Realization of the synthesis of α,α-disubstituted carbamylacetates and cyanoacetates by either enzymatic or chemical functional group transformation, depending upon the substrate specificity of Rhodococcus amidase
作者:Masahiro Yokoyama、Mieko Kashiwagi、Masakazu Iwasaki、Ken-ichi Fuhshuku、Hiromichi Ohta、Takeshi Sugai
DOI:10.1016/j.tetasy.2004.04.047
日期:2004.9
Substrate specificity and enantioselectivity of nitrile hydratase and amidase from R. rhodochrous IFO 15564 has been studied by applying a series of alpha,alpha-disubstituted malononitriles and related substrates. The amidase preferentially hydrolyzed the pro-(R) carbamyl group (amide) of the prochiral diamides, an intermediate resulting from the action of nitrile hydratase in a nonenantiotopic group-selective manner. The introduction of a fluorine atom at the alpha-position caused an inhibitory effect on amidase. By a combination of this microbial transformation and the subsequent Hofmann rearrangement, an important precursor of (S)methyldopa with 98.4% ee has been prepared. For the enzymatically poor substrate, the action on HO3SONO-H2O on the carbamyl group was effective, leaving the cyano group intact. This conversion is demonstrated as the key step for the expeditious preparation of (+/-)-alpha-cyano-alpha-fluoro-alpha-phenylacetic acid (CFPA) from diethyl alpha-fluoro-alpha-phenylmalonate. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.