PROCESS OF PRODUCING ALPHA-HYDROXY COMPOUNDS AND USES THEREOF

Abstract

New process of producing alpha-hydroxy compounds from sustainable resources useful as platform chemicals, such as hydroxy analogues of amino acids or polymer precursors.

Claims

1. A process for producing an alpha-hydroxy reaction product of the formula I:
(R)CH(R)CHOHCOOR(I) wherein R is H or CH.sub.3; R is CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, C.sub.6H.sub.5, CH.sub.2SCH.sub.3, C.sub.8H.sub.6N or C.sub.3H.sub.3N.sub.2; and R is H, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, or C(CH.sub.3).sub.3 comprising the steps of a) Providing provising a first compound of the formula II:
CH.sub.2OHCHO (II) providing a second compound of the formula III:
RCOR(III) wherein R and R have the meanings as defined above; c) reacting the first compound with the second compound in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst to provide the alpha-hydroxy reaction product.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the alpha-hydroxy reaction product is an amino acid analog.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein R is CH.sub.3.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein R is H.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein R is H, CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, or CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the Lewis acid catalyst has a framework structure, which is selected from the group consisting of BEA, MFI, FAU, MOR, FER, MWW, MCM-41 and SBA-15.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the Lewis acid catalyst comprises one or more active metals selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ti, Pb, Zr, Ge and Hf.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein the Lewis acid catalyst is Sn-BEA.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein the Lewis acid catalyst is Sn-MCM-41.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the Lewis Acid catalyst is a soluble tin salt.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein in step c), the first and second compounds are reacted at a temperature in the range of from 30 to 220 C.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein step c) is carried out in a solvent.

13. The process according to claim 12, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, tert-butanol acetone, benzaldehyde, butanone, isobutyraldehyde, 1H-imidazole-4-carbaldehyde, 1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde and methylsulfanyl-acetaldehyde; or mixtures thereof.

14. The process according to claim 1, wherein in step c) a methyl vinyl glycolate by-product is formed and the molar ratio of alpha-hydroxy reaction product to methyl vinyl glycolate in the range of from 1:1 to 100:1.

15. The process according to claim 1, comprising a subsequent step d) of recovering the alpha hydroxy reaction product.

16. The process according to claim 15 wherein the alpha-hydroxy reaction product is recovered by distillation and/or extraction.

17. The process according to claim 14, wherein in step d) the alpha hydroxy reaction product is separated from the methyl vinyl glycolate by distillation and/or extraction.

18. The process according to claim 1, comprising a further step e) of aminating the alpha hydroxy reaction product into the corresponding amino acid.

19. The process according to claim 1, wherein no other aldehydes or ketones are present in step c, than the first and second compounds.

20. A compound of the formula I:
(R)CH(R)-CHOH-COOR(I) wherein R is H or CH.sub.3; R is CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, C.sub.6H.sub.5, CH.sub.2SCH.sub.3, C.sub.8H.sub.6N or C.sub.3H.sub.3N.sub.2; and R is H, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, or C(CH.sub.3).sub.3 wherein the compound is not 2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid.

21. The compound according to claim 20, wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of ##STR00004##

22. An animal feed composition comprising one or more compounds according to claim 20 and an animal feed component.

23. The animal feed composition according to claim 22, wherein the animal feed component is selected from the group consisting of a carrier material, a carbohydrate, an adjuvant, an anti-caking agent, an antioxidant, and a surfactant.

24. (canceled)

25. A polymer comprising one or more compounds according to claim 20.

26. A copolymer of one or more compounds according to claim 20, with lactic acid, lactide ethylene glycol or glycolic acid.

27. An alpha-hydroxy reaction product obtainable or obtained by the method according to claim 1.

Description

DETAILED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Definitions

[0030] Where nothing eke is stated, active metal is meant to refer to the metal atom in a catalytically active form.

