Abstract:
The addition of organolithium to dimethylhydrazones of certain ethers of a-hydroxyaldehydes results in the synthesis of threo- or erythro- intermediates readily convertible to threo- or erythro-2-amino alcohols.

Description:
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is concerned with the diastereoselective synthesis of 2-amino alcohols such as norpseudoephedrine. The key step of the process is the diastereoselective addition of an organolithium reagent across the double-bond of an aldehyde dialkylhydrazone, the starting material having in place an ether of an a-hydroxy group thereof. The ether and the resulting hydrazine are hydrogenolyzed to the corresponding hydroxy and amino group respectively by standard procedures. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various stereoselective strategies have been devised for the synthesis of 2-amino alcohols, relying on: intramolecular opening of epoxides (Roush et al., J. Org. Chem., 50, 3752 (1985)); intramolecular Michael reactions (Hirama et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 107, 1797 (1985); reduction of a-aminoketones (Fujita et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 106, 4629 (1984)); allylic sulfoxide 2,3-sigmatropic rearrangements of Diels-Alder adducts (Garig et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 106, 7861 (1984)); nitro-aldol reactions (Hanessian et al., Tetrahedron Letters, 26, 1261 (1985)); organometallic additions to a-alkoxyimines (Mukaiyama et al., Chem. Lett., 671 (1985)); or organometallic additions to sulfinimines (Fuganiti et al., J. Org. Chem., 48, 910 (1983) and Fronza et al., J. Carbohydrate Chem., 2, 1225 (1983)). 
     The last strategies discussed above, i.e. organometallic additions, although attractive, are not entirely satisfactory inasmuch as isolation of imines is often problematic, and preparation of sulfinimines requires strongly basic conditions which may epimerize substrates. 
     Hydrazone derivatives of aldehydes and ketones have been used extensively as substrates for enolate derived chemistry affording chiral alkylation products quite resistant to racemization. However, only limited or preliminary reports of their electrophilic reactions with organometallic reagents have appeared (Takohashi et al., J. Chem. Soc, Chem. Comm., 668 (1979) and Marxer et al., Helv. Chim. Acta, 47, 1101 (1964). 
     Surprisingly, we have found that 1,1-dimethylhydrazones provide high threo diastereoselectivity on reaction with organo lithium reagents and eliminate the problems associated with imine derivatives. The approach provides an attractive route to threo 2-amino alcohols after hydrogenolytic cleavage of the intermediate hydrazines. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The key step of the novel process of this invention comprises the diastereoselective electrophilic addition of an organo lithium reagent to an a-alkoxy-aldehyde dialkylhydrazone, which can be illustrated by reaction Scheme I: ##STR1## wherein: R is 
     (1) C 1-8  lower alkyl, either unsubstituted or substituted with phenyl or naphthyl which in turn can be substituted with: 
     (a) C 1-3  alkyl, 
     (b) hydroxy-C 1-3  alkyl, or 
     (c) C 1-3  alkoxy-C 1-3  alkyl; 
     (2) phenyl, either unsubstituted or substituted with: 
     (a) C 1-3  alkyl, 
     (b) hydroxy-C 1-3  alkyl, or 
     (c) C 1-3  alkoxy; 
     R 1  is 
     (1) C 1-5  alkyl, 
     (2) phenyl-C 1-3  alkyl, 
     (3) C 1-3  alkoxy-C 1-3  alkyl, 
     (4) benzyloxy-C 1-3  alkyl, 
     (5) trityl, 
     (6) Si(phenyl) 3 , 
     (7) ##STR2##  wherein R 4  and R 5  are independently C 1-5  alkyl, and R 6  is C 1-5  alkyl, or phenyl-C 1-3  alkyl; 
     R 2  is C 1-3  alkyl or phenyl; and 
     R 3  is 
     (1) C 1-6  alkyl, either unsubstituted or substituted with C 1-3  alkoxy, C 1-3  alkylthio, or tri(C 1-4  alkyl)silyl, 
     (2) C 1-6  alkenyl, either unsubstituted or substituted with C 1-3  alkoxy, C 1-3  alkylthio or tri(C 1-4  alkyl)silyl, 
     (3) phenyl, 
     (4) furyl, or 
     (5) thienyl. 
     In a preferred embodiment R is C 1-8  alkyl (especially n-pentyl) or phenyl and R 2  and R 3  are both methyl. 
     If the desired amino-alcohol has an erythro-configuration then R 1  is trityl or --Si(Phenyl) 3  preferably trityl. If the desired amino-alcohol has a threo-configuration then R 1  is one of the other definitions provided above, and preferably benzyl, benzyloxymethyl or 2-methoxy-2-propyl. 
     The key step of this novel process is conducted in an anhydrous ethereal solvent such as diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1,2-dimethoxyethane or the like, at low temperatures such as about -20° to 0° C., preferably about -10° C. in an inert atmosphere such as argon or nitrogen during the dropwise addition of the hydrazone to a slight excess of the organolithium reagent. The reaction is completed by removal of the cooling bath to permit spontaneous warming to ambient temperature (20°-25° C.) and holding it at that temperature about 0.5 to 2 hours. 
     After quenching the excess organolithium reagent by addition of sufficient water the reaction is worked up by standard purification procedures. It is convenient to acidify the mixture to about pH 2 with a mineral acid, preferably hydrochloric acid, wash with ether, separate the aqueous phase and basify to about pH 12 with caustic, such as aqueous sodium hydroxide, extract with ethyl acetate, wash the extract with brine, dry and concentrate to dryness. The resulting hydrazine is sufficiently pure to proceed with conversion to the 2-amino alcohol. 
     If in the above aqueous work-up the hydroxyl function were protected with an acid labile group, such as methoxy-2-propyl, the hydrazino alcohol is obtained directly. 
     This conversion to the amino alcohol is conveniently performed by catalytic hydrogenolysis with platinum oxide in a lower alkanol, especially methanol with about 1% by volume of acetic acid, at about 3.4×10 5  to 4.1×10 5  Nm -2  (50 to 60 psig) of hydrogen at room temperature. The reduction is usually complete in about 3-4 hours. 
     If in the above hydrogenolysis the hydroxyl function had been protected by a hydrogenolytically cleavable protecting group such as a benzyl or benzyloxymethyl group then the free alcohol is obtained. 
     Other alcohol protecting groups generally known in the art as being inert to organolithium reagents are suitable for this process such as those described in &#34;Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis&#34; by T. W. Greene, (J. Wiley &amp; Sons, N.Y., 1981) pages 10-87. 
     Some of the 2-amino alcohols preparable by the novel process of this invention are known compounds, such as norpseudoephedrine which is known to be useful as an anorexic agent and a chemical reagent in the optical resolution of externally compensated acids. 
    
