Kinetic resolution of esters via metal catalyzed methanolysis reactions

Some chiral lanthanide complexes of the Schiff base adducts of: a) bis(2-pyridylcarboxaldehyde) and (1R),(2R)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (Pyr-R,R'-chxn: 3); b) 6-methyl-2-pyridylcarboxaldehyde and (1R),(2R)-trans 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (MePyr-chxn, 4); and c) 2,6-pyridyldicarboxaldehyde and (1R),(2R)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane ((Pyr-R,R'-chxn)(2), 5) have been screened for their utility to promote kinetic resolution via metal catalyzed alcoholyses of the p-nitrophenyl esters of chiral D- and L-Boc-protected glutamine and phenylalanine. Solvents were varied to optimize the kinetic selectivity values, defined as k(2)(L)/k(2)(D) or k(2)(D)/k(2)(L), for the methanolysis and in some cases, ethanolysis of these substrates. At ambient temperature the greatest selectivity was found for the ethanolysis of Boc-Gln-OPNP, catalyzed by 3:Yb(3+):((-)OEt) (k(2)(L)/k(2)(D) = 7.2). The greatest selectivity for Boc-Phe-OPNP is k(2)(D)/k(2)(L) = 3.9 for its methanolysis promoted by 5:La(3+):((-)OMe). A kinetic method is introduced for the determination of both d and l rate constants for catalyzed alcoholysis from a single kinetic experiment. The activation parameters DeltaH(double dagger) and DeltaS(double dagger) were determined for the metal catalyzed methanolysis and ethanolysis of the Boc-Gln-OPNP substrates, and selectivity factors were found to increase at lower temperatures. A low temperature time course for the ethanolysis of racemic Boc-Gln-OPNP catalyzed by 3:Yb(3+):((-)OEt) at -15 degrees C indicated that after 3 hours 60% residual d-enantiomer was observed having an enantiomeric excess of >95% ee. The activation parameters for the ethanolysis of the same substrate catalyzed by (Pyr-R,R'-chxn)(2):La(3+):((-)OEt) predict a k(2)(D)/k(2)(L) = 40.4 at -40 degrees C with a large ee of >99% with approximately 80% of l isomer remaining at that temperature which has been experimentally confirmed.