A general protein purification and immobilization method on controlled porosity glass: biocatalytic applications.

A general combined purification and immobilization method to facilitate biocatalytic process development is presented. The support material, EziG™, is based on controlled porosity glass (CPG) or polymer-coated versions thereof (HybCPG) and binds protein affinity tags. Biocatalytic reactions in aqueous and organic media with seven enzymes of biocatalytic interest are shown.

Functional assembly of camphor converting two-component Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases with a flavin reductase from E. coli.

The major limitation in the synthetic application of two-component Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases was addressed by identifying the 28-kDa flavin-reductase Fre from Escherichia coli as a suitable supplier of reduced FMN for these enzymes. Coexpression of Fre with either 2,5- or 3,6-diketocamphane monooxygenase from Pseudomonas putida NCIMB 10007 significantly enhanced the conversion of camphor and norcamphor serving as representative ketones. With purified enzymes, full conversion was achieved, while only slight amounts of product were formed in the absence of this flavin reductase. Fusion of the genes of Fre and DKCMOs into single open reading frame constructs resulted in unstable proteins exhibiting flavin reducing, but poor oxygenating activity, which led to overall decreased conversion of camphor.

Directed evolution of Candida antarctica lipase A using an episomaly replicating yeast plasmid.

We herein report the first directed evolution of Candida antarctica lipase A (CalA), employing a combinatorial active-site saturation test (CAST). Wild-type CalA has a modest E-value of 5.1 in kinetic resolution of 4-nitrophenyl 2-methylheptanoate. Enzyme variants were expressed in Pichia pastoris by using the episomal vector pBGP1 which allowed efficient secretory expression of the lipase. Iterative rounds of CASTing yielded variants with good selectivity toward both the (S)- and the (R)-enantiomer. The best obtained enzyme variants had E-values of 52 (S) and 27 (R).

Carbon-carbon bond formation in regio- and stereoselective palladium-catalyzed cyclization of allene-substituted conjugated dienes.

Regio- and stereoselective palladium-catalyzed reactions of allene-substituted 1,3-dienes 1 in acetic acid at room temperature lead to cyclization with formation of a carbon-carbon bond between the middle carbon of the allene and the terminal carbon of the 1,3-diene. Two different types of reactions, both that constitute 1,4-carboacetoxylations of the 1,3-diene, have been developed. In one of the reactions, Pd(II) catalyzes the oxidation of 1 to bicyclic compounds 2, and in the other, Pd(0) catalyzes the transformation of 1 to bicyclic compounds 3. The products 2 are useful for further synthetic transformations and undergo Diels-Alder reactions with dienophiles to give polycyclic ring systems.

Palladium(II)-catalyzed S(N)2' reactions of alpha-allenic acetates. Stereoconvergent synthesis of (Z,E)-2-bromo-1,3-dienes.

The reaction of acetylated alpha-allenic alcohols with LiBr in the presence of 1.5 mol % of Pd(OAc)(2) provides easy access to substituted (Z,E)-2-bromo-1,3-dienes in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivity. Both secondary and tertiary acetates as well as terminal and nonterminal allenes were studied to investigate the scope and the limitations of the reaction. A mechanism is proposed to clarify how a diastereomeric mixture of the starting compound is transformed into a single diastereomer of the product.

Osmium-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins by H2O2; dual role of the cinchona alkaloid ligand.

[reaction: see text]. A novel application of the cinchona alkaloid derivative (DHQD)2PHAL in the osmium-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins is presented. In a triple catalytic system using H2O2 as the terminal oxidant, the alkaloid ligand has a dual function in providing stereocontrol in the addition step and, via its N-oxidized form, acting as reoxidant for the in situ generated osmium(VI). The formation of the N-oxide is catalyzed by a biomimetic flavin.

Experimental evidence supporting a CuIII intermediate in cross-coupling reactions of allylic esters with diallylcuprate species.

The reaction between an allylic ester and a magnesium diallylcuprate, or an allylic Grignard reagent in combination with a catalytic amount of a copper salt, has been studied. These reactions yield a mixture of homo- and cross-coupled 1,5-diene products. The product ratios obtained are close to those expected for a reaction proceeding via a triallylcopper(III) intermediate consisting of three equivalent allyl groups bound to copper. When the reaction is performed with a stoichiometric amount of a preformed diallylcuprate, a homo-coupling/cross-coupling ratio larger than that predicted for a CuIII intermediate is observed. However, on dilution this ratio decreases and becomes close to the predicted ratio. The deviation from the predicted homo-coupling/cross-coupling ratio was accounted for by an olefin-induced homo-coupling, as demonstrated in control experiments. The possibility of the allylic ligands to coordinate to the metal center in a eta3 or eta1 fashion provides an opportunity for the stabilization of the intermediate CuIII species.

Silylcupration of 1,3-dienes followed by an electrophilic trapping reaction.

