Improved synthesis of both enantiomers of trans-cyclohex-4-ene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid

Recent advances in enantioselective organocatalyzed anhydride desymmetrization and its application to the synthesis of valuable enantiopure compounds

Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in the field of asymmetric organocatalysis. In particular, efforts in this field have been devoted to the use of small organic molecules in asymmetric processes based on enantiotopic face discrimination and, only recently, efforts have also been devoted to asymmetric organocatalytic desymmetrization of prochiral substrates-a process based on enantiotopic group discrimination. This critical review documents the advances in the use of organocatalysis for the enantioselective desymmetrization of achiral and meso anhydrides and its application to the synthesis of valuable compounds as reported until 2010 (134 references).

Amine, alcohol and phosphine catalysts for acyl transfer reactions

An overview of the area of organocatalytic asymmetric acyl transfer processes is presented including O- and N-acylation. The material has been ordered according to the structural class of catalyst employed rather than reaction type with the intention to draw mechanistic parallels between the manner in which the various reactions are accelerated by the catalysts and the concepts employed to control transfer of chiral information from the catalyst to the substrates.

Synthesis of novel DC-SIGN ligands with an alpha-fucosylamide anchor

The dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) 3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) is a C-type lectin that appears to perform several different functions. Besides mediating adhesion between dendritic cells and T lymphocytes, DC-SIGN recognizes several pathogens some of which, including HIV, appear to exploit it to invade host organisms. The intriguing diversity of the roles attributed to DC-SIGN and their therapeutic implications have stimulated the search for new ligands that could be used as biological probes and possibly as lead compounds for drug development. The natural ligands of DC-SIGN consist of mannose oligosaccharides or fucose-containing Lewis-type determinants. Using the known 3D structure of the Lewis-x trisaccharide, we have identified some monovalent alpha-fucosylamides that bind to DC-SIGN with inhibitory constants 0.4-0.5 mM, as determined by SPR, and have characterized their interaction with the protein by STD NMR spectroscopy. This work establishes for the first time alpha-fucosylamides as functional mimics of chemically and enzymatically unstable alpha-fucosides and describes interesting candidates for the preparation of multivalent systems able to block the receptor DC-SIGN with high affinity and with potential biomedical applications.

Asymmetric catalysis with bifunctional cinchona alkaloid-based urea and thiourea organocatalysts

Cinchona alkaloid derivatives modified to include a (thio)urea component have emerged in the last three years as readily accessible, robust and tunable bifunctional organocatalysts for a range of synthetically useful transformations. The origins of these catalysts and the major developments in their application in enantioselective synthesis are reviewed.

Highly enantioselective desymmetrization of meso anhydrides by a bifunctional thiourea-based organocatalyst at low catalyst loadings and room temperature

Bifunctional (thio)urea-based cinchona alkaloid derivatives have been shown to promote highly efficient enantioselective desymmetrization reactions of meso anhydrides. The most selective of these catalysts is capable of the enantioselective methanolysis of succinic and glutaric anhydride derivatives to form hemiester products with >90% yield and enantiomeric excess at 1 mol % loading and ambient temperature.

Design and synthesis of chiral alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids and conformational study of their oligopeptides

alpha,alpha-Disubstituted amino acids are alpha-amino acids in which the hydrogen atom at the alpha-position of the L-alpha-amino acid is replaced with an alkyl substituent. The introduction of an alpha-alkyl substituent changes the properties of amino acids, with the conformational freedom of the side chain in the amino acids and the secondary structure of their peptides being especially restricted. The author developed a synthetic route of optically active alpha-ethylated alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids using chiral cyclic 1,2-diol as a chiral auxiliary. It was found that the preferred secondary structure of peptides composed of chiral alpha-ethylated alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids is a fully extended C5-conformation, whereas that of peptides composed of chiral alpha-methylated alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids is a 3(10)-helical structure. Also, a new chiral cyclic amino acid; (3S,4S)-1-amino-3,4-di(methoxy)cyclopentanecarboxylic acid {(S,S)-Ac5c(dOM)}, and a bicyclic amino acid; (1R,6R)-8-aminobicyclo[4.3.0]non-3-ene-8-carboxylic acid {(R,R)-Ab5,6= c}, in which the alpha-carbon atom is not the chiral center but chiral centers exist at the side-chain cycloalkane skeleton, were designed and synthesized. The (S,S)-Ac5c(dOM) hexa- and octapeptides preferentially formed left-handed (M) helices, in which the helical-screw direction is exclusively controlled by the side-chain chiral centers. Contrary to the left-handed helices of (S,S)-Ac(5)c(dOM) peptides, the (R,R)-Ab5,6= c hexapeptide formed both diastereomeric right-handed (P) and left-handed (M) helices, and the twelve chiral centers at the side chain showed no preference for helical-screw direction. Thus, the chiral environment at the side chain is important for the control of helical-screw direction. Furthermore, the author designed a new class of chiral cyclic alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids that have pendant chiral centers at the substituent of the delta-nitrogen atom. The synthetic route would provide various optically-active cyclic alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids bearing a pendant chiral moiety.

