First chemoenzymatic stereodivergent synthesis of both enantiomers of promethazine and ethopropazine Paweł Borowiecki*, Daniel Paprocki and Maciej Dranka Full Research Paper Open Access Address: Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 3038–3055. Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.322 Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664 Warsaw, Poland Received: 03 September 2014 Email: Accepted: 01 December 2014 Paweł Borowiecki* -
[email protected] Published: 18 December 2014 * Corresponding author Associate Editor: J. Aubé Keywords: © 2014 Borowiecki et al; licensee Beilstein-Institut. ethopropazine; lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution; Mosher License and terms: see end of document. methodology; promethazine; stereodivergent synthesis Abstract Enantioenriched promethazine and ethopropazine were synthesized through a simple and straightforward four-step chemoenzy- matic route. The central chiral building block, 1-(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)propan-2-ol, was obtained via a lipase-mediated kinetic resolution protocol, which furnished both enantiomeric forms, with superb enantioselectivity (up to E = 844), from the racemate. Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM have been found as ideal biocatalysts for preparation of highly enantioenriched phenothiazolic alcohols (up to >99% ee), which absolute configurations were assigned by Mosher’s methodology and unambiguously confirmed by XRD analysis. Thus obtained key-intermediates were further transformed into bromide derivatives by means of PBr3, and subse- quently reacted with appropriate amine providing desired pharmacologically valuable (R)- and (S)-stereoisomers of title drugs in an ee range of 84–98%, respectively. The modular amination procedure is based on a solvent-dependent stereodivergent transforma- tion of the bromo derivative, which conducted in toluene gives mainly the product of single inversion, whereas carried out in methanol it provides exclusively the product of net retention.