[0031] Compound 1 is meant to refer to Glycolaldehyde and may also be referred to as first compound. It may appear in monomeric, dimeric or oligomeric form. Compound 2 is meant to refer to an aldehyde or ketone compound of the formula (III) and may also be referred to as second compound. It may appear in monomeric, dimeric or oligomeric form. Compounds 1 and 2 may alternatively be referred to as reactants or substrates. The alpha-hydroxy reaction product may be referred to simply as reaction product. If more than one compound of formula (III) is added to the same reaction mixture or reaction zone, also more than one alpha-hydroxy reaction products (formula (I)) will be obtained. It may be referred to in singularis even if several reaction products are formed.

[0032] Where nothing else is stated, concentrations given in percentages are to be understood as weight% (i.e. weight of x per total weight of solution times 100%). Where nothing else is stated, when referring to concentrations of compounds which may dimerize in solution, the concentrations given refer to the concentration of the monomer equivalents, e.g. for first and second compound as well as for the alpha-hydroxy reaction product.

[0033] The term Recovering is meant to refer either to collecting the alpha-hydroxy reaction product or to directing the reaction mixture comprising the alpha-hydroxy reaction product to a subsequent step, such as to a purification unit.

[0034] The term yield is in the present context meant to refer to the molar percentage of carbon of the first compound (glycolaldehyde) which is recovered in the desired alpha-hydroxy reaction product formed. Accordingly, if 100 mmol of the glycolaldehyde reactant (first compound) was converted into 50 mmol alpha-hydroxy reaction product, then half of the carbon atoms of the initial glycolaldehyde would be recovered in the alpha-hydroxy reaction product, and thus the yield would be 50%; in the case of formation of MVG, 100 mmol glycolaldehyde converted into 50 mmol of MVG would correspond to a yield of 100%, since two molecules of glycolaldehyde are needed to form one molecule MVG.

[0035] The term conversion is in the present context meant to refer to the molar fraction of glycolaldehyde (first compound) which has reacted during step c) to form either the desired alpha-hydroxy reaction product or other compounds.

[0036] The term selectivity is meant to refer to the molar fraction of desired alpha-hydroxy reaction product formed per glycolaldehyde converted.

[0037] In the present context, a reaction zone is meant to refer to the area around the catalyst wherein the first and second compounds are brought into contact with the Lewis acid catalyst and the two compounds react. In certain embodiments the reaction zone may be defined by the walls of the chemical reactor. In a continuous reactor, the reaction zone may be defined by the reactor walls and the inlet and the outlet. The reaction zone may alternatively be defined by the interface between the reaction mixture contained within the reactor and the surroundings.

[0038] The reaction mixture is meant to refer to the mixture present in the reaction zone, including e.g. any unreacted first and second compounds (reactants) and the alpha-hydroxy acid compound (alpha-hydroxy reaction product) formed and any by-products or solvents or diluents present. In an embodiment, step c) takes place in such a reaction mixture, The reaction mixture may also be termed reactor fluid. When recovering a product stream from the reaction zone all of the compounds present in the reaction mixture will be present to some extent.

[0039] The term continuous process is meant to refer to a process carried out under continuous conditions or steady state conditions. Accordingly there will not be major concentration fluctuations. In a continuous process first and/or second compounds (the reactants) are continuously fed to a reaction zone and the reaction product is continuously recovered from the reaction zone. In this context continuously feeding and continuously recovering includes repeatedly feeding small portions of the reactants to the reaction zone and repeatedly recovering small portions of the alpha-hydroxy acid product composition from the reaction zone. Also, the reactants may be fed to the reaction zone in several positions and the product may be recovered from several positions (such as in a fluid bed reactor or packed bed reactor, optionally with recycle of excess second compound to the feed stream or to the reactor inlet)

[0040] Where nothing else is stated, the radicals R, R and R have the following meanings:

[0041] R is H or CH.sub.3;

[0042] R is CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, C.sub.6H.sub.5, CH.sub.2SCH.sub.3, C.sub.8H.sub.6N or C.sub.3H.sub.3N.sub.2; and

[0043] R is H, CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, or C(CH.sub.3).sub.3

