Development of a Two-Step, Enantioselective Synthesis of an Amino Alcohol Drug Candidate

The process development and large scale synthesis for the β-hydroxyamino amide 1 is described. The route evolved from a multistep sequence utilizing a classical resolution to a two-step enantioselective process involving an enzyme-catalyzed aldol reaction and a direct amidation of a carboxylic acid. By utilizing a silicon-mediated direct amidation strategy, the route was devoid of protecting and deprotecting steps while retaining the stereochemical integrity of a highly sensitive β-hydroxyamino acid. The two-step strategy employed herein significantly improved the yield, process greenness, cycle time, and estimated cost in the production of 1.