IChO 1997 · Theory problem 3

Synthesis of the thiol side chain of the anti-asthma drug MK-0476

Chemists at Merck Frosst Canada in Montréal have developed a promising drug which is useful against asthma. The structure of MK-0476 is shown below.

Figure 1

During their investigation, they devised a simple and efficient synthesis, depicted below, for the thiolated portion of MK-0476 starting from diethyl ester A.

3.1 Give the structures of the intermediate products B - F prepared during this synthesis.

Figure 2

In one of the last steps of the synthesis on MK-0476, the dilithium salt of the above thiol acid (G) was coupled with the side chain of the rest of the molecule as shown below.

Figure 3

3.2 Based on the observed stereochemistry of the above reaction, what is the mechanistic designation of this coupling process?

3.3 If the process proceeds by your proposed mechanism, what change would occur to the overall rate of the reaction if the concentration of both the thiolate salt and the substrate H were simultaneously tripled?

3.4 For the nucleophilic substitution reaction, model studies were carried out using bromoethane as the substrate to perfect the above coupling. Draw only the structure of the major product of the reaction of one molar equivalent of bromoethane with:

a) G plus two molar equivalents of base

b) G plus one molar equivalent of base

3.5 A side reaction of G is its oxidative dimerization.

Draw the structure of the dimeric product, showing all non-bonded electrons.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 3.1. The cyclopropane ring remains intact in every intermediate.
Product Name SMILES
B 1,1-Bis(hydroxymethyl)cyclopropane OCC1(CC1)CO
C [1-(Hydroxymethyl)cyclopropyl]methyl benzoate OCC1(CC1)COC(=O)c1ccccc1
D [1-(Cyanomethyl)cyclopropyl]methyl benzoate N#CCC1(CC1)COC(=O)c1ccccc1
E Methyl 2-[1-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopropyl]acetate COC(=O)CC1(CC1)CO
F Methyl 2-[1-[(acetylsulfanyl)methyl]cyclopropyl]acetate COC(=O)CC1(CC1)CSC(=O)C
  • 3.2. \(S_\mathrm{N}2\), a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution with inversion at the reacting stereocentre: H has the \(S\) configuration and MK-0476 has the \(R\) configuration.

  • 3.3. The reaction rate becomes nine times its original value.

  • 3.4(a). Sulfur is ethylated, giving 2-[1-[(ethylsulfanyl)methyl]cyclopropyl]acetate, CCSCC1(CC1)CC(=O)[O-]. This is the immediate product under the basic conditions. Acidification gives 2-[1-[(ethylsulfanyl)methyl]cyclopropyl]acetic acid, CCSCC1(CC1)CC(=O)O.

  • 3.4(b). The carboxylate oxygen is ethylated, giving ethyl 2-[1-(sulfanylmethyl)cyclopropyl]acetate, CCOC(=O)CC1(CC1)CS.

  • 3.5. The product is bis{[1-(carboxymethyl)cyclopropyl]methyl} disulfide, O=C(O)CC1(CC1)CSSCC2(CC2)CC(=O)O. Draw two lone pairs on each sulfur and each oxygen atom: twelve lone pairs, or twenty-four non-bonded electrons, altogether.

Solution

3.1 — Identification of B–F

The starting material A is diethyl cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylate, CCOC(=O)C1(CC1)C(=O)OCC. Its two ester groups are attached to the same cyclopropane carbon.

The equations below combine successive operations where appropriate. Compound letters refer to the structures identified above; spectator counterions are omitted where they do not participate.

A → B: reduction of both esters.

Lithium aluminium hydride, [Li+].[AlH4-], reduces each ester group to a primary alcohol:

\[ \ce{-C(=O)OCH2CH3 -> -CH2OH}. \]

Thus B bears two hydroxymethyl groups on the same ring carbon. The ethoxy groups become ethanol, CCO. An atom- and charge-balanced net equation, including acidic work-up, is

\[ \ce{A + LiAlH4 + 4 H+ -> B + 2 CH3CH2OH + Li+ + Al^{3+}}. \]

The molecular formula of B is \(\ce{C5H10O2}\).

B → C: protection of one alcohol as a benzoate.

Benzoyl chloride, O=C(Cl)c1ccccc1, esterifies one of the two equivalent hydroxyl groups. Pyridine, n1ccccc1, captures the released proton as pyridinium, c1cc[nH+]cc1:

\[ \ce{B + C6H5COCl + C5H5N -> C + C5H6N+ + Cl-}. \]

Monobenzoylation adds \(\ce{C7H4O}\) to B, giving

\[ \ce{C5H10O2 + C7H4O = C12H14O3}, \]

which matches the supplied formula of C. Consequently, C contains one free \(\ce{-CH2OH}\) group and one protected \(\ce{-CH2OC(=O)C6H5}\) group.