[0044] There is a demand for animal feed additives which are biobased and obtainable by economical processes suitable for large scale production. Such a process is provided by the process according to the present invention. The inventors found that Lewis acid catalysts have excellent catalytic activity in facilitating the reaction between glycolaldehyde (first compound) and one or more specific aldehydes or ketones (second compound) according to the reaction scheme:

##STR00001##

[0045] The resulting one or more alpha-hydroxy reaction products are alpha-hydroxy compounds. An alpha-hydroxy compound has a structure which resembles the backbone of amino acids, except for the alpha-hydroxy group, which must be replaced with an amino group to be converted into the corresponding amino acid. Accordingly, the radicals R and R may be selected to correspond to amino acid side groups. Depending on the environment in the reaction zone, the alpha-hydroxy reaction product may be in acid form (in which case R is H) or it may be in ester form (in which case. R is an alkyl group).

[0046] The inventors surprisingly found, that Lewis acid catalysts catalyzed the condensation reaction between glycolaldehyde and ketones or aldehydes of the structures given herein. Not only did the. Lewis acid catalysts catalyze the above reaction, they also favoured the isomers relevant for preparing alpha-hydroxy amino acid analogs and the yields were quite high. The inventors surprisingly found that for the methionine-hydroxy analogue, a benefit of the process according to the present invention is that the methyl mercapto group will be positioned exclusively on the carbon number 4 from the carboxyl group, when starting out from compounds corresponding to first and second compounds in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst.

[0047] When contacting the first compound with the second compound in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst, the two compounds react and surprisingly, an alpha-hydroxy reaction product is favoured. Without being bound by theory it is hypothesized that the first compound (which is glycolaldehyde) acts as the more reactive species, favoring primarily the formation of the alpha-hydroxy ester. The reaction scheme below illustrates the hypothesized reaction mechanism of glycolaldehyde reacting with the second compound.

##STR00002##

[0048] The alpha-hydroxy reaction product is a carboxylic acid or an ester with a hydroxy group in the C2 carbon position, relative to the carboxylic acid/ester group. The nature of radical R will depend on the environment of the first and second compounds in step c). In an aqueous solution the acid form is favoured (R is H). In a solvent comprising an alcohol, the corresponding ester will be favoured. Accordingly, methanol will favour formation of the methyl ester (R is CH.sub.3), ethanol will favour the ethyl ester (R is C.sub.2H.sub.5) etc. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the alpha-hydroxy reaction product of the formula I is an alpha-hydroxy amino acid analog. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the alpha-hydroxy reaction product is selected from the group consisting of: methyl 2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoate (IV), methyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylpentanoate (V), methyl 2-hydroxy-3-(1H-indo13-yl)-propanoate (VI), methyl 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoate (VII), methyl 2-hydroxy-4-methylsulfanylbutanoate (VIII), methyl 2-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoate (IX) and methyl 2-hydroxy-3-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-propanoate (X). The compounds may be represented by the structures:

##STR00003##

[0049] In the process according to the present invention the first compound is glycolaldehyde. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the concentration of the first compound in the reaction mixture is in the range of from of 0.1 to 30 wt %, such as from 0.1 to 20 wt or 1 to 5 wt %.

[0050] In the process according to the present invention the second compound is a ketone or an aldehyde carrying a substituent (R) which corresponds to the side chain of an amino acid. If R is CH.sub.3 the second compound is a ketone. If R is H, the second compound is an aldehyde. The second compound may be provided in a solvent. In an embodiment a mixture of solvents may be used. In this case more than one alpha-hydroxy reaction product may be co-produced. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the concentration of second compounds in the reaction mixture is in the range of from 0.9 and 60 wt %, such as from 0.9 to 40 or from 7 to 15 wt %. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the combined concentration of first and second compounds in the reaction mixture is in the range of from 1 and 50 wt %, such as from 5 to 20 or from 8 to 15 wt %.

[0051] First and second compounds may be present in various forms such as monomer, dimer, acetal or oligomer, depending on its physical state and of the chemical environment (such as solvent). All forms of the first and second compounds are encompassed in the present invention. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the glycolaldehyde is provided as a glycolaldehyde dimes, glycolaldehyde diethyl acetal or as glycolaldehyde dimethyl acetal. When the first and second compound are provided in solution, it may e.g be provided in the form of an acetal in the solution and then in the reaction zone it is hydrolyzed to yield the aldehyde or ketone corresponding to first and/or second compound. Accordingly, the first and/or second compound may e.g. be provided in solvents or they may be bubbled through a reactor fluid.

