Synlett 2004(7): 1315-1317  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-822926
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

General and Facile Synthesis of 1,2-Amino Alcohols

Doo Young Jung, Chang Hong Ko, Yong Hae Kim*
Center for Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, School of Molecular Science (BK-21), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 373-1, Guseong Dong, Yuseong Gu, Taejon, 305-701, Korea
Fax: +82(42)8695818; e-Mail: kyh@kaist.ac.kr;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 11 March 2004
Publication Date:
10 May 2004 (online)

Abstract

Facile preparation of 1,2-amino alcohols has been achieved by the reaction of benzyloxymethyl lithium with imines, which are generated from α-amido sulfones and benzyloxymethyl lithium in situ at -78 °C in THF.

14

Representative Experimental Procedure for Addition of Benzyloxymethyl Lithium Reagent to α-Amidoalkyl Phenylsulfones (Table 2, Entry 6).
Benzyloxymethyltributylstannane (2.5 mmol), prepared according to ref.13, was dissolved in THF (5 mL) and charged with argon. This solution was cooled to -78 °C and n-BuLi (1.24 mL, 2.48 mmol, 2.0 M solution in cyclohexane) was added dropwise to this cooled solution. After stirring for 10 min, the solution became yellowish, and the solution of α-amidoalkyl phenylsulfone 1 g (1 mmol) in 2 mL of THF was added in one portion. The mixture was stirred for 1.5 h. The reaction mixture was quenched with sat. aq solution of NH4Cl, diluted and extracted with Et2O, dried over MgSO4 and evaporated to give crude 4g, which was purified by silica gel chromatography, (eluent: EtOAc-n-hexane, 1:10) to give pure 4g in 81% yield. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 0.88 (d, 3 H), 0.91 (d, 3 H), 1.42 (s, 9 H), 1.87 (m, 1 H), 3.46 (m, 3 H), 4.46 (q, 2 H), 4.71 (d, 1 H), 7.28 (m, 5 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 18.5, 19.5, 28.4, 29.7, 55.7, 70.6, 73.2, 78.9, 127.4, 127.6, 128.3, 138.3, 155.9. MS (EI): Anal. Calcd for C17H27NO3: 293.1991. Found: 292.21.

15

Experimental Procedure for Addition of Benzyloxymethyl Lithium Reagent to in situ-Generated Imine 3 (Table 1, Entry 8).
To a suspension of 40 mg of NaH in 2 mL of THF under argon, 1 mmol of 1a in 1 mL of THF was added and the resulting mixture was stirred for 30 min. The solution was added to the cold (-78 °C) benzyloxymethyl lithium solution containing 1.5 mmol of benzyloxymethyl lithium.14 After stirring for 30 min, the reaction mixture was quenched with sat. aq solution of NH4Cl, diluted and extracted with Et2O, dried over MgSO4 and evaporated to give crude 4a, which was purified by silica gel chromatography, (eluent: EtOAc-n-hexane, 1:10) to give 4a in 83% yield. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 1.25 (s, 9 H), 3.61 (q, 2 H), 3.70 (q, 2 H), 4.48 (q, 2 H), 4.84 (br, 1 H), 5.25 (br, 1 H), 7.28 (m, 10 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 28.3, 54.7, 70.3, 73.1, 79.5, 126.7, 127.2, 127.5, 127.6, 127.8, 137.9, 140.6, 155.3. MS (EI): Anal. Calcd for C20H25NO3: 327.1834. Found: 326.41.

16

Representative Procedure for Acidic Deprotection of Boc Group (compound 5). To 4a (50 mg) in MeOH (2 mL) was added 2 mL of 4 N HCl/1,4-dioxane. The solution was stirred for 3 h at 25 °C. After TLC analysis of the completion of the reaction, the solution was concentrated in vacuo. The resulting crude 5 was recrystallized from CHCl3-Et2O to give pure 5 in 92% yield. 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 3.73 (m, 2 H), 4.33 (br, 1 H), 4.50 (q, 2 H), 7.25 (m, 10 H), 8.96 (br, 3 H). 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 52.6, 74.9, 76.1, 125.7, 126.6, 127.1, 127.3, 128.1, 129.5, 137.2, 141.3.