Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Marta Drozdowska, Dr Jay Tromans, Dr Bian Zhang, Emeritus Professor Bernard Golding
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2021 The Authors. ChemistrySelect published by Wiley-VCH GmbHThe coenzyme A (CoA) esters of 4-methylalkanoic acids are pivotal intermediates in metabolism of alkanes by anaerobic bacteria found in O2-deprived environments. A generic method for synthesis of either (R)- or (S)-acid in high enantiomeric purity from enantiomers of methyl 3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate is described for (R)- and (S)-4-methyloctanoic acid and (R)-4-methyldodecanoic acid. In a typical procedure silyl-protection of methyl (S)-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate was followed by reduction of the ester to a primary alcohol, which was tosylated. Cu(I)-catalysed cross-coupling of the tosylate with propylmagnesium chloride followed by deprotection, tosylation and base-induced reaction with di-t-butyl malonate, gave di-t-butyl (R)-(2-methylhexyl)malonate. Microwave heating of the diester in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol gave a 42 % overall yield of (R)-4-methyloctanoic acid, which was shown to be the enantiomer derived by metabolism of hexane by proteobacterium Aromatoleum sp. HxN1. Deprotection of the diester with trifluoroacetic acid gave (R)-2-(2-methylhexyl)malonic acid, which is the biological precursor of (R)-4-methyloctanoic acid (via CoA esters).
Author(s): Drozdowska M, Tromans J, Zhang B, Jarling R, Wilkes H, Golding BT
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: ChemistrySelect
Year: 2021
Volume: 6
Issue: 16
Pages: 3976-3981
Online publication date: 06/05/2021
Acceptance date: 16/04/2021
Date deposited: 07/03/2022
ISSN (electronic): 2365-6549
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202100415
DOI: 10.1002/slct.202100415
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
