Graduation date: 1995

Expanding the uses of the NCAL and finding the spectrum of substrates best suited for such a transformation has been the main effort of my research. Previous studies had focused on aldedydes as the requisite functionality that would provide the needed electrophilicity in order to complete the aldol; however, recent advancements have introduced ketones as a viable carbonyl. With an established protocol in hand, I set out to explore various substrates that could yield Beta-lactones in good to moderate yields such as amino acid derivatives, diones, and large cyclic formations as well as simple, straight chain acids with varying groups Alpha to the ketone. In general, I was able to establish a basic framework of substrates that are highly and/or moderately susceptible towards the NCAL and current studies continue to further expand the scope. In addition to making Beta-lactones, I investigated alkyl cuprates as soft nucleophiles to afford addition at the Beta carbon yielding a variety of acids. Substrates for cuprate additions have been expanded to bulkier and multi-cyclic Beta-lactones and applied to the synthesis of a Merck IND intermediate. Additions to bi- and tri-chloro Beta-lactones due to the presence of the resulting moity in natural products are currently being studied.

The recent finding that the FDA-approved antiobesity agent orlistat (tetrahydrolipstatin, Xenical) is a potent inhibitor of the thioesterase domain of fatty acid synthase (FAS) led us to develop a concise and practical asymmetric route to pseudosymmetric 3,4-dialkyl-cis-beta-lactones. The well-documented upregulation of FAS in cancer cells makes this enzyme complex an interesting therapeutic target for cancer. The described route to 3,4-dialkyl- beta -lactones is based on a two-step process involving Calter's catalytic, asymmetric ketene dimerization of acid chlorides followed by a facialselective hydrogenation leading to cis-substituted- beta -lactones. Importantly, the ketene dimer intermediates were found to be stable to flash chromatography, enabling opportunities for subsequent transformations of these optically active, reactive intermediates. Subsequent R-epimerization and R-alkylation or acylation led to trans- beta - lactones and beta -lactones bearing alpha-quaternary carbons, respectively. Several of the ketene dimers and beta-lactones displayed antagonistic activity (apparent Ki in the low micromolar range) in competition with a fluorogenic substrate toward a recombinant form of the thioesterase domain of fatty acid synthase. The best antagonist, a simple phenyl-substituted cis- beta -lactone, displayed an apparent Ki (2.5 ( 0.5 muM) of only 10- fold lower than that of orlistat (0.28 ( 0.06 muM). In addition, mechanistic studies of the ketene dimerization process by Reaction View infrared spectroscopy support previous findings that ketene formation is rate determining. A highly diastereoselective, nucleophile-promoted bis-cyclization process, employing readily available and tractable keto-acid substrates, is described. This methodology provides concise access to bicyclic- and tricyclic-beta-lactones bearing tertiary carbinol centers and quaternary carbons, greatly extending the scope of previous routes to bicyclic-beta-lactones from aldehyde acid substrates. This and related processes may be revealing a subtle interplay between [2 plus 2] cycloaddition and nucleophilecatalyzed aldol lactonization (NCAL) reaction manifolds. An early induction period in the bis-cyclization of keto-acids is confirmed via isolation of the complex between 4- pyrrolopyridine and Modified Mukaiyama reagent N-propyl-2-bromo pyridinium triflate. Dyotropic rearrangements of tricyclic keto beta-lactones derived in high yields and >19:1 diastereoselectivity from readily available 1, 3-dione acids is described. Zn (II) salts were found to be most efficient for affecting dyotropic 1, 2-acyl migrations where as sub stoichiometric TMSOTf was found to execute a delta-lactone migration providing bis gamma-lactone in modest yields. Enantioselective desymmetrization with inexpensive (S) - tetramisole has been demonstrated to provide direct evidence of Lewis base involvement in the Nucleophile Promoted Bis-cyclization of keto-acids. Further studies using TsCl as the carboxylate activating agent instead of modified Mukaiyama reagent and catalytic tetramisole are described for achieving practical, catalytic, enantioselective synthesis of beta-lactones from keto-acids. Preliminary studies toward conjugate addition- lactonization pathway provided a hint as to the complexity involved to affect this transformation under the bis-cyclization conditions. An alternate hypotheses concerning the possibility of isomerization-dienolate formation - lactonization is experimentally proven. Additionally, applications of these and related findings in the intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction with cyclic ketones have been investigated which provide new avenues of synthetic methodology development.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Chimie organique et macromoléculaire : Lille 1 : 2004. / N° d'ordre (Lille 1) : 3512. Titre provenant de la page de titre du document numérisé. Bibliogr. à la suite de chaque partie.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 49, 85 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-49).

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-124). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-165). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.