Solvent Directed Chemically Divergent Synthesis Of β-lactams And α-amino Acid Derivatives With Chiral Isothiourea
Dong-Sheng Ji, Hui Liang, Kai-Xuan Yang, Zhi-Tao Feng, Yong-Chun Luo, Guo-Qiang Xu, Yucheng Gu, Peng-Fei Xu
https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sc06127e
Abstract
A protocol for the chemically divergent synthesis of β-lactams and α-amino acid derivatives with isothiourea (ITU) catalysis by switching solvents was developed. The stereospecific Mannich reaction occurring between imine and C(1)-ammonium enolate generated zwitterionic intermediates, which underwent intramolecular lactamization and afforded β-lactam derivatives when DCM and CH3CN were used as solvents. However, when EtOH was used as the solvent, the intermediates underwent an intermolecular esterification reaction, and α-amino acid derivatives were produced. Detailed mechanistic experiments were conducted to prove that these two kinds of products came from the same intermediates. Furthermore, chemically diversified transformations of β-lactam and α-amino acid derivatives were achieved.