Mapes et al.
JOCNote
The whole sequence is high-yielding and amenable for large-
scale synthesis.
Experimental Section
HWE Synthesis of Compound 3 (Table 1, 3:1 Z:E Mixture). In
a 250-mL, two-necked, round-bottomed flask, [bis-(2,2,2-tri-
fluoroethoxy)phosphoryl]-(3-chlorophenyl)acetic acid methyl
ester (6.5 g, 15.0 mmol, 1.1 equiv) and 18-crown-6 (10.9 g,
41 mmol, 3.0 equiv) were dissolved in anhydrous THF (83 mL).
At 0 °C, KOBut (1.0 mol/L in THF, 16.5 mL, 1.2 equiv) was
added dropwise over 15 min. After the mixture was stirred at
0 °C for 0.5 h, 5-benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl-1-(2,5-dichloro-phenyl)-
1H-pyrazole-3-carbaldehyde 2 (5.0 g, 13.8 mmol, 1.0 equiv) was
added portion wise as a solid. Upon completion of the addition,
the reaction solution was stirred at room temperature overnight.
Saturated NH4Cl aqueous solution (50 mL) was added to
quench the reaction and the resulting suspension was filtered
through a pad of Celite and washed with EtOAc. The layers were
separated and the aqueous layer was extracted with EtOAc (2 ꢀ
50 mL). The organic layers were combined, washed with brine,
dried over MgSO4, filtered, and concentrated to yield 3 as a red-
brown oil (7.3 g, 13.8 mmol, 100%) as a mixture of 3:1 Z:E
isomers (the isomeric ratio was determined by the 1H NMR
peak integration of the crude product).
FIGURE 1. The alternative dehydration strategy.
SCHEME 3. Second-Generation Synthesis of Compound (Z)-1
Stereoselective Hydrolysis to Remove (E)-1 (Scheme 2). In a
250-mL, round-bottomed flask, the 3:1 Z:E mixture of com-
pound 3 (7.3 g, 13.8 mmol, 1.0 equiv) was dissolved in THF/
MeOH (3:1, 120 mL) and the LiOH (0.66 g, 0.027 mol, 2.0 equiv)
solution in water (30 mL) was added. After the mixture was
stirred at room temperature for 3 h, 1 mol/L of HCl was added
to adjust the pH to 4. The organic solvents (MeOH and THF)
were removed under vacuum and the remaining aqueous solu-
tion was extracted with EtOAc (3 ꢀ 50 mL). The organic layers
were combined, washed with brine, dried over MgSO4, filtered,
and concentrated. The crude oily product was directly loaded
onto a short pad of silica gel and washed with 10-20% EtOAc/
hexanes to isolate pure ester (Z)-3 (4.9 g, 67% yield) as a pale
yellow oil.
Second-Generation Synthesis of Compound (Z)-1 (Scheme 3):
Compound 8 In a 500-mL, one-necked, round-bottomed flask
fitted with a reflux condenser and magnetic stir bar was charged
compound 7 (crude, 22.6 g, 56 mmol, 1.0 equiv) prepared in
the previous step (see the Supporting Information), then EtOH
(300 mL) was added. To this suspension was added 2,5-dichloro-
phenylhydrazine (10 g, 56.5 mmol, 1.0 equiv) as a solid. The
resulting suspension was heated to form a homogeneous solution
and stirred at reflux temperature under air for 5 h (end point
based on periodic HPLC analysis of the reaction). The solution
was cooled to room temperature and the solvent was evaporated
under reduced pressure. The crude product was passed through a
short pad of silica gel with 10% EtOAc/hexanes as eluents and
then recrystallized from hot MeOH to afford pure 8 as a white solid
(24.2 g, 42.3 mmol, 77%, for 2 steps). Mp 152-153 °C. 1H NMR
(500 MHz, CDCl3) δ 7.72 (s, 1 H), 7.68-7.62 (m, 1 H), 7.38-7.30
(m, 5 H), 6.70 (d, J = 8.2 Hz, 1 H), 6.66-6.60 (m, 2 H), 6.36 (s,
1 H), 5.95 (s, 2 H), 3.44 (d, J = 14.6 Hz, 1 H), 3.26 (d, J = 14.6 Hz,
1 H), 1.42 (s, 6 H). 13C NMR (151 MHz, CDCl3) δ 172.1, 147.9,
147.8, 147.75, 145.7, 141.7, 138.8, 134.5, 133.1, 131.1, 130.4, 130.3,
130.0, 129.8, 128.4, 125.4, 123.5, 123.2, 121.9, 110.9, 108.5, 108.2,
107.0, 101.3, 82.9, 40.7, 27.9, 27.5. HRMS-ESI (m/z) [M þ H]þ
calcd for C28H22N2Cl3O5 571.0589, found 571.0570.
a 1,3-dioxolanone followed by a base-mediated alkylation
with propargyl bromide afforded 6 in excellent yield. Sono-
gashira cross-coupling reaction of 6 with 1,3-benzodioxole-
5-carbonyl chloride followed by pyrazole formation reaction
with 2,5-dichlorohydrazine provided compound 8 in 77%
yield over 2 steps. It is worth noting that the pyrazole
formation reaction was highly regiospecific with only the
desired regioisomer isolated. Deprotection of the 1,3-dioxo-
lanone ring provided the requisite R-hydroxyester precursor
4 in good yield. Gratifyingly, we found that the standard
stereoselective dehydration conditions (Tf2O, pyridine,
DCM) developed previously worked well with compound 4
to provide an excellent 30:1 Z to E selectivity and 85%
isolated yield of 3 on multigram scales. At last, the same
stereoselective hydrolysis protocol afforded (Z)-1 in excel-
lent yield and selectivity. After trituration from DCM/EtOAc/
hexanes, pure compound (Z)-1 was obtained in 7 linear steps
and in a 41% overall yield.
In conclusion, two synthetic routes were developed dur-
ing large-scale synthetic campaigns of compound (Z)-1,
a selective CCK1 receptor antagonist. The classic Horner-
Wadsworth-Emmons reaction and its variants provided
modest Z-E stereoselectivity (3:1) for the construction of
the trisubstituted olefin. A stereoselective hydrolysis was
then developed for nonchromatographic isolation of the Z
isomer. The second route capitalized on the novel stereo-
selective R-hydroxyester dehydration reaction and the regio-
selective pyrazole synthesis previously developed in this
lab to formulate a new synthetic strategy. In the end, com-
pound (Z)-1 was produced from commercially available
materials in 7 linear steps with an overall yield of 41%.
Compound 4. In a 1-L, round-bottomed flask, compound 8
(20.2 g, 0.035 mol, 1.0 equiv) was dissolved in anhydrous
methanol (500 mL) and NaOMe (2.10 g, 0.039 mol, 1.1 equiv)
was added in one portion. After the mixture was stirred at room
temperature overnight, water (500 mL) was added. The reaction
mixture was extracted with EtOAc (3 ꢀ 200 mL). The organic
7952 J. Org. Chem. Vol. 75, No. 22, 2010