A Scalable Total Synthesis of Halofuginone

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/acs.oprd.9b00059

A scalable total synthesis of halofuginone has been accomplished. This synthetic route features a total of 12 steps of highly efficient reactions, without any chromatographic purification. Halofuginone was obtained in 17% overall yield and over 98.5% HPLC purity. All the reaction conditions are mild and reliable. In addition, no hazardous materials are used or produced. All reagents are commercially available and inexpensive. This route is safe, robust, scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally benign.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/acs.oprd.9b00059

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Full Paper
A Scalable Total Synthesis of Halofuginone
Hua Xu, Wenhao Yin, Haoqiang Liang, Yanbo Nan, Fayang Qiu, and Yehua Jin
Org. Process Res. Dev., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.9b00059 • Publication Date (Web): 06 Mar 2019
Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on March 6, 2019
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A Scalable Total Synthesis of Halofuginone
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Hua Xu, ‡ Wenhao Yin, ‡ Haoqiang Liang, Yanbo Nan, Fayang, G. Qiu,* and Yehua Jin*
Launch-Pharma Technologies, Ltd., 188 Kaiyuan Boulevard, Building D, 5th Floor, the Science
Park of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
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ABSTRACT: A scalable total synthesis of halofuginone has been accomplished. This synthetic
route features a total of 12 steps of highly efficient reactions, without any chromatographic
purification. Halofuginone was obtained in 17% overall yield and over 98.5% HPLC purity. All
the reaction conditions are mild and reliable. In addition, no hazardous materials were used or
produced. All reagents are commercially available and inexpensive. This route is safe, robust,
scalable, cost-effective and environmentally benign.
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KEYWORDS: Halofuginone, Total Synthesis, Dieckmann Condensation, Isomerization,
Quinazolinone
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Halofuginone 1, a synthetic analogue of the quinazolinone alkaloid febrifugine 2 originally
isolated from the Chinese herb Dichroa febrifuga,1 displayed extremely rich biological activities.
Halofuginone hydrobromide (racemic) has been used as an anticoccidial feed additive for broilers
and turkeys for several decades under the trade name Stenorol®,2 while its lactate (racemic) named
Halocur® has been used for the prevention of diarrhoea caused by diagnosed Cryptosporidium
parvum in new born calves.3 In addition to veterinary applications, halofuginone has also
demonstrated great potential in the development of human medicine. For examples, it reportedly
inhibits the development of proinflammatory Th17 cells, procollagen type I gene expression and
extracellular matrix deposition, thus may be effective for the treatment of autoimmune disorders,
fibrosis or cancer.4 As a result, the total synthesis of halofuginone has attracted the attention of
many chemists.5 A detailed summary about the synthetic work of febrifugine and its analogues
(including halofuginone) has been reported by Evans et al.5a, 5b From a practical point of view, we
have developed a scalable synthetic route which may provide kilograms of high purity
halofuginone.
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Figure 1. Selected examples of halofuginone family compounds.
Our retrosynthetic analysis is shown in Scheme 1. Halofuginone (±)-1 may be obtained through
the isomerization of isohalofuginone 3 inspired by a similar transformation from isofebrifugine 4
to febrifugine 2 reported by Takeuchi et al.5f and applied to the synthesis of halofuginone by Li et
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al.5h Compound 3 may be assembled from bromohemiacetal 14 and commercially available
quinazolinone 15 under basic conditions. Bromination of compound 13, which may be derived
from the β-keto-ester 9 through a series of transformations, may lead to compound 14 under
aqueous conditions, while compound 9 may be obtained from compound 8, an intermediate that
may be assembled with commercially available materials (including diethyl acetamidomalonate,
2,3-dichloropropene and ethyl 4-bromobutyrate) through a series of conventional reactions, by
using the Dieckmann condensation.
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Scheme 1. Retrosynthetic Analysis of Halofuginone.
Based on the above analysis, the total synthesis of halofuginone is shown in Scheme 2.
Compound 5 was prepared from diethyl acetamidomalonate via alkylation with 2,3-
dichloropropene. Decarboxylation of one ester group of compound 5 in refluxing aqueous HCl
solution afforded α-amino acid hydrochloride 6. After esterification, compound 7 was obtained,
the purity of which was determined to be 87% using 1H NMR. With compound 7 in hand, we next
carried out its N-substitution reaction with ethyl 4-bromobutyrate. While the reaction did not work
well when an organic base (Et3N, DIPEA or DBU) was used in an organic solvent (acetonitrile or
toluene), a high conversion rate (92%) was observed when anhydrous Na2CO3 was used in the
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presence of a catalytic amount of TBAI in toluene. After the completion of the N-substitution
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reaction, Cbz-Cl was added dropwise directly to the reaction mixture to afford compound 8.6
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Scheme 2. Synthesis of Halofuginone.
