Simple access to novel azetidine-containing conformationally restricted amino acids by chemoselective reduction of β-lactams

摘要

Reduction with diphenylsilane and catalytic amounts of tris(triphenylphosphine)rhodium(I) carbonyl hydride resulted in an efficient, chemoselective method for the transformation of amino-acid-derived β-lactams into the corresponding azetidines, which after removal of the p-methoxybenzyl group, afforded a new family of conformationally restricted amino acids. Phe-derived compounds were obtained in enantiopure form by combining HPLC resolution of the β-lactam precursor and the above-mentioned procedure.