decahydroquinolines, including a precursor of the amphibian alkaloid pumiliotoxin C, by catalytic hydrogenation under a variety of conditions.

Enantiodivergency and enantioconvergency in the synthesis of the dendrobate alkaloid 241D

A diastereodivergent preparation of two N-alkenylnitrones (9 and 11) from easily available (R)-2,3-O-cyclohexylideneglyceraldehyde (5) led to an enantiodivergent synthesis of both enantiomers of the dendrobate alkaloid 241D in a sequential two-directional approach involving intramolecular nitrone cycloaddition as the key step. Either of these two nitrones could, in principle, be utilized for the preparation of the title compounds in an enantioconvergent fashion as well. The methodology was extended to prepare an analogue (33) of (-)-241D.