    
     EXAMPLE 1 ##STR3## 
     Step A: 
     To 498 mgs (3.71 mmols) of (S)-1-phenylallyl alcohol there was added with stirring 5 ml of 2-methoxypropene at -10° C. under Argon and 1.0 mliter of POCl 3  was added. The cooling bath was removed and after 30 minutes at 25° C. powdered anhydrous K 2  CO 3  (2 g) was added and stirring was continued for 1/2 hour. The reaction was diluted with ether, filtered through 5-10 m scintered glass funnel and concentrated on a rotary evaporator at reduced pressure. The crude oil was dissolved in 50 ml of CH 2  Cl 2  and cooled to -78° C. under argon. Ozone gas was introduced until a constant blue color appeared. The excess ozone was removed by an argon gas purge, and 2.0 ml of CH 3  SCH 3  was added and the cooling bath warmed to -35° C. 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine (2.0 ml) was added and the cooling bath warmed to -10° C. over 1 hour. Anhydrous Na 2  SO 4  (15 grams) was added and the reaction was warmed to 25° C. The mixture was diluted with 150 ml of CH 2  Cl 2  and washed with H 2  O (3×50 ml) and 50 ml of saturated aqueous NaHCO 3  :saturated aqueous NaCl (1:1). The organic phase was dried (Na 2  SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated to an oil, yield 595 mgs which was immediately used without purification in the next reaction. ##STR4## 
     Step B: 
     The crude hydrazone (590 mgs, 2.38 mm) from Step A in 6 ml of anhydrous ether cooled to -10° C. under Ar was treated dropwise in MeLi (2.5 ml of 1.4M solution in ether). After addition was complete, the cooling bath was removed and the mixture stirred for 1 hour at 25° C. The reaction was quenched by addition of H 2  O (3 ml) and then acidified to pH 2.0 with 1.2M HCl in H 2  O. The aqueous layer was washed with ether (3×30 ml) and then basified to pH 12 with 40% NaOH in H 2  O. The aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate (4×50 ml). The combined ethylacetate extracts were washed with saturated aqueous NaCl, dried (Na 2  SO 4 ), filtered and concentrated to 408 mgs (89%) of an orange oil. The 300 mHZ &#39;HNMR contained only one major compound. ##STR5## 
     Step C: 
     158 mgs of the hydrazine in 16 ml of 1% acetic acid in CH 3  OH was treated with 160 mgs of PtO 2  and shaken on a Parr apparatus at 3.4×10 5  to 4.1×10 5  Nm -2  (50-60 psig) of H 2  for 3.5 hours. The crude product was obtained by filtration of the reaction mixture through filter aid and concentration on a rotary evaporator at reduced pressure. This residue was redissolved in H 2  O (10 ml) and basified to pH 12.0 with saturated aqueous Na 2  CO 3 . Extraction with CH 2  Cl 2  (3×35 ml), drying of the CH 2  Cl 2  extracts (Na 2  SO 4 ), filtration, and concentration at reduced pressure provided an oil which solidified on standing to give 113 mgs (92%) of a waxy white solid and this was dissolved in 2 ml of ethanol and cooled to 0° C. Ethanolic HCl was added until acidic (PH 4.0), then ether was added to precipitate the salt. The &#39;HNMR, TLC and rotation were in agreement with commercially available (-)-norpseudoephedrine hydrochloride. 
     Similarly, (±)-1-phenylallyl alcohol is converted to (±) norpseudoephedrine by an identical procedure. 
     The diastereoselectivity of the reaction is demonstrated by the threo/erythro ratios shown in Table I of the products obtained by employing the procedures substantially as described in Example 1, Step B, but using the hydrazones and organolithium compounds also described in Table I. 
     
                       TABLE I______________________________________ ##STR6## ##STR7##                            RATIO                            THREO/R.sup.1   R.sup.3      % YIELD   ERYTHRO______________________________________PhCH.sub.2 OCH.sub.2     CH.sub.3     95         97/3PhCH.sub.2 OCH.sub.2     Ph           95        &gt;98/2PhCH.sub.2     CH.sub.3     98         97/3PhCH.sub.2     Ph           93        &gt;98/2PhCH.sub.2      ##STR8##    94        &gt;98/2PhCH.sub.2     (CH.sub.3).sub.3 C                  98        &gt;98/2 ##STR9## Ph           93        &gt;98/2 ##STR10##      ##STR11##   85        &gt;98/2 ##STR12##      ##STR13##   88        &gt;98/2(Ph).sub.3 C     CH.sub.3     85          1/10______________________________________ .sup.(1) Protecting group in starting material which is removed during aqueous workup so that in the hydrazine product R.sup.1 = H.