Tatiana F. Savel'eva

Improved procedures for the synthesis of (S)-2-[N-(N′-benzylprolyl)amino]benzophenone (BPB) and Ni(II) complexes of Schiff's bases derived from BPB and amino acids

(S)-N-Benzylproline (BP) was obtained by the reaction of (S)-proline and benzylchloride in high chemical yield (89%). (S)-2-[N-(N′-Benzylprolyl)amino]benzophenone (BPB) was synthesized in amounts greater than 100 g by the SOCl2 promoted condensation of BP with 2-aminobenzophenone (yield 82%). Ni(II) complexes of Schiffs bases derived from BPB and amino acids were prepared by an improved procedure involving the use of KOH as a base and MeOH as solvent (yield 90–91%).

Asymmetric aldol reactions of chiral Ni(II)-complex of glycine with aliphatic aldehydes. Stereodivergent synthesis of syn-(2S)- and syn-(2R)-β-alkylserines

Abstract Stereoselectivity of aldol reactions between aliphatic aldehydes and Ni(II)-complex of chiral non-racemic Schiff base of glycine with ( S )- o -[ N -( N -benzylprolyl)amino]benzophenone (BPB) in the presence of excess of MeONa, has been studied as a function of time, reaction conditions and nature of an aldehyde. Two salient features of the reaction, very high pseudokinetic syn -(2 S )-diastereoselectivity, and dependence of thermodynamic syn -(2 R )-diastereoselectivity on the steric bulk of an aldehyde side chain, were disclosed and used for efficient (more than 90% de and ee) asymmetric synthesis of both syn -(2 S ) and syn -(2 R )-3-alkyl substituted serines. Synthetic potential and reliability of this asymmetric method are demonstrated with the large scale (2–20 g) preparation of enantiomerically pure amino acids.