Enantioselective acylation of rac-2-phenylcycloalkanamines catalyzed by lipases

Lipases as catalysts in synthesis of fine chemicals

The application of lipases as catalysts in the synthesis of an intermediate of alfuzosin and lapyrium chloride is described. In the first case, the one-pot procedure to obtain the intermediate involves the treatment of tetrahydrofuroic acid with ethanol in the presence of Candida antarctica lipase followed by the addition of N-methyl-1,3-diaminopropane. In the second part of the chapter, an efficient route for large-scale preparation of lapyrium chloride is developed from chloroacetic acid in four steps, three of them enzymatic. Due to the chemoselective behavior of the lipases, both products described in the present chapter were obtained in a high degree of purity and yield, applying mild reaction conditions, and following a low environmental impact methodology.

Highly Selective Enzymatic Kinetic Resolution of Primary Amines at 80 °C: A Comparative Study of Carboxylic Acids and Their Ethyl Esters as Acyl Donors

Optimization of the kinetic resolution of 2-amino-4-phenyl-butane was achieved at 80 degrees C using CAL-B-catalyzed aminolysis of carboxylic acids and their ethyl esters. The reactions carried out with long chain esters and the corresponding acids as acyl donors proceeded with remarkably high enantioselectivity. The use of carboxylic acids as acylating agents led to a marked acceleration of the reaction rate compared to their ester counterparts. Lauric acid led to enantiomeric excesses superior to 99.5% for both the remaining amine and the corresponding lauramide at 50% conversion (reached in 3 h). These optimized conditions were applied to the resolution of a series of aliphatic and benzylic amines.