pubs.acs.org/joc
methods for the synthesis of chiral alkyl boronic acids of
Observations on the Deprotection of Pinanediol
and Pinacol Boronate Esters via Fluorinated
Intermediates
general structure 1, normally involving protection of the
boronic acid group as esters of chiral diols (e.g., pinanediol,
as illustrated for 2) (reviewed in Matteson9). Deprotection of
these esters can be achieved by methods including cleavage
with boron trichloride,10,11 transesterification with other
boronic acids,12 or acidic hydrolysis.3,13,14 The success of
these approaches varies for reasons including functional
group incompatibilities, impure product mixtures, and
difficulties in separation of the free diol from the boronic
acid without reformation of the ester (a solid phase techni-
que has been developed to assist with this15). Although
the N-methyliminodiacetic acid boronate, an alternative
readily removable boronic acid protecting group, has been
reported,16 there remains a need for improved methods
for deprotection of pinanediol boronate esters,11 because of
the useful chiral induction properties of the pinanediol
group.
Steven R. Inglis, Esther C. Y. Woon, Amber L. Thompson,
and Christopher J. Schofield*
The Department of Chemistry, Chemistry Research
Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road,
Oxford, OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
Received September 7, 2009
In the course of work on the development of phenylboro-
nic acids as inhibitors of penicillin binding proteins, we
evaluated various methods for the deprotection of pinacol
phenylboronate esters.5 A series of substituted phenylboro-
nic acid pinacol esters 3 and 4 were deprotected in good yields
by treatment with potassium hydrogen difluoride (KHF2) to
generate the trifluorinated intermediates 5 and 6 which were
hydrolyzed in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride
(TMSCl) to give the boronic acids 7 and 8 (Scheme 1),
according to the method of Yuen and Hutton,17 which was
based on the pioneering work of Vedejs et al.18 Here we
report the application of this methodology to the deprotec-
tion of other boronate esters including R-amido pinanediol
boronate esters. We found that in cases where a neighboring
amide carbonyl group can coordinate with the boron, di-
fluoroboranes, instead of trifluoroborates, could be isolated,
depending on the workup procedure used. We also report
Methods for the deprotection of pinanediol and pinacol
esters of various boronic acids via fluoroborane inter-
mediates were evaluated. Treatment of the boronate
esters with potassium hydrogen difluoride normally gives
trifluoroborate salts; in the case of R-amido alkyl or
o-amido phenyl boronate esters, aqueous workup gives
difluoroboranes. Procedures for transformation of both
trifluoroborates and difluoroboranes to free boronic
acids are described.
Boronic acids are used as inhibitors of enzymes bearing
nucleophilic residues at their active sites. Numerous studies
on the synthesis and biological evaluation of boronic acid
derivatives as inhibitors of enzymes including serine pro-
teases (for reviews see Walker and Lynas1 and Yang et al.2),
β-lactamases,3,4 penicillin binding proteins,5-7 and the hu-
man proteasome8 have been reported. There are established
(9) Matteson, D. S. Tetrahedron 1998, 54, 10555–10606.
(10) Kinder, D. H.; Katzenellenbogen, J. A. J. Med. Chem. 1985, 28,
1917–1925.
(1) Walker, B.; Lynas, J. F. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 2001, 58, 596–624.
(2) Yang, W.; Gao, X.; Wang, B. Med. Res. Rev. 2003, 23, 346–368.
(3) Morandi, F.; Caselli, E.; Morandi, S.; Focia, P. J.; Blazquez, J.;
Shoichet, B. K.; Prati, F. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 685–695.
(4) Venturelli, A.; Tondi, D.; Cancian, L.; Morandi, F.; Cannazza, G.;
Segatore, B.; Prati, F.; Amicosante, G.; Shoichet Brian, K.; Costi, M. P.
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Fischer, D. S.; Luxen, A.; Schofield, C. J. J. Med. Chem. 2009, 52, 6097–6106.
(6) Nicola, G.; Peddi, S.; Stefanova, M.; Nicholas, R. A.; Gutheil, W. G.;
Davies, C. Biochemistry 2005, 44, 8207–8217.
(7) Pechenov, A.; Stefanova, M. E.; Nicholas, R. A.; Peddi, S.; Gutheil,
W. G. Biochemistry 2003, 42, 579–588.
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Bernareggi, A.; Cassara, P. G.; D’Arasmo, G.; Ferretti, E.; De Munari, S.;
Oliva, A.; Pezzoni, G.; Allievi, C.; Strepponi, I.; Ruggeri, B.; Ator, M. A.;
Williams, M.; MallamoT, J. P. J. Med. Chem. 2008, 51, 1068–1072.
(11) Matteson, D. S.; Jesthi, P. K.; Sadhu, K. M. Organometallics 1984, 3,
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(12) Snow, R. J.; Bachovchin, W. W.; Barton, R. W.; Campbell, S. J.;
Coutts, S. J.; Freeman, D. M.; Gutheil, W. G.; Kelly, T. A.; Kennedy, C. A.;
Krolikowski, D. A.; Leonard, S. F.; Pargellis, C. A.; Tong, L.; Adams, J.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 10860–10869.
(13) Morandi, S.; Morandi, F.; Caselli, E.; Shoichet, B. K.; Prati, F.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2008, 16, 1195–1205.
(14) Thomson, J. M.; Distler, A. M.; Prati, F.; Bonomo, R. A. J. Biol.
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(15) Pennington, T. E.; Cynantya, K. B.; Hutton, C. A. Tetrahedron Lett.
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(16) Gillis, E. P.; Burke, M. D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 14084–
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(17) Yuen, A. K. L.; Hutton, C. A. Tetrahedron Lett. 2005, 46, 7899–7903.
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Published on Web 12/16/2009
DOI: 10.1021/jo901930v
r
2009 American Chemical Society