We described a copper-promoted direct amidation of isoindolinone scaffolds mediated by sodium persulfate. The amides, including primary and secondary amides, can be installed on isoindolinones in moderate to excellent yields by this method.
Routes to putative N-acyl-D-ala-D-ala surrogates, beginning with the conversion of 4-, 5-, and 6-membered lactones into 5-, 6-, and 7-membered cyclic hydroxamates, are reported. The key step of the synthesis is trimethylaluminium-promoted cyclization of an ω-aminooxyester. The 7-membered cyclic hydroxamate crystallizes in a chair conformation. Extension of the reaction sequence to homoserine or homoserine lactone leads to cyclocanaline and N-acylated cyclocanalines. The 4-phenylacetamido derivative of cyclocanaline crystallizes in a boat conformation. The attachment of a 2-carboxypropyl substituent to the ring nitrogen of a 4-acylaminocyclocanaline has been effected, prior to cyclization, by coupling of the acyclic aminooxyester precursor to the triflate of benzyl lactate or, after cyclization, by coupling to tert-butyl α-bromopropionate in the presence of potassium fluoride alumina, followed by removal of the protecting group in each case. A six-membered homolog of the antibiotic lactivicin has been synthesized by the reaction of 4-phenylacetamidocyclocanaline with benzyl 2-oxoglutarate in the presence of carbodiimide, followed by hydrogenolysis. Starting with methyl 2,4-dibromo-2,4-dideoxy-L-erythronate, which is available in two steps from L-ascorbic acid, these reaction sequences have been applied to the stereospecific synthesis of a D-alanine derivative whose nitrogen atom is enclosed within a 3,4-disubstituted [1,2]oxazinan-3-one. Key words: D-ala-D-ala surrogate, cyclocanaline, homolactivicin, peptidoglycan, trimethylaluminium.