Synthesis of (S)- and (R)-3-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0957-4166(96)00426-0

Diol (R)-(+)-3 is prepared either from the hydroxyketone 2 by reduction with fermenting baker's yeast or by hydrolysis of the dioxolane (R)-(+)-1 which is available from dimethyl D-malate as starting material. (R)-(+)-3 could be converted stereoselectively into (R)-(+)-4. Reaction of (+)-4 with dodecylmagnesium bromide yielded the alcohol (S)-(-)-5 with >99% ee. Its acetylation gave (S)-(+)-6 and hydrogenolysis gave the primary alcohol (S)-(+)-7 which could be oxidized selectively to (S)-(+)-8 wih NaIO₄/RuCl₃. Alkaline hydrolysis of (+)-8 yielded 3-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid (S)-(+)-9 which could be esterified to give the methyl ester (S)-(+)-10 with >99% ee. Starting with the dioxolane (S)-(-)-1, derived from dimethyl L-malate, the 3-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid (R)-(-)-10 could be synthesised via the intemediates (S)-(-)-3, (S)-(-)-4, (R)-(+)-5, (R)-(-)-6, (R)-(-)-7 and (R)-(-)-8. Copyright (C) Elsevier Science Ltd.