[0052] Also the alpha-hydroxy reaction product may be present in various forms, such as monomer, dimer, acetal or oligomer, depending on its physical state and of the chemical environment (such as solvent). All the above-mentioned forms of the alpha-hydroxy reaction product are encompassed in the present invention. The alpha-hydroxy reaction product may be recovered in a solvent.

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present invention, two or more second compounds are provided and in step c) two or more alpha-hydroxy reaction products are accordingly obtained. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the total yield of the one or more alpha-hydroxy reaction product of the formula I is in the range of from 10-99%, such as from 15-99%.

[0054] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the second compound is provided in stoichiometric excess of the .sup..first compound. An advantage of having the second compound in excess is that self-condensation of glycolaldehyde during reaction is reduced. Accordingly, the molar ratio between the first and second compound is preferably in the range of from 0.01 to 1, such as from 0.01 to 0.8 or 0.01 to 0.5.

[0055] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the second compound is a ketone (compound of formula I has R =CH.sub.3). In a preferred embodiment, the molar ratio between the ketone and the first compound is in the range of from 1 to 50, such as from 5 to 30 or 8 to 30.

[0056] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the second compound is an aldehyde (compound of formula I has R =In a preferred embodiment, the molar ratio between the aldehyde and the first compound is in the range of from 1 to 50, such as from 5 to 30 or 8 to 30.

[0057] The Lewis acid catalyst (or Lewis acid material) act as an electron pair acceptor to increase the reactivity of a substrate. It may be a metallosilicate material in which case it is a heterogenous catalyst. However, homogenous Lewis acid catalysts, such as metal salts, may also be suitable in the present invention,

[0058] A metallosilicate material (also known as metallosilicates, metallosilicate composition or metallosilicate catalyst) refers to one or more solid materials comprising silicon oxide and an active metal (optionally in the form of a metal oxide component), wherein the active metal and/or metal oxide components are incorporated into (such as grafted onto) the surface of the silicon oxide structure (i.e. the silicon oxide structure comprises MOSi bonds). The silicon oxide structure is also known as a silicate and the silicon oxide structure incorporating the active metal is correspondingly known as a metallo-silicate. Metallo-silicate materials may be crystalline or non-crystalline. Non-crystalline metallosilicate materials include ordered mesoporous amorphous forms and other mesoporous amorphous forms. Crystalline microporous material includes zeolite materials and zeotype materials. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the Lewis acid catalyst has a zeolite framework structure, which is selected from the group consisting of BEA, MFI, FALL, MOR, FER and MWW. In another embodiment, the Lewis acid catalyst has the mesoporous structure MCM-41 and SBA-15.

[0059] Zeolite materials are crystalline aluminosilicates with a microporous crystalline structure, according to Corma et al., Chem. Rev. 1995, 95 pp 559-614. The aluminum atoms of the zeolite material may be partly or fully substituted by an active metal (see e.g. WO/2015/067654); these materials fall within the class of zeotype materials. For the purpose of the present invention zeotype materials encompass zeolite materials and the metallosilicate is substituted with an active metal imparting Lewis acidity to the material. Lewis Acid catalysts act as an electron pair acceptor to increase the reactivity of a substrate. In the present context, the Lewis Acid catalysts catalyze the aldol condensation reaction between compound 1 (glycolaldehyde) and the selected compound 2 to obtain the targeted amino acid alpha-hydroxy analogue. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the Lewis acid catalyst comprises an active metal selected from one or more of the groups consisting of Al, Sn, Ti, Pb, Zr, Zn, V, Nb, Ta, Ge and Hf, preferably from Sn, Zr, Ge and Hf, most preferred it is Sn.