[see reaction]. Silylcupration reaction of 1,3-dienes with a cyanocuprate reagent, PhMe2SiCuCNLi, followed by an electrophilic trapping has been reported for the first time. The use of allylic phosphates as electrophiles resulted in a highly regioselective reaction with overall 1,4-addition of the silyl and allyl moieties across the diene.

Enantioselective synthesis of beta-hydroxy acid derivatives via a one-pot aldol reaction-dynamic kinetic resolution.

[reaction: see text]. Combining dynamic kinetic resolution with an aldol reaction provides access to beta-hydroxy ester derivatives with high enantiomeric purity (up to 99% ee) in a one-pot procedure. Only simple starting materials are required in this enantioselective process, and preformation of a silyl enol ether is not necessary.

Dynamic kinetic resolution of beta-azido alcohols. An efficient route to chiral aziridines and beta-amino alcohols.

Enzymatic resolution of beta-azido alcohols in combination with ruthenium-catalyzed alcohol isomerization led to a successful dynamic kinetic resolution. A variety of racemic beta-azido alcohols were efficiently transformed to the corresponding enantiomerically pure acetates (ee up to 99% and conversion up to 98%). The synthetic utility of this procedure has been illustrated by the practical synthesis of (S)-propanolol I and (R)-beta-azido-alpha-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol ((R)-1c), a direct precursor of denopamine II.

Mild and efficient flavin-catalyzed H2O2 oxidations.

Based on a previously discovered method for amine oxidations using flavins as catalysts and hydrogen peroxide as oxidant, a comparative kinetic study using NMR spectroscopy was undertaken with a series of flavins for amine and thioether oxidations. Included in this series is the newly prepared 7,8-difluoro-1,3-dimethyl-5-ethyl-5,10-dihydroalloxazine. This study shows that flavins, which bear electron-donating groups on the aromatic ring and/or the N-10 position, are less active and are deactivated during the course of the reaction. Moreover, flavins that are alkylated at the N-1 position instead of the N-10 position and having either no substituents or electron-withdrawing groups on the aromatic ring, remain the most active and stable.

Studies on the mechanism of metal-catalyzed hydrogen transfer from alcohols to ketones.

The mechanism of metal-catalyzed hydrogen transfer from alcohols to ketones has been studied. Hydrogen transfer (H-transfer) from (S)-alpha-deutero-alpha-phenylethanol ((S)-1) to acetophenone was used as a probe to distinguish between selective carbon-to-carbon H-transfer and nonselective transfer involving both oxygen-to-carbon and carbon-to-carbon H-transfer. The progress of the reaction was monitored by the decreasing enantiomeric excess of (S)-1. After complete racemization, the alcohol was analyzed for its deuterium content in the alpha-position, which is a measure of the degree of selectivity in the H-transfer. A number of different rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium complexes (in total 21 complexes) were investigated by using this probe. For all rhodium complexes a high degree of retention of deuterium at alpha-carbon (95-98%) was observed. Also most iridium complexes showed a high degree of retention of deuterium. However, the results for the ruthenium complexes show that there are two types of catalysts: one that gives a high degree of deuterium retention at alpha-carbon and another that gives about half of the deuterium content at alpha-carbon (37-40%). Two different mechanisms are proposed for transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogen transfer, one via a monohydride (giving a high D content) and another via a dihydride (giving about half of D content). As comparison non-transition-metal-catalyzed hydrogen transfer was studied with the same probe. Aluminum- and samarium-catalyzed racemization of (S)-1 gave 75-80% retention of deuterium in the alpha-position of the alcohol, and involvement of an electron transfer pathway was suggested to account for the loss of deuterium.

An enantioselective route to paeonilactone A via palladium- and copper-catalyzed reactions.

We herein report on a formal total synthesis of paeonilactone A involving palladium-, copper-, and enzyme-catalyzed reactions starting from 1,3-cyclohexadiene. The key step in the synthesis, a palladium(II)-catalyzed 1,4-oxylactonization of a conjugated diene, simultaneously introduces two of the oxygen substituents required for the target molecule. The synthesis also includes our recently developed copper(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between dienyltriflates with Grignard reagents, introducing one of the methyl groups present in the target molecule. This new approach toward paeonilactone A allows complete control of all four stereogenic centers and is the first enantioselective route toward paeonilactone A starting from an achiral substrate.

BF(3)-Induced rearrangement of aziridino cyclopropanes derived from 2-phenylsulfonyl 1,3-dienes. Application to the total synthesis of (+/-)-ferruginine.

Total synthesis of the alkaloid (+/-)-ferruginine (1) has been developed via the 2-phenylsulfonyl 1,3-diene approach. BF(3)-induced rearrangement of the N-protected cyclohexane aziridino cyclopropane 8, derived from its corresponding epoxy cyclopropane, afforded the desired tropane alkaloid skeleton 9 in good yield. Michael addition of nitroethane (as an acyl anion equivalent) and transformation of the nitro group of the adduct 10 to a keto function gave 11. Elimination of benzenesulfinic acid and subsequent replacement of the tosyl group by a methyl group afforded the title compound 1.