Nucleophilic Ring-Opening of Epoxide and Aziridine Acetates for the Stereodivergent Synthesis of β-Hydroxy and β-Amino γ-Lactams

A highly regio- and stereoselective synthesis of novel β,γ-disubstituted γ-lactams with either an anti or syn relative configuration was developed from readily available epoxide and aziridine acetates. The key steps include the regio- and diastereocontrolled nucleophilic ring-opening of these three-membered heterocycles followed by mild reductive cyclization of the γ-azido ester intermediate. The method was also extended to an asymmetric synthesis of (4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-phenylpyrrolidin-2-one from a chiral epoxide acetate. The main features of this versatile synthesis of functionalized γ-lactams include the involvement of inexpensive reagents and mild conditions together with high chemical efficiency.