[0060] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the Lewis Acid catalyst is selected from the group consisting of Sn-BEA, Sn-MCM-41 and a soluble tin salt. The soluble tin salt may be selected from the group consisting of tin chloride (SnCl4 and SnCl2), tin fluoride (SnF4 and SnF2), tin bromide (SnBr4 and SnBr2), tin iodide (SnI4 and SnI2), tin acetylacetonate (SnClOH14O4), tin pyrophosphate (Sn2P2O7), tin acetate (Sn(CH3CO2)4 and Sn(CH3CO2)2), tin oxalate (Sn(C2O4)2 and SnC2O4), tintriflate (Sn(CF3SO3)2 and Sn(CF3SO3)4), Corresponding salts of e.g. Al, Ti, Pb, Zr, Zn, V, Nb, Ta, Ge and Hf will also be suitable for use as Lewis acid catalysts in the present invention.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present invention no other aldehydes or ketones are present in step c) than the first and second compounds.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present invention, step c) is carried out at a temperature in the range of from 30 to 220 C., such as from 60 to 180 C. In an embodiment of the present invention, in step c), the first and second compounds are reacted for a period of time in the range of from 10 seconds to 48 hours. The time needed will depend on various factors such as first and second compound ratio and concentrations as well as amount of catalyst added relative to the two reactants as well as the temperature chosen.

[0063] The process described herein may be carried out in a reactor comprising a reaction vessel, one or more reactant inlets and one or more product outlets. The process may be carried out as a batch process or or as a continuous process.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the process disclosed herein is operated as a batch process. In an embodiment disclosed herein a system is provided for performing the batch process as described herein, said system comprising a batch reactor or a fed batch reactor.

[0065] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the process disclosed herein is operated as a continuous process and the starting material is fed to the reaction zone at a rate of 0.01-400 g(glycolaldehyde)/(g(catalyst)/hr) (Weight Hourly Space Velocity, WHSV). In an embodiment disclosed herein a system is provided for continuously performing the process according to the present invention, said system comprising a fixed bed reactor (plugged flow reactor, PER) or a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR).

[0066] In an embodiment, step c) is conducted in the presence of a solvent. Suitably, the first and/or second compound is provided in the form of a feedstock comprising compound 1 or compound 2 and a solvent. In an embodiment according to the present invention, the solvent is a polar or slightly polar solvent, In an embodiment according to the present invention, the solvent has a dielectric constant above 15. Exemplary solvents are DMSO, dimethylformamide, acetic acid, acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, tert-butanol, acetone, benzaldehyde, butanone, isobutyraldehyde, 1H-imidazole-4-carbaldehyde, 1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde and methylsulfanyl-acetaldehyde, water or mixtures thereof. In an embodiment, the solvent is selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, and ethanol; or mixtures thereof. In an embodiment the second compound and the solvent is the same. In this case, the second compound is provided in excess of at least 1:2, such as 1:5 or 1:10 (first compound:second compound). An advantage of using polar or slightly polar solvents is that the solubility of first compound is high, which results in yields of the alpha-hydroxy reaction product in excess of 10%. Preferably, the yield of the alpha-hydroxy amino acid analogue is higher than 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% or even as high as 70%. In an embodiment according to the present invention the yield of the alpha-hydroxy reaction product is in the range of from 10-99%, such as from 10-70% or from 30-60%.

[0067] In an embodiment according to the present invention the molar ratio of silicon to active metal is between 10 and 1000, such as between 20 and 400, between 50 and 200, or between 75 and 125.

[0068] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the Sn-BEA is prepared by a direct synthesis process using hydrogen fluoride or by a post treatment process. Examples of direct synthesis processes are described in EP 1 010 667 Bl. An example of a post treatment process for the preparation of Sn-BEA is illustrated in W02015/024875 A1.

