Investigation of Readily Available Chiral Compounds for Preparative Scale Resolutions

Abstract

Diastereoisomeric esters were formed by reaction of racemic carboxylic acids with the readily available hydroxy lactone derivatives, 2,3-O-isopropylidene-D(+)-ribono-l,4-lactone, D(-)-2- hydroxy-3,3-dimethylbutyro-1,4-lactone (D(-)-pantolactone) and 1,2-O-isopropylidene-(+)-α-D-glucofuranurono-6,3-lactone. In all cases separation of the diastereoisomeric esters was achieved by crystallization and/or chromatography. Purity of the diastereoisomers could be determined by h.p.l.c. or by ¹H n.m.r. Hydrolysis under mild basic conditions followed by treatment with acid gave optically pure carboxylic acids.

The facile separation by crystallization and/or chromatography of diastereoisomers prepared from racemic endo-1,4,5,6,7,7-hexachlorobicyclo[2.2.l]hept-5-ene-2-carboxylic acid suggested that the resolved acid may be useful as a resolving agent. This was shown by separation of diastereoisomers formed from the resolved acid and racemic 1-(3′-phenoxyphenyl)prop-2- yn-1-ol and racemic 1-cyano-1-(3'-phenoxypheny1)methanol respectively. Optically pure 1-(3'-phenoxypheny1)prop-2-yn-1-ol was obtained by hydrolysis of the separated diastereoisomers.