Tibor Gizur

Simple and condensed β-lactams. I: The application of diketene in β-lactam synthesis. The synthesis and functional group manipulations of diethyl 3-acetyl-4-oxoazetidine-2,2-dicarboxylates

Abstract Acylation of the N-substituted diethyl aminomalonates 3a – 3d with diketene furnished the ring tautomers 6a – 6d of the expected acetoacetyl derivatives 5 . By treatment with iodine and sodium ethoxide compounds 6a – 6d are smoothly converted into the β-lactam derivatives 2a – 2d . Deethoxycarbonylation of the ethylene ketals 7a – 7d of the latter furnishes mixtures of the corresponding diastereomeric monoesters 8 and 10 . The ethoxycarbonyl groups of the trans esters 8 are more reactive than those of the cis isomers 10 . This permits, under appropriate conditions, selective alkaline hydrolysis and NaBH 4 reduction of the trans esters 8 in the presence of the cis esters 10 . Reduction of the cis ester 10c under more forceful conditions furnishes the trans hydroxymethyl derivative 11c .

Simple and condensed β-lactams. Part 5. The synthesis of some (5RS,6SR)-2-(2-formylaminoethylthio)-6-(2-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)carbapenem-3-carboxylic acid derivatives and related compounds

Starting with the 4-oxoazetidine-2-carboxylic acids (3a) and (3b), methods for the synthesis of derivatives of the racemic carbapenem-3-carboxylic acid (2), an analogue of the potent antibiotic thienamycin have heen developed. The synthetic steps included chain elongations by the methods of Arndt-Eistert and Masamune, diazo group transfers, oxidative removals of N-protecting 2,4- dimethoxybenzyl and p-methoxyphenyl groups, cyclization involving a carbene insertion reaction, and conversion of the ketone moiety of the bicyclic compound (13b) into an enethiol moiety via enolphosphate activation. The target compound, the sodium salt (14c) did not possess any useful biological activity.