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Reagents and conditions: (a) 2,3-Dichloropropene, K2CO3, cat. KI, cat. TBAB, acetonitrile, 85-90 °C; (b) 6M HCl(aq), refluxing; (c) conc. H2SO4,
DEC/EtOH, refluxing; DEC = diethyl carbonate; (d) Ethyl 4-bromobutyrate, Na2CO3, cat. TBAI, toluene, 75-85 °C, then Cbz-Cl, 25 °C; (e) t-BuONa, THF,
0±5 °C; (f) LiCl, DMF, H2O, 120 °C; (g) NaBH4, EtOH, 5-10 °C; (h) 6M HCl(aq)/EtOH, refluxing; (i) Na2CO3, dioxane, H2O, Fmoc-Cl, 20 °C; (j) NBS,
acetonitrile, H2O, 0-5 °C; (k) quinazolinone 15, LiOH, DMF, 0-5 °C, then diethylamine, 0-5 °C; (l) EtOH, refluxing.
It was surprising that the seemingly straightforward Dieckmann condensation turned out to be
problematic since no condensation product was observed when compound 8 was treated with
NaOMe in MeOH or with NaOEt in EtOH. However, treating compound 8 (5g scale) with either
NaOMe or NaOEt in either THF or toluene afforded the desired product 9 in less than 50% yield.
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Inspired by this result, we thought that a polar aprotic solvent may be a better choice for the
Dieckmann condensation of compound 8. After a brief screening, we found that t-BuONa in THF
gave 89% yield (15g scale compound 8). Thus, t-BuONa was used as the base in the following
scale-up experiments, in which 5.44 kg of compound 9 was obtained in a single batch in 75%
HPLC purity.7 The removal of the ethoxycarbonyl functionality of compound 9 was achieved by
Krapcho decarboxylation to afford 4.19 kg of compound 10 in 73% HPLC purity. Reduction of
the carbonyl group with NaBH4 with the hydride attacking the carbonyl group from the sterically
less congested side led to the cis isomer, and 3.50 kg of compound 11 was obtained in 81% HPLC
purity.5c, 5d The Cbz group was removed by using aqueous HCl and compound 12 was obtained in
over 98% 1H NMR purity after one crystallization from acetonitrile.
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Scheme 3. Side Reactions of the Cbz Removal Reaction of Compound 17
It was necessary for us to switch the protecting group from Cbz to Fmoc, the rationale for which
is illustrated in Scheme 3. Compound 17 was initially prepared via a two-step transformation from
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11, but the removal of the Cbz group of 17 was problematic. Hydrogenolysis of the Cbz of 17 was
accompanied by debromination leading to 18, which was isomerized to product 19 in refluxing
EtOH. Treating 17 with a Bronsted acid afforded compound 20 and 21 as the two major products,
while treating 17 with Lewis acids afforded compound 22 as the major product. The results
obtained from the reaction of Cbz-protected isohalofuginone 17 with acid were in agreement with
those previously reported.5k, 8 Based on the above observations, it was realized that the protecting
group of the piperidine nitrogen played an extremely important role in the last few steps of the
entire synthetic route. An ideal protecting group here should not only tolerate the reaction
conditions of the next two steps, i.e., NBS bromination and base-promoted substitution with
quinazolinone 15, but also be easily removable without affecting the piperidine ring. Fortunately,
this purpose was served when Fmoc was used to protect the piperidine nitrogen. Protection of the
N atom of 12 with Fmoc-Cl afforded compound 13, which was treated with NBS in the presence
of water to provide 14.5h Slow addition of the DMF solution of 14 to the preformed quinazolinone
15 lithium salt in DMF produced the coupling product, which upon deprotection of the Fmoc group
with diethylamine afforded isohalofuginone 3 containing a small amount of halofuginone 1 (< 5%).