[0069] In an embodiment, as disclosed herein, the first compound is obtained from a renewable, sustainable, biobased raw material. Glycolaldehyde may e.g. be obtained from ethylene glycol or sugar. In an embodiment, the first compound as disclosed herein is derived from pyrolysing a sugar such as glucose or sucrose, such as described in US 2004/0022912. The glycolaldehyde may in an embodiment be provided as an aqueous solution comprising glycolaldehyde in an amount of 1-99 wt/wt % and pyruvaldehyde in an amount of 0.1-60 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-40 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-30 wt/wt %. In a further embodiment, the aqueous solution further comprises acetol in an amount of 0.1-40 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-20 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-10 wt/wt %. In a further embodiment the aqueous solution further comprises glyoxal in an amount of 0.1-40 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-20 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-10 wt/wt %. In a further embodiment, the aqueous solution further comprises formaldehyde in an amount of 0.1-60 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-40 wt/wt %, such as in an amount of 0.1-20 wt/wt %.

[0070] In an embodiment according to the present invention, the process comprises a further step d) of recovering the one or more alpha hydroxy reaction product. Suitably, the one or more alpha hydroxy reaction products are recovered by distillation or extraction.

[0071] In an embodiment, the process according to the present invention, comprises a further step e) of aminating the alpha hydroxy reaction product to yield the corresponding amino acid compound. This may suitably be carried out in an enzymatic process. Suitably, steps c) and e) described above may be carried out in the same reactor, in a one-pot combined process. The reactor could be a batch reactor, a fed batch reactor or a chemostat.

[0072] The alpha-hydroxy reaction products according to the present invention as well as the corresponding aminated alpha-hydroxy reaction products according to the invention are suitable as animal feed additives. Similarly, the alpha-hydroxy reaction products according to the present invention as well as the corresponding aminated alpha-hydroxy reaction products are suitable as human food additives. For both uses they may be mixed with one or more animal feed or human food components, such as a carrier material, a carbohydrate, an adjuvant, an anti-caking agent, an antioxidant, or a surfactant, to form an animal feed or human food composition. The additives or compositions may be formulated into a solution, suspension, pellets, powder etc. as is known in the art.

[0073] The alpha-hydroxy reaction products according to the present invention are also envisaged to be suitable as monomers for preparing polymers. They may may also be combined with other monomers, such as lactic acid, lactide, ethylene glycol or glycolic acid, to prepare a co-polymer.

EXAMPLES

[0074] In the following examples the preparation of catalysts and production of alpha-hydroxy analogues of amino acids from glycolaldehyde are illustrated.

Example 1

Preparation of Metallosilicate Materials Via Post-Synthesis Procedure

Example 1A

Process for the Preparation of Sn-BEA Via Post-Treatment Process

[0075] Post-synthesized Sn-BEA zeolite/zeotype materials were prepared according to the procedure described in ChemSusChem 2015, 8, 613-617. A commercial BEA zeolite having the *BEA framework (CP7119, Zeolyst, Si/Al=12.5, NEW-form) was initially calcined at 550 C. for 6 h to obtain the zeolite on its H+-form, followed by acidic dealumination as follows: 10 g of concentrated nitric acid (HNO3, Sigma-Aldrich, 65%) was added per 1 g of zeolite *BEA material and the suspension was heated to 80 C. for 12-24 h. The dealuminated solid was recovered by filtration, extensively washed with deionized water and calcined at 550 C. for 6 h using a heating ramp of 2 C./min. Tin was then introduced in the created vacancies in the zeolite framework by incipient wetness impregnation using tin(II) chloride in solution as the tin source. The solution was prepared by dissolving 0.128 g of tin(II) chloride (Sigma-Aldrich, 98%) in 5.75 mL of water and the solution was added to 5 g of the dealuminated *BEA zeolite sample. Following impregnation, the sample was dried overnight at 110 C. and then calcined at 550 C. for 6 h.

Example 1B

Preparation of Zr-BEA Via Post-Treatment Process

[0076] The same procedure as for 1A was followed, except the 0.128 g of tin(II) chloride was replaced with 0.121 g ZrOCl.sub.2.Math.8H.sub.2O or ZrCl.sub.4 was used as the source of zirconium.

Example 1C

Preparation of Ti-BEA Via Post-Treatment Process

[0077] The same procedure as for lA was followed, except the 0.128 g of tin(I) chloride was replaced with 0.154 g titanium(IV) ethoxide (Ti(OC.sub.2H.sub.5).sub.4, Sigma-Aldrich) as the source of titanium. The titanium source was furthermore dissolved in a 50:50 mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide instead of pure water during impregnation.

