Ervin Kovács

Enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution of N-Boc-trans-3-hydroxy-4-phenylpyrrolidine

AbstractThe first enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution of tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-4-phenylpyrrolidine-1-carboxylate is presented. Enzyme, solvent and temperature optimization resulted in a new resolution method with E = 40 enantioselectivity. The acetate derivative of the (+)-(3S,4R) enantiomer formed while the (−)-(3R,4S) isomer remained intact. Very good enantioselectivities (E > 200) were achieved in the enzyme-catalyzed alcoholysis of the racemic acetate in i-propanol and t-butanol where the (+)-(3S,4R) enantiomer was prepared in pure form (ee > 99.7%). Absolute configuration of the (−)-(3R,4S)-enantiomer was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction method.

One-pot Synthesis of 1,3-Butadiene and 1,6-Hexanediol Derivatives from Cyclopentadiene (CPD) via Tandem Olefin Metathesis Reactions

A novel tandem reaction of cyclopentadiene leading to high value linear chemicals via ruthenium catalyzed ring opening cross metathesis (ROCM), followed by cross metathesis (CM) is reported. The ROCM of cyclopentadiene (CPD) with ethylene using commercially available 2nd gen. Grubbs metathesis catalysts (1‐G2) gives 1,3‐butadiene (BD) and 1,4‐pentadiene (2) (and 1,4‐cyclohexadiene (3)) with reasonable yields (up to 24 % (BD) and 67 % (2+3) at 73 % CPD conversion) at 1–5 mol % catalyst loading in toluene solution (5 V% CPD, 10 bar, RT) in an equilibrium reaction. The ROCM of CPD with cis‐butene diol diacetate (4) using 1.00 ‐ 0.05 mol % of 3rd gen. Grubbs (1‐G3) or 2nd gen. Hoveyda‐Grubbs (1‐HG2) catalysts loading gives hexa‐2,4‐diene‐1,6‐diyl diacetate (5), which is a precursor of 1,6‐hexanediol (an intermediate in polyurethane, polyester and polyol synthesis) and hepta‐2,5‐diene‐1,7‐diyl diacetate (6) in good yield (up to 68 % or TON: 1180). Thus, convenient and selective synthetic procedures are revealed by ROCM of CPD with ethylene and 4 leading to BD and 1,6‐hexanediol precursor, respectively, as key components of commercial intermediates of high‐performance materials.

Novel methods for the stereoselective synthesis of oxetane, azetidine and pyrrolidine derivatives

Novel, superbase promoted stereoselective rearrangement reactions of chiral oxirane derivatives provided chiral oxetane and azetidine derivatives. An optically active 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine was synthetised via catalytic hydrogenolysis of an oxetane derivative followed by ring closure of the formed optically active aminoalcohol.