It was found that 3 was isomerized to 1 during the solvent evaporation process because the ratio
of these two compounds gradually changed (e.g., isohalofuginone 3/halofuginone 1 = 2/1). The
total weight of the resulting mixture was 1.84 kg (77% over 3 steps), of which 98% is
isohalofuginone 3 and halofuginone 1. Isohalofuginone 3 was further isomerized to halofuginone
1 in refluxing EtOH in 94% conversion. After crystallization, 1.65 kg of halofuginone 1 (> 98.5%
HPLC purity) was obtained in 90% yield. Starting from 5 kg diethyl acetamidomalonate, 1.65 kg
halofuginone was obtained in high purity (> 98.5% HPLC purity), which corresponds to an overall
yield of 17% over 12 steps.
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This synthetic route may also enable the large scale production of enantiomerically pure
halofuginone 1. As shown in Scheme 4, resolution of racemic-12 using dibenzoyl-L-tartaric acid
provided (+)-12 in 32% yield, and its ee value was determined to be 96.2% in the form of its Fmoc
derivative (13).
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Scheme 4. Synthesis of (+)-halofuginone 1.
In conclusion, we have accomplished a kilogram-scale total synthesis of halofuginone in high
purity over 12 steps. No column chromatographic purification was involved in the entire process.
This synthetic route may also be used for the preparation of enantiomerically pure halofuginone.
The reaction conditions are mild, safe and environmentally benign. The production operations are
quite simple and convenient. All the materials in this route are commercially available and
inexpensive. The success of this approach is dependent on a series of key chemical transformations,
including (1) Dieckmann condensation to efficiently set up the piperidine ring; (2) Fmoc was
chosen as a key protecting group for the piperidine nitrogen-atom at the late stage; (3) high
conversion rate of isomerization of isohalofuginone in ethanol to halofuginone; and (4) resolution
of racemic-12 by using dibenzoyl-L-tartaric acid to provide (+)-12 in 96.2% ee value.
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EXPERIMENTAL SECTION
General Procedures:
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1H NMR spectra were recorded on 400 MHz or/and 500 MHz (126 MHz for C NMR) Bruker
FT-NMR spectrometers and calibrated using residual undeuterated solvent as an internal reference
(CHCl3 @ δ 7.26 ppm 1H NMR, δ 77.16 ppm 13C NMR; DMSO @ δ 2.50 ppm 1H NMR, δ 39.52
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ppm C NMR). The following abbreviations (or combinations thereof) were used to explain H
NMR multiplicities: s = singlet, d = doublet, t = triplet, q = quartet, p = quintet, m = multiplet, br
= broad. High Resolution Mass (MS) analysis was obtained using on an Agilent 6210 LC/MSD
TOF spectrometer system with Electrospray Ionization (ESI).
Experimental procedure:
Note: compound 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14 were prepared as crude materials in the entire process.
However, it was counted as 100% purity when calculating the stoichiometery.
Synthesis of 5. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with diethyl acetamidomalonate (5.00 kg, 23.02
mol), anhydrous K2CO3 (6.35 kg, 46.04 mol), KI (0.76 kg, 4.58 mol), TBAB (0.37 kg, 1.15 mol),
and acetonitrile (25 L). After being stirred for 20 min, 2,3-dichloropropene (3.07 kg, 27.62 mol)
was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 85–90 °C for about 10 h, at which time the starting
material was consumed over 95% (HPLC). After being cooled to 25 °C, dilute HCl(aq) (1 M) was
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slowly added to neutralize the reaction mixture to pH 7–7.5. The reaction mixture was allowed to
stand at r.t. for a few minutes . The layers were separated. The organic layer was concentrated
under reduced pressure at 50 °C to provide a crude slurry that was dissolved in EtOH–H2O (1:10,
20 L). The mixture was stirred at 25 °C for 1 h and compound 5 crystallized out of the solution.
After filtration through a Buchner funnel, the crystals were washed with water (2 × 5 L). The final
product weighted 10.50 kg (wet weight), which was used directly in the next step. Data for
compound 5: 1H NMR (500 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 5.28 (d, J = 1.2 Hz, 1H), 5.17 (d, J = 1.1 Hz,
1H), 4.26 (qd, J = 7.1, 2.4 Hz, 4H), 3.47 (s, 2H), 2.03 (s, 3H), 1.55 – 1.51 (m, 1H), 1.27 (t, J = 7.1
Hz, 6H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 169.3, 167.3, 136.5, 117.8, 65.2, 63.0, 41.6, 23.0,