Example 1D

Preparation of Zn-BEA Via Post-Treatment Process

[0078] The same procedure as for 1A was followed, except the 0.128 g of Sn(ll) chloride was replaced with 0.091 g Zn(II) chloride as the source of zink.

Example 1E

Preparation of Hf-BEA Via Post-Treatment Process

[0079] The same procedure as for 1A was followed, except the 0,128 g of Sn(II) chloride was replaced with 0.216 g Hf(IV) chloride as the source of hafnium.

Example 1F

Preparation of Ge-BEA Via Post-Treatment Process

[0080] The same procedure as for 1A was followed, except the 0.128 g of Sn(ll) chloride was replaced with 0.070 g Ge(IV) oxide as the source of germanium.

Example 2

Preparation of Metallosilicate Materials Via Direct Synthesis Procedure

Example 2A

Preparation of Sn-BEA Via a Direct Synthesis Method

[0081] Sn-BEA zeolites prepared by direct hydrothermal synthesis were synthesized by the route described in J. Mater. Chem A 2014, 2, 20252-20262.1n this preparation, 30.6 g of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, 98%, Aldrich) was added to 33.1 g of tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH, 35% solution, Aldrich) under stirring. After a single phase was obtained, 0.336 g of tin(lV) chloride pentahydrate (SnCl4.Math.H2O, Sigma-Aldrich) was dissolved in 2.0 mL of H2O and added slowly. Following several hours of stirring (>5 h), a thick gel was formed and then finalized by the addition of 3.1 g HF in 1.6 g of demineralized H2O. The sample was homogenized and transferred to a Teflon-lined container and placed in a stainless steel autoclave and heated statically at 140 C. for 14 days. The solid was recovered by filtration, washed thoroughly with demineralized water and dried overnight at 80 C. in air. To remove the organic template and finalize the material, it was calcined at 550 C. for 6 h using a heating ramp of 2 C/min.

Example 2B

Preparation of Zr-BEA Via a Direct Synthesis Method

[0082] The sme procedure as for 2A was followed, except the 0.336 g of tin(IV) chloride pentahydrate was replaced with 0.318 g ZrOCl.sub.2.Math.8H.sub.2O or ZrCl.sub.4 as the source of zirconium.

Example 2C

Preparation of Ti-BEA Via a Direct Synthesis Method

[0083] The same procedure as for 2A1D was followed, except the 0.336 g of tin(lV) chloride pentahydrate was replaced with 0.405 g titanium(IV) ethoxide (Ti(OC.sub.2H.sub.5).sub.4, Sigma-Aldrich) as the source of titanium. The titanium source was furthermore dissolved in a 50:50 mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide instead of pure water during impregnation.

Example 2D

Preparation of Sn-MFI Via a Direct Synthesis Method

[0084] MFI zeolites/zeotypes were prepared following the procedure described in Microporous Mater. 1997, 12, 331-340. To prepare Sn-MFI (Si/Sn=100), 0.257 g of tin(IV) chloride pentahydrate (SnCl4.Math.5H2O, Aldrich, 98%) was dissolved in 5 g of demineralized water and added to 15.6 g of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, 98%, Aldrich) and stirred for 30 min. To this solution, 13.4 g of tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH, 40%, AppliChem) in 13.4 g of demineralized water was then added and stirred for 1 h. Following this, an additional 60 g of demineralized water was added and the solution was stirred for another 20 h, whereafter the solution was added to a Teflon-lined autoclave and synthesized at 160 C. for 2 days under static conditions. The solid was recovered by centrifugation, washed thoroughly with demineralized water and dried overnight at 80 C. in air. To remove the organic template and finalize the material, it was calcined at 550 C. for 6 h using a heating ramp of 2 C./min.

Example 2E

Process for the Preparation of TS-1 (Ti-MFI) Via Hydrothermal Process

[0085] The same procedure as for 2D was followed, except 0.257 g of tin(IV) chloride pentahydrate was replaced with 0.167 g titanium(IV) ethoxide (Ti(OC2H5)4, Sigma-Aldrich) as the source of titanium. The titanium source was furthermore dissolved in a 50:50 mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide instead of pure water during impregnation.

