Preparation of Optically Active Biphenyl Compounds via an Albumin-Mediated Asymmetric Nitroaldol Reaction

: Human serum albumin (HSA) was found to catalyze the asymmetric nitroaldol reaction of biphenyl aldehydes with nitromethane to afford the corresponding optically active 2-nitro alcohols. Careful optimization of the conditions for the reaction of 4-phenylbenzaldehyde with nitromethane in water at a neutral pH improved both the reactivity and the enantioselectivity. Finally, the reaction of 4-phenylbenzaldehyde (56 mg, 0.30 mmol) in nitromethane (2.8 mL) and water (1.1 mL) using HSA (68 mg) at 5 °C for 240 h gave (R)-1-([1,1ʹ-biphenyl]-4-yl)-2-nitroethanol in 71% yield (52 mg), with an ee up to 85% ee. Subsequent recrystallization improved the eeup to 95%. The reaction was useful in a preparative-scale operation, and the biocatalyst could be reused several times. The procedure was also applicable to other substrates with different substitution patterns. Although the nitroaldol reaction of 2-phenylbenzaldehyde with nitromethane proceeded with low enantioselectivity to afford the corresponding (R)-2-nitro alcohols (35% ee), the reactions of the substrates bearing Br, Me, OMe, or CN group at the 4ʹ-position of the benzene ring gave the corresponding optically active compounds with high enantioselectivities (80-88% ee).