14.0. HRMS (m/z): calc. for C12H19ClNO5 [M+H]+ = 292.0952; found, 292.0954.
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Synthesis of 6. Compound 5 [10.50 kg (wet weight)] was charged to a 100 L glass reactor. HCl(aq)
(6 M, 56.5 L) was added. The mixture was refluxed for about 8–12 h at 100 °C. After completion
of the reaction, activated charcoal (650 g) was added. After being cooled to below 50 °C, the
reaction mixture was filtered through a Buchner funnel. The filter cake was washed with water,
and the combined filtrates were concentrated under reduced pressure at 80–85 °C to provide crude
6 (4.05 kg) as a yellowish solid, which was used directly in the next step.
Synthesis of 7. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with crude 6 (4.05 kg), diethyl carbonate (12
L), and anhydrous ethanol (4 L). To the stirred mixture, was added H2SO4 (1.13 kg, 98%, 11.51
mol) in 20–30 min. The reaction mixture was heated for about 20–25 h at 85–95 °C. After
completion of the reaction, the mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure at 50–60 °C. The
residual liquid was diluted with water. After being cooled to below 10 °C, NaOH(aq) (30%wt,
4.88kg) was slowly added to neutralize the mixture to pH 8–9. After being warmed to 25 °C, the
mixture was extracted with DCM (3 × 10 L).The combined organic layers were dried over
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anhydrous Na2SO4, and filtered through a Buchner funnel. The filtrate was concentrated under
reduced pressure at 40 °C to provide crude 7 as a brownish oil (3.07 kg, in 87% 1H-NMR purity),
which was used directly in the next step. Data for compound 7: 1H NMR (500 MHz, Chloroform-
d) δ 5.30 (d, J = 1.3 Hz, 1H), 5.26 (q, J = 1.1 Hz, 1H), 4.20 (q, J = 7.1 Hz, 2H), 3.78 (dd, J = 8.6,
4.8 Hz, 1H), 2.81 (ddd, J = 14.2, 4.8, 1.1 Hz, 1H), 2.56 (dd, J = 14.2, 8.6 Hz, 1H), 1.28 (t, J = 7.1
Hz, 3H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 174.5, 138.5, 115.9, 61.4, 52.3, 44.6, 14.3. HRMS
(m/z): calc. for C7H13ClNO2 [M+H]+ = 178.0635; found, 178.0628.
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Synthesis of 8. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with the crude compound 7 (3.07 kg, 87% by
1H-NMR), anhydrous Na2CO3 (5.49 kg, 51.79 mol), TBAI (0.64 kg, 1.73 mol), and toluene (9 L).
After being stirred for 20 min, ethyl 4-bromobutyrate (3.37 kg, 17.26 mol) dissolved in toluene (6
L) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at 75–80 °C for about 72 h, at which time
compound 7 was consumed over 90% (monitored by HPLC). After being cooled to 20–25 °C,
water (9 L) was added. After being stirred for 10–15 min, benzyl chloroformate (2.94 kg, 17.26
mol) was added dropwise in 2–3 h. The reaction mixture was stirred at 25 °C for about 2 h before
addition of water (10 L) and toluene (10 L). The layers were separated. The organic layer was
washed with NaOH(aq) (5%wt, 15 L), water (20 L), HCl(aq) (5%wt, 15 L), and water (20 L)
respectively. After the organic layer was stirred at 25 °C for 1 h with activated charcoal (250 g), it
was filtered through a Buchner funnel. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure at
60 °C to give crude 8 (8.10 kg) as a brownish oil, which was used directly in the next step. Data
for compound 8: 1H NMR (500 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 7.39 – 7.27 (m, 5H), 5.19 (d, J = 1.3 Hz,
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1H), 5.17 – 5.07 (m, 2.6H), 5.02 (s, 0.4H), 4.27 – 3.89 (m, 5H), 3.68 – 3.56 (m, 1H), 3.23 – 3.10
(m, 1.6H), 3.02 – 2.90 (m, 1.4H), 2.47 – 2.26 (m, 2H), 1.99 – 1.84 (m, 2H), 1.27 – 1.17 (m, 4.8H),
1.13 (t, J = 7.2 Hz, 1.2H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 173.3, 173.2, 170.3, 170.2, 155.6,
138.8, 138.4, 136.7, 136.2, 128.7, 128.6, 128.4, 128.2, 127.9, 116.3, 116.0, 67.6, 67.4, 61.7, 60.5,
59.6, 58.7, 49.2, 48.9, 40.5, 39.4, 31.6, 31.4, 24.2, 23.7, 14.4, 14.14, 14.07. HRMS (m/z): calc. for
C21H29ClNO6 [M+H]+ = 426.1683; found, 426.1678.