Design and Synthesis of Non-proteinogenic Amino Acids and Secondary Structures of Their Peptides

Replacement of the alpha-hydrogen atom of L-alpha-amino acids with an alkyl substituent results in alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids. The modification changes the properties of the amino acids. Incorporation of alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids into oligopeptides restricts the conformational freedom of their peptides. The author developed a synthetic route for optically active alpha-ethylated alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids using chiral cyclic 1,2-diol, and disclosed that the preferred conformation of peptides composed of chiral alpha-ethylated disubstituted amino acids is a fully planar conformation, whereas that of chiral alpha-methylated disubstituted amino acids is a 3(10)-helical structure. Furthermore, the author designed and synthesized two chiral cyclic alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids, i.e., (3S,4S)-1-amino-3,4-di(methoxy)cyclopentanecarboxylic acid {(S,S)-Ac5cdOM}, and (1R,6R)-8-aminobicyclo-[4.3.0]non-3-ene-8-carboxylic acid {(R,R)-Ab5,6=c}. They do not have a chiral center at the alpha-position, but do have chiral centers on the side-chain cyclopentane or the bicyclic skeleton. The preferred secondary structure of the (S,S)-Ac5cdOM homopeptides was the left-handed (M) 3(10)-helical structure (hexapeptide) and the left-handed (M) alpha-helical structure (octa- and decapeptides), while that of the (R,R)-Ab5,6=c hexapeptide was both the right-handed (P) and left-handed (M) 3(10)-helices. These results indicate that the side-chain chiral centers affect the secondary structure of their peptides, and the side-chain chiral environment is important for the control of the helical-screw direction of peptides.

Side-Chain Chiral Centers of Amino Acid and Helical-Screw Handedness of Its Peptides

Both diastereomeric right-handed (P) and left-handed (M) 310-helices exist in homopeptides having twelve chiral centers at the side-chain bicyclic skeletons.

Solid-phase synthesis of combinatorial libraries based on enatiomerically pure (1S,2S,4R,5S)-4,5-dihydroxycyclohexan-1,2-dicarboxylic acid scaffolds

The conditions for solid-phase functionalization of the new enantio-pure scaffold 1 to give libraries of general formula 4 have been derived.

Stereoselective synthesis of conformationally constrained cyclohexanediols: a set of molecular scaffolds for the synthesis of glycomimetics

The practical, stereoselective synthesis of the three diastereoisomeric 1,2-trans-dicarboxy-4,5-cyclohexanediols 1-3 (DCCHDs) is described, starting from a common precursor, easily available in both enantiomeric forms. The regioselective derivatization of all functional groups of 1 is also reported. The three DCCHDs are locked in a single chair conformation and thus can be used to mimic vicinally disubstituted monosaccharides of any relative configuration.

Second generation mimics of ganglioside GM1 as artificial receptors for cholera toxin: replacement of the sialic acid moiety

In a program directed towards the design and synthesis of mimics of ganglioside GM1, the NeuAc recognition domain was replaced by simple hydroxy acids, and the affinity of the new ligands to the cholera toxin was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The (R)-lactic acid derivative 4 was found to display the highest affinity of the series (KD = 190 microM).