Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure N-Acyl Amino Nitriles via Catalytic Dehydration of Oximes and Application in a de Novo Synthesis of Vildagliptin

Progress in the Stereoselective Synthesis Methods of Pyrrolidine-Containing Drugs and Their Precursors

The presented review systematizes and summarizes the data on the synthesis of pyrrolidine derivatives, which are precursors for obtaining drugs. Based on the analysis of published data, the most promising directions in the synthesis of biologically active compounds containing a pyrrolidine ring are identified. Stereoselective synthesis methods are classified based on the source of the pyrrolidine ring. The first group includes methods that use a pyrrolidine ring as the starting compound. The second group combines stereoselective methods of cyclization of acyclic starting compounds, which lead to optically pure pyrrolidine derivatives.

Process Development of the Copper(II)-Catalyzed Dehydration of a Chiral Aldoxime and Rational Selection of the Co-Substrate

The access towards chiral nitriles remains crucial in the synthesis of several pharmaceuticals. One approach is based on metal-catalyzed dehydration of chiral aldoximes, which are generated from chiral pool-derived aldehydes as substrates, and the use of a cheap and readily available nitrile as co-substrate and water acceptor. Dehydration of N-acyl α-amino aldoximes such as N-Boc-l-prolinal oxime catalyzed by copper(II) acetate provides access to the corresponding N-acyl α-amino nitriles, which are substructures of the pharmaceuticals Vildagliptin and Saxagliptin. In this work, a detailed investigation of the formation of the amide as a by-product at higher substrate loadings is performed. The amide formation depends on the electronic properties of the nitrile co-substrate. We could identify an acceptor nitrile which completely suppressed amide formation at high substrate loadings of 0.5 m even when being used with only 2 equivalents. In detail, utilization of trichloroacetonitrile as such an acceptor nitrile enabled the synthesis of N-Boc-cyanopyrrolidine in a high yield of 92 % and with full retention of the absolute configuration.

Process Development of a Copper(II)-Catalyzed Dehydration of an N-Acyl Prolinal Oxime: Cascade Process and Application at an Elevated Lab Scale

Chiral N-acyl amino nitriles are important structural motifs in several pharmaceuticals such as Vildagliptin or Saxagliptin. Cyanide-free access to such nitriles is provided by a copper-catalyzed dehydration of oximes, which are readily available by condensation of chiral aldehydes resulting from the chiral pool with hydroxylamine. The application in a cascade process without the need for intermediate purification as well as a demonstrated scalability show the robustness of this methodology.

Segmented Flow Processes to Overcome Hurdles of Whole-Cell Biocatalysis in the Presence of Organic Solvents

In modern process development, it is imperative to consider biocatalysis, and whole-cell catalysts often represent a favored form of such catalysts. However, the application of whole-cell catalysis in typical organic batch two-phase synthesis often struggles due to mass transfer limitations, emulsion formation, tedious work-up and, thus, low yields. Herein, we demonstrate that utilizing segmented flow tools enables the conduction of whole-cell biocatalysis efficiently in biphasic media. Exemplified for three different biotransformations, the power of such segmented flow processes is shown. For example, a 3-fold increase of conversion from 34 % to >99 % and a dramatic simplified work-up leading to a 1.5-fold higher yield from 44 % to 65 % compared to the analogous batch process was achieved in such a flow process.

Cyanide-Free Enantioselective Catalytic Strategies for the Synthesis of Chiral Nitriles

The development of enantioselective syntheses of nitriles gained increasing interest due to, e.g., an increasing demand for chiral nitriles for drug synthesis. Complementing existing routes, recently catalytic processes enabling an enantioselective formation of the chiral nitrile moiety without the need to utilize cyanide were accomplished. It is noteworthy that these processes are complementary to each other as they are based on different types of substrates, catalytic methods (utilizing chemo- and biocatalysts), and stereochemical reaction concepts (asymmetric synthesis versus resolution).

Direct Transformation of Nitroalkanes to Nitriles Enabled by Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis and a Domino Reaction Process

A mild and convenient process for direct transformation of nitroalkanes to the corresponding nitriles was developed using a visible-light photoredox catalysis strategy with household decorative blue LEDs and the additives of Et₃N and DIPIBA (or DIPEA). Application of the process in secondary nitroalkanes bearing a β-alcohol resulted in a domino process of the retro-Henry reaction and the subsequent acetalization, aldol, cyanohydrin, and ring-contraction reactions with stereoselectivities. The photocatalytic reaction was demonstrated by a continuous flow method.

Nickel(II)-Catalyzed [5 + 1] Annulation of 2-Carbonyl-1-propargylindoles with Hydroxylamine To Synthesize Pyrazino[1,2-a]indole-2-oxides in Water

An atom-economical and practical method for the efficient synthesis of various pyrazino[1,2-a]indole-2-oxides was developed through a nickel(II)-catalyzed [5 + 1] annulation of 2-carbonyl-1-propargylindoles with hydroxylamine in water without using an organic solvent. The reaction involved an initial condensation of 2-carbonyl-1-propargylindoles with hydroxylamine to afford oxime intermediates, which then underwent a nickel(II)-catalyzed 6-exo-dig cyclization. Preliminary studies showed that (n-Bu)₄NI served as a phase transfer catalyst and promoted the formation of active nickel(II) species. More importantly, the nickel(II) salt and phase transfer catalyst-in-water could be recycled seven times, and a gram scalable product was easily obtained in good yields through a filtration and washing protocol.

Biocatalytic Synthesis of Nitriles through Dehydration of Aldoximes: The Substrate Scope of Aldoxime Dehydratases

Nitriles, which are mostly needed and produced by the chemical industry, play a major role in various industry segments, ranging from high-volume, low-price sectors, such as polymers, to low-volume, high-price sectors, such as chiral pharma drugs. A common industrial technology for nitrile production is ammoxidation as a gas-phase reaction at high temperature. Further popular approaches are substitution or addition reactions with hydrogen cyanide or derivatives thereof. A major drawback, however, is the very high toxicity of cyanide. Recently, as a synthetic alternative, a novel enzymatic approach towards nitriles has been developed with aldoxime dehydratases, which are capable of converting an aldoxime in one step through dehydration into nitriles. Because the aldoxime substrates are easily accessible, this route is of high interest for synthetic purposes. However, whenever a novel method is developed for organic synthesis, it raises the question of substrate scope as one of the key criteria for application as a "synthetic platform technology". Thus, the scope of this review is to give an overview of the current state of the substrate scope of this enzymatic method for synthesizing nitriles with aldoxime dehydratases. As a recently emerging enzyme class, a range of substrates has already been studied so far, comprising nonchiral and chiral aldoximes. This enzyme class of aldoxime dehydratases shows a broad substrate tolerance and accepts aliphatic and aromatic aldoximes, as well as arylaliphatic aldoximes. Furthermore, aldoximes with a stereogenic center are also recognized and high enantioselectivities are found for 2-arylpropylaldoximes, in particular. It is further noteworthy that the enantiopreference depends on the E and Z isomers. Thus, opposite enantiomers are accessible from the same racemic aldehyde and the same enzyme.