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Synthesis of 9. A 100 L glass reactor was charged with t-BuONa (3.31 kg, 34.53 mol) and
anhydrous THF (38 L). After being cooled to −5 °C, crude compound 8 (8.10 kg) dissolved in
THF (15 L) was added dropwise in 4–5 h while keeping the temperature below 0°C. The reaction
mixture was stirred at 0–5 °C for about 3 h. After completion of the reaction, HCl(aq) (1 M) was
slowly added to neutralize the reaction mixture to pH 5–6. After addition of EA (10 L), the reaction
mixture was stirred at 25 °C for a few minutes. The layers were separated and the organic layer
was washed with saturated NaCl(aq) (2 × 20 L), while the aqueous layer was extracted with EA (10
L). After addition of activated charcoal (500 g), the combined organic layers were stirred at 25 °C
for 1 h, and then filtered through a Buchner funnel. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced
pressure to give crude 9 (5.44 kg) as a light brown oil, which was used directly in the next step.
Data for compound 9: 1H NMR (500 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 12.23 (s, 1H), 7.41 – 7.28 (m, 5H),
5.27 – 5.05 (m, 4H), 5.01 (s, 0.4H), 4.94 – 4.82 (m, 0.6H), 4.30 (dd, J = 13.6, 5.7 Hz, 0.6H), 4.23
(q, J = 7.1 Hz, 2H), 4.19 – 4.12 (m, 0.4H), 3.09 – 2.66 (m, 3H), 2.46 – 2.23 (m, 2H), 1.30 (t, J =
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7.1 Hz, 3H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 172.0, 171.9, 168.8, 168.2, 155.2, 155.1, 138.4,
138.3, 136.7, 136.3, 128.5, 128.2, 128.0, 115.8, 115.6, 97.7, 97.4, 67.7, 67.5, 61.0, 52.7, 52.5, 41.5,
40.7, 38.2, 37.3, 22.8, 22.3, 14.3. HRMS (m/z): calc. for C19H23ClNO5 [M+H]+ = 380.1265; found,
380.1266.
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Synthesis of 10. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with crude 9 (5.44 kg), LiCl (0.61 kg, 14.33
mol), H2O (2.7 L), and DMF (16.3 L). The reaction mixture was stirred at 120 °C for about 14 h.
After completion of the reaction, the mixture was cooled to 25 °C. After addition of H2O (25 L)
and MTBE (30 L), the layers were separated. The organic layer was washed with water (2 × 25 L).
The combined aqueous layers were extracted with MTBE (25 L). Then the combined organic
layers were concentrated under reduced pressure at 45 °C to give crude 10 (4.19 kg) as a brownish
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oil, which was used directly in the next step. Data for compound 10: H NMR (500 MHz,
Chloroform-d) δ 7.40 – 7.29 (m, 5H), 5.32 – 5.03 (m, 4H), 4.86 (s, 1H), 4.34 – 3.98 (m, 1H), 3.23
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(s, 1H), 2.94 – 2.59 (m, 2H), 2.59 – 2.39 (m, 2H), 2.05 (s, 1H), 2.01 – 1.92 (m, 1H). C NMR
(126 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 206.7, 155.5, 128.6, 128.3, 116.1, 67.8, 61.8, 37.1, 22.5. HRMS (m/z):
calc. for C16H19ClNO3 [M+H]+ = 308.1053 ; found, 308.1057.