C → D: conversion of the free alcohol into a nitrile.

Methanesulfonyl chloride, CS(=O)(=O)Cl, and triethylamine, CCN(CC)CC, first convert the free alcohol into a methanesulfonate ester. Cyanide ion, [C-]#N, then attacks the primary carbon through its carbon end, replacing the leaving group and forming \(\ce{-CH2C#N}\).

The combined net equation is

\[ \ce{C + CH3SO2Cl + Et3N + CN- -> D + CH3SO3- + Et3NH+ + Cl-}. \]

Here \(\ce{Et3NH+}\) is triethylammonium, CC[NH+](CC)CC, and \(\ce{CH3SO3-}\) is methanesulfonate, CS(=O)(=O)[O-].

The transformation replaces \(\ce{OH}\) by \(\ce{CN}\), so

\[ \ce{C12H14O3 -> C13H13NO2}, \]

in agreement with the formula supplied for D.

D → E: hydrolysis, followed by methyl ester formation.

Aqueous potassium hydroxide hydrolyses both functional groups:

  • The nitrile becomes a carboxylate.
  • The benzoate protecting group is cleaved, regenerating the primary alcohol.

After acidification, the relevant intermediate is 2-[1-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopropyl]acetic acid, here called J, O=C(O)CC1(CC1)CO.

The overall hydrolysis and acidic work-up can be balanced as

\[ \ce{D + 3 H2O + H+ -> J + C6H5COOH + NH4+}. \]

The additional products are benzoic acid, O=C(O)c1ccccc1, and ammonium ion, [NH4+].

Diazomethane, C=[N+]=[N-], then converts the carboxylic acid into its methyl ester:

\[ \ce{J + CH2N2 -> E + N2}. \]

Nitrogen gas, N#N, is expelled. The alcohol remains free, so E is the hydroxy methyl ester listed above, with formula \(\ce{C7H12O3}\).

E → F: installation of the protected thiol.

Mesylation activates the remaining alcohol. The sulfur atom of thioacetate then displaces the leaving group. The reagent is cesium thioacetate, CC(=O)[S-].[Cs+].

The combined net equation is

\[ \ce{E + CH3SO2Cl + Et3N + CH3C(O)S- -> F + CH3SO3- + Et3NH+ + Cl-}. \]

The side chain changes from \(\ce{-CH2OH}\) to \(\ce{-CH2SC(=O)CH3}\). The product therefore contains a methyl ester and an \(S\)-acetyl-protected thiol. Its formula is

\[ \ce{C9H14O3S}, \]

matching the supplied formula of F.

F → G: confirmation from the final hydrolysis.

Hydrolysis removes both the methyl ester and the acetyl group on sulfur. Acidification gives G, 2-[1-(sulfanylmethyl)cyclopropyl]acetic acid, O=C(O)CC1(CC1)CS.

The balanced net reaction is

\[ \ce{F + 2 H2O -> G + CH3OH + CH3COOH}. \]

The other products are methanol, CO, and acetic acid, CC(=O)O. This produces exactly the two substituents shown for G: \(\ce{-CH2COOH}\) and \(\ce{-CH2SH}\) on the same cyclopropane carbon.

3.2 — Mechanism and stereochemistry

The organic component of the dilithium salt is the thiolate–carboxylate dianion of G, [O-]C(=O)CC1(CC1)C[S-], accompanied by two lithium ions, [Li+].

The thiolate sulfur attacks the stereogenic carbon of H from the side opposite the carbon–oxygen bond. Its lone pair forms the new carbon–sulfur bond while the carbon–oxygen bond breaks, with that bonding electron pair passing to the departing methanesulfonate oxygen.

This concerted displacement gives inversion of configuration, as expected for an \(S_\mathrm{N}2\) mechanism.

For clarity, the complete stereochemical structures are:

  • H, (1S)-1-{3-[(E)-2-(7-chloroquinolin-2-yl)ethenyl]phenyl}-3-[2-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)phenyl]propyl methanesulfonate:
    CS(=O)(=O)O[C@@H](CCc1ccccc1C(C)(C)O)c1cccc(/C=C/c2ccc3ccc(Cl)cc3n2)c1

  • MK-0476, the resulting \(R\)-configured thioether:
    O=C(O)CC1(CC1)CS[C@H](CCc1ccccc1C(C)(C)O)c1cccc(/C=C/c2ccc3ccc(Cl)cc3n2)c1

At the reacting centre, oxygen in H, and sulfur in the product, have highest priority. The directly attached aryl group outranks the methylene chain, and hydrogen has lowest priority. Thus the depicted inversion corresponds to \(S \to R\).