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Synthesis of 11. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with EtOH (18 L). After being cooled to 5–
10 °C, NaBH4 (0.51 kg, 13.61 mol) was added and crude 10 (4.19 kg) dissolved in EtOH (9 L)
was added dropwise while keeping the temperature below 10 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred
at 5–10 °C for about 1 h. After completion of the reaction, H2O (20 L) was slowly added followed
by MTBE (25 L). After standing at r.t. for a few minutes, the layers were separated. The organic
layer was washed with NaOH(aq) (10%wt, 10L), HCl(aq) (5%wt, 2 × 10 L), and water (10 L),
respectively. The combined aqueous layers were extracted with MTBE (25 L). After addition of
activated charcoal (500 g), the combined organic layers were stirred at 25 °C for 1 h before
filtration through a Buchner funnel. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure at 45 °C
to give crude 11 (3.50 kg) as a brown oil, which was used directly in the next step. Data for
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compound 11: H NMR (500 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 7.42 – 7.27 (m, 5H), 5.21 – 5.06 (m, 4H),
4.76 (s, 1H), 4.05 (d, J = 14.0 Hz, 1H), 3.92 – 3.79 (m, 1H), 2.84 – 2.60 (m, 3H), 1.87 – 1.76 (m,
1H), 1.76 – 1.65 (m, 1H), 1.58 – 1.42 (m, 2H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 155.8, 139.8,
136.7, 128.5, 128.2, 128.1, 114.5, 68.7, 67.5, 54.2, 37.9, 33.5, 27.9, 24.3. HRMS (m/z): calc. for
C16H21ClNO3 [M+H]+ = 310.1210; found, 310.1208.
Synthesis of 12. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with crude 11 (3.50 kg), HCl(aq) (6 M, 18.83
L) and EtOH (20 L). The reaction mixture was refluxed for about 30 h. After completion of the
reaction, the mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure at 50–55 °C to remove EtOH. To
the residual liquid was added with MTBE (2 × 20 L), and resulting mixture was stirred for a few
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minutes. The layers were separated. The aqueous layer was neutralized with NaOH(aq) (40%wt) to
pH >11, and then extracted with EA (2 × 20 L). The combined organic layer was dried over
anhydrous MgSO4 before filtration through a Buchner funnel. The filtrate was concentrated under
reduced pressure to give crude 12 that was dissolved in acetonitrile (5 L) at 70 °C. After standing
at 25 °C, compound 12 crystallized out of the solution. After filtration through a Buchner funnel,
the collected crystals were dried in vacuum. The final product weighted 1.01 kg (> 98% 1H NMR
purity, 25% yield for 8 steps from diethyl acetamidomalonate ). Data for compound 12: 1H NMR
(500 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 5.25 (d, J = 1.1 Hz, 1H), 5.23 (t, J = 1.0 Hz, 1H), 3.65 (s, 1H), 3.03
(ddt, J = 11.5, 4.3, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 2.88 (ddd, J = 7.5, 6.3, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 2.65 (td, J = 11.9, 2.9 Hz, 1H),
2.49 (d, J = 6.8 Hz, 2H)., 1.91 (dtt, J = 13.4, 4.0, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 1.73 (qt, J = 13.1, 4.3 Hz, 1H), 1.54
(tdd, J = 13.3, 4.7, 2.5 Hz, 1H), 1.45 (ddq, J = 12.9, 4.9, 2.6 Hz, 1H). 13C NMR (126 MHz,
Chloroform-d) δ 139.8, 115.2, 67.1, 57.7, 47.2, 43.0, 32.2, 20.4. HRMS (m/z): calc. for
C8H15ClNO [M+H]+ = 176.0842; found, 176.0837.
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Synthesis of 13. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with compound 12 (1.00 kg, 5.69 mol),
anhydrous Na2CO3 (0.91 kg, 8.54 mol), H2O (5 L), and dioxane (5 L). After being cooled to 5–
10 °C, Fmoc-Cl (1.47 kg, 5.69 mol) dissolved in dioxane (2 L) was added dropwise while keeping
the temperature below 20 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at 25 °C for about 1 h. After
completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was added with EA (20 L) and water (20 L). The
layers were separated. The organic layer was washed with saturated NaCl(aq) (2 × 5 L), while the
aqueous layer was extracted with EA (10 L). To the combined organic layers were added activated
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charcoal (500 g) and then stirred at 25 °C for 1 h. After filtration through a Buchner funnel, the
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slurry, which was used directly in the next step. Data for compound 13: H NMR (500 MHz,
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Chloroform-d) δ 7.81 – 7.71 (m, 2H), 7.65 – 7.53 (m, 2H), 7.40 (td, J = 7.5, 2.4 Hz, 2H), 7.31 (t,
J = 7.4 Hz, 2H), 5.17 (s, 1H), 5.14 (s, 1H), 4.93 – 4.51 (m, 1H), 4.49 (dd, J = 10.7, 6.7 Hz, 1H),
4.41 (dd, J = 10.7, 6.5 Hz, 1H), 4.25 (t, J = 6.5 Hz, 1H), 3.92 (s, 1H), 3.76 (s, 1H), 2.85 – 2.54 (m,
3H), 1.87 – 1.74 (m, 1H), 1.73 – 1.58 (m, 1H), 1.57 – 1.33 (m, 2H). 13C NMR (126 MHz,
Chloroform-d) δ 155.8, 144.1, 141.5, 141.4, 139.8, 127.73, 127.70, 127.15, 127.10, 125.09, 125.06,
120.02, 119.99, 114.4, 68.4, 67.5, 54.3, 47.5, 37.9, 33.3, 27.7, 24.2. HRMS (m/z): calc. for
C23H25ClNO3 [M+H]+ = 398.1523; found, 398.1530
Synthesis of 14. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with compound 13 (2.81 kg), H2O (5 L), and
acetonitrile (10 L). After being cooled to 0–5 °C, NBS (1.01 kg, 5.69 mol) was added in portions
while keeping the temperature below 5 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0–5 °C for about
0.5 h. After completion of the reaction, Na2SO3(aq) (10%wt, 10 L) was added. The mixture was
stirred for 0.5 h before extraction with EA (2 × 10 L). The combined organic layers were washed
with saturated NaHCO3(aq) (5 L) and saturated NaCl(aq) (2 × 5 L), respectively. After addition of
activated charcoal (320 g), the organic layer was stirred at 25 °C for 1 h. After addition of MgSO4
(1.00 kg) the mixture was stirred for another 0.5 h. The mixture was filtered through a Buchner
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funnel, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give crude 14 (2.85 kg) as a
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Synthesis of 3. A 100 L glass reactor was charged with compound 15 (1.40 kg, 5.41 mol), LiOH
(0.15 kg, 6.26 mol) , and DMF (28 L). The reaction mixture was stirred at 25 °C for 1 h before
being cooled to 0–5 °C. To the stirred mixture, crude compound 14 (2.85 kg) dissolved in DMF
(2.8 L) was added dropwise in 4–5 h, while keeping the temperature below 5°C. The reaction
mixture was stirred at 0–5 °C for 24 h before diethylamine (1 L) was added. The reaction mixture
was stirred at 0–5 °C for another 12 h. After addition of H2O (25 L) and EA (30 L), the layers were
separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with EA (3 × 20 L). The combined organic layers were
concentrated under reduced pressure. To the residual product was added Lactic acid(aq) (85%wt,
1.5 kg). The mixture was stirred at 25 °C for 1 h before being extracted with MTBE (2 × 10 L).
The aqueous layer (containing compound 3) was neutralized to pH 8–9 with K2CO3 before
extraction with EA (3 × 15 L). The combined organic layers (containing compound 3) were
concentrated under reduced pressure to give crude 3, to which EA (8 L) was added. The mixture
was stirred at 25 °C for 0.5 h before being filtered through a Buchner funnel. The filter cake was
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dried in vacuum. The final product weighted 1.84 kg as a white solid. Data for compound 3: H
NMR (400 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 8.32 (s, 1H), 8.26 (s, 1H), 7.98 (s, 1H), 4.34 (d, J = 13.9 Hz,
1H), 4.16 (d, J = 13.9 Hz, 1H), 3.88 (t, J = 3.1 Hz, 1H), 3.29 (t, J = 3.4 Hz, 1H), 2.97 (d, J = 10.9
Hz, 1H), 2.52 (t, J = 11.8 Hz, 1H), 2.10 (d, J = 15.1 Hz, 1H), 2.03 (dd, J = 13.1, 3.7 Hz, 2H), 1.83
(d, J = 13.2 Hz, 1H), 1.81 – 1.72 (m, 1H), 1.54 (ddt, J = 15.0, 12.0, 3.4 Hz, 2H). 13C NMR (126
MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 160.1, 149.5, 147.2, 133.4, 132.7, 129.4, 127.9, 122.1, 105.3, 78.0, 55.8,
50.3, 44.67, 43.7, 26.9, 20.2. HRMS (m/z): calc. for C16H18BrClN3O3 [M+H]+
414.0220/416.0200; found, 414.0216/416.0197.
=
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Synthesis of 1. A 50 L glass reactor was charged with above obtained white solid 3 (1.84 kg)
and EtOH (20 L). The mixture was refluxed for about 24 h, at which time the conversion to
halofuginone was over 94% (HPLC). After being cooled to 55–60 °C, the reaction mixture was
filtered through a Buchner funnel. The filter cake was washed with EtOH and then dried in vacuum.