Let \(M\) denote MK-0476. Including the final protonation of its carboxylate, the overall reaction is

\[ \ce{H + G^{2-} + H+ -> M + CH3SO3-}. \]

SMILES records the configurations, but the backside attack and simultaneous bond formation and bond cleavage are mechanistic information conveyed by the explanation above.

3.3 — Effect of tripling both concentrations

For the proposed elementary \(S_\mathrm{N}2\) reaction,

\[ v=k[\mathrm{H}][\mathrm{G}^{2-}]. \]

After both concentrations are tripled,

\[ v' =k\bigl(3[\mathrm{H}]\bigr)\bigl(3[\mathrm{G}^{2-}]\bigr) =9k[\mathrm{H}][\mathrm{G}^{2-}] =9v. \]

Therefore, the rate increases ninefold. The multiplier is exact. If concentrations are expressed in \(\mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}\) and rate in \(\mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}\,s^{-1}}\), \(k\) has units \(\mathrm{L\,mol^{-1}\,s^{-1}}\).

3.4 — Products with bromoethane

Bromoethane, CCBr, supplies the ethyl group in these substitutions, and bromide ion, [Br-], leaves.

The carboxylic acid group of G is more acidic than its thiol group. Accordingly, one equivalent of strong base produces the carboxylate; two equivalents produce the thiolate–carboxylate dianion.

Let \(\ce{Q-}\) represent the unspecified base and \(\ce{QH}\) its conjugate acid.

(a) Two equivalents of base

Both acidic protons are removed:

\[ \ce{G + 2 Q- -> G^{2-} + 2 QH}. \]

The thiolate sulfur is the more effective nucleophile towards bromoethane and undergoes ethylation:

\[ \ce{G^{2-} + CH3CH2Br -> P_a^- + Br-}. \]

Here \(P_a^-\) is 2-[1-[(ethylsulfanyl)methyl]cyclopropyl]acetate, CCSCC1(CC1)CC(=O)[O-].

For the requested drawing, retain the cyclopropane ring and place \(\ce{-CH2COO-}\) and \(\ce{-CH2SCH2CH3}\) on the same ring carbon.

If an acidic work-up is applied,

\[ \ce{P_a^- + H+ -> P_aH}, \]

where \(P_aH\) is the corresponding neutral acid, CCSCC1(CC1)CC(=O)O.

(b) One equivalent of base

Only the carboxylic acid is deprotonated:

\[ \ce{G + Q- -> G^- + QH}. \]

This carboxylate monoanion of G is O=C([O-])CC1(CC1)CS. Its carboxylate oxygen attacks bromoethane:

\[ \ce{G^- + CH3CH2Br -> P_b + Br-}. \]

The product \(P_b\) is ethyl 2-[1-(sulfanylmethyl)cyclopropyl]acetate, CCOC(=O)CC1(CC1)CS.

For the drawing, place \(\ce{-CH2COOCH2CH3}\) and \(\ce{-CH2SH}\) on the same cyclopropane carbon.

3.5 — Oxidative dimerization

Oxidation joins the sulfur atoms of two molecules of G through an \(\ce{S-S}\) single bond, removing the two thiol hydrogens.

Since no oxidant is specified, the balanced oxidation half-reaction is

\[ \ce{2 G -> P_{SS} + 2 H+ + 2 e-}. \]

The product \(P_{SS}\), bis{[1-(carboxymethyl)cyclopropyl]methyl} disulfide, is

O=C(O)CC1(CC1)CSSCC2(CC2)CC(=O)O

and has formula \(\ce{C12H18O4S2}\).

To draw it precisely, connect two copies of G at sulfur, replacing their two \(\ce{S-H}\) bonds with one \(\ce{S-S}\) bond. Both carboxylic acid groups remain intact.

SMILES does not explicitly display the lone pairs. Add:

  • Two lone pairs to each sulfur atom: four pairs.
  • Two lone pairs to each of the four oxygen atoms: eight pairs.

There are therefore twelve lone pairs, containing twenty-four non-bonded electrons. All atoms in the neutral disulfide have zero formal charge.

The solution was checked against the official solution.