The final product weighted 1.65 kg as a white solid in 98.5% HPLC purity (69% yield for 4 steps
from compound 12, and 17% overall yield for 12 steps). Data for compound 1: 1H NMR (400 MHz,
DMSO-d6) δ 8.23 (s, 1H), 8.22 (s, 1H), 8.15 (s, 1H), 4.99 (d, J = 2.8 Hz, 2H), 4.79 (d, J = 5.8 Hz,
1H), 2.98 (dt, J = 15.3, 4.7 Hz, 2H), 2.78 (d, J = 12.3 Hz, 1H), 2.64 (td, J = 8.9, 3.8 Hz, 1H), 2.44
(dd, J = 15.5, 8.7 Hz, 1H), 2.36 (td, J = 12.1, 2.7 Hz, 1H), 1.95 – 1.83 (m, 1H), 1.56 (dt, J = 13.3,
3.2 Hz, 1H), 1.34 (qt, J = 12.4, 3.7 Hz, 1H), 1.28 – 1.13 (m, 1H). 13C NMR (126 MHz, DMSO-d6)
δ 200.7, 158.6, 149.5, 147.2, 132.4, 131.8, 128.4, 126.8, 121.7, 66.7, 56.2, 54.4, 43.0, 30.5, 20.1.
HRMS (m/z): calc. for C16H18BrClN3O3 [M+H]+ = 414.0220/416.0200; found, 414.0214/416.0195.
Synthesis of (+)-12. A 500 mL glass reactor was charged with compound (±)-12 (10.0 g, 0.057
mol) and acetonitrile (100 mL). After being warmed to 60 °C , dibenzoyl-L-tartaric acid (21.4, 0.06
mol) dissolved in acetonitrile (60 mL) was added dropwise in 10 min. After being stirred at 60 °C
for 20–30 min, the reaction mixture was cooled to 25 °C and stirred for 2 h. The white solid
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crystallized out of the solution. After filtration through a Buchner funnel, the collected crude solid
was washed with acetonitrile (20 ml) and then dried in vacuum. This salt was then mixed with
H2O–acetonitrile (1:4, 150 mL). The stirred mixture was warmed to 80 °C until most of the solid
was dissolved. After filtration through a Buchner funnel, the filtrate was cooled to 25 °C and stirred
for 2 h. The white solid crystallized out of the solution. After filtration through a Buchner funnel,
the white solid was washed with acetonitrile (50 ml), and then dried in vacuum. The collected
product weighted 9.7 g as a white solid. A 500 mL glass reactor was charged with the above
obtained solid (9.7 g), H2O (50 mL), and EA (50 mL). NaOH(aq) (1 M) was slowly added to
neutralize the stirred mixture to pH 12–14. After standing at r.t. for a few minutes, the layers were
separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with EA (2 × 50 mL). The combined organic layers
were dried on anhydrous Mg2SO4. After filtration through a Buchner funnel, the filtrate was
concentrated under reduced pressure at 50 °C to provide compound (+)-12 (3.2 g, 32%) as a white
solid.
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Following the procedures for the synthesis of racemic halofuginone, the preparations of compound
(+)-13, (+)-14, (+)-3, and (+)-1 starting from compound (+)-12 were completed.
Optical rotation values of compound (+)-12, (+)-13, (+)-14, (+)-3, and (+)-1 (Optical rotation
were obtained at 20 °C, measured at 589 nm) are as follows:
compound (+)-12: [α]D= +8.4° (c = 0.46, MeOH);
compound (+)-13: [α]D= +25.4° (c = 0.35, CHCl3);
compound (+)-14: [α]D= +36.7° (c = 0.30, CHCl3);
compound (+)-3: [α]D= +81.2° (c = 0.53, CHCl3);
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compound (+)-1: [α]D= +18.5° (c = 0.53, DMSO).
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ASSOCIATED CONTENT
Supporting Information
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1H NMR, 13C NMR, HPLC analysis
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*jinyehua@launch-pharma.com
*qiufayang@launch-pharma.com
Author Contributions
‡H.X. and W.Y. contributed equally to this work.
Funding Sources
This work was supported by Launch-Pharma Technologies, Ltd.
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors thank Prof. Zhi Li (ShanghaiTech University, China) for helpful discussions and
assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.
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REFERENCES
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