Example 2F

Preparation of Sn-MCM-41 Via Hydrothermal Process

[0086] The ordered mesoporous stannosilicate Sn-MCM-41 was prepared according to the route described in Green Chem. 2011, 13, 1175-1181. 26.4 g of tetraethylammonium silicate (TMAS, Aldrich, 15-20 wt % in water, 99.99%) was slowly added 13.0 g of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr, Sigma, 99.0%) dissolved in 38.0 g of water. This mixture was then stirred for 1 h followed by addition of 0.239 g tin(IV) chloride pentahydrate (SnCl4.Math.5H2O , 98%, Aldrich) and 0.537 g hydrochloric acid (HCl, Sigma-Aldrich, min. 37%) in 2,1 g of water. This solution was stirred for 1.5 h before 12.2 g of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, 98%, Aldrich) was added and stirred for an additional 3 h, The resulting mixture was transferred to a Teflon-lined container placed in a stainless steel autoclave and heated to 140 C. for 15 h. The solid was recovered by filtration, washed thoroughly with demineralized water and dried overnight at 80 C. in air. To remove the organic template and finalize the material, it was calcined at 550 C. for 6 h using a heating ramp of 2 C./min.

Example 3

Preparation of Valine Hydroxy Analogue from GA and Acetone

[0087] Example 3A. For the preparation of valine hydroxy analogue, 10 g of an acetone/GA solution composed of 0.1 g GA, 5 g acetone and 4.9 g anhydrous methanol was pre-mixed and added to a stainless steel pressure vessel (40 cc, Swagelock) along with 0.50 g of post-synthesized Sn-BEA (Si/Sn=125). This batch reactor was then sealed and placed in a pre-heated oil bath at 160 C. under 700 rpm stirring and left to react for 20 h. Upon experiment completion, the vessel was rapidly cooled in cold water. The reactor was then opened, the reaction mixture recovered by filtration and the compounds present were identified and quantified on a GC-MS (Agilent 6890 with a Zebron ZB-5MS column (Phenomenex) equipped with an Agilent 5973 mass selective detector) and a GC-FID (Agilent 7890 with a Zebron ZB-5 column (Phenomenex) equipped with a flame ionization detector). Pure standard of hydroxy-analogue of valine (Enamine, 95%), glycolaldehyde dimethyl acetal (Sigma Aldrich, 98%) and glycolaldehyde (>99%) was used to quantify the alpha-hydroxy reaction product yield and the amount of unconverted substrate.

[0088] Example 3B. Reaction conditions from Example 3A were followed except the molar ratio of acetone/GA was varied. In the solution 1-5 g of acetone was added to 0.1 g of glycolaldehyde and methanol was added to a total solution mass of 10 g. This yielded acetone/GA molar ratios between 10 and 55, showing an optimum/plateau at an acetone/GA molar ratio of between 35 and 55.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Acetone/GA Yield of valine Yield of Experiment molar ratio hydroxy analogue (%) MVG (%) Ex. 3B2B-1 1.0 9.4 20.3 Ex. 3B2B-2 5.2 25.9 12.3 Ex. 3B-3 10.3 27.6 7.5 Ex. 3B-4 15.5 29.7 4.3 Ex. 3B-5 20.7 30.6 4.4 Ex. 3B-6 51.7 30.6 3.0

[0089] Example 3C. Reaction conditions from Example 3A were followed except the catalyst and substrate loadings were adjusted to 0.1 g catalyst to 20 g acetone (0.4 g GA, L6 g acetone, MeOH) and the formation of the valine hydroxy analogue in the presence of Sn--BEA, Ti-BEA and TS-1, respectively, were tested as well as in the absence of catalyst. The tin-containing catalyst Sn-BEA showed by far the highest activity for formation of the desired reaction product under the chosen conditions compared with the titanium-containing catalysts (Ti-BEA and TS-1).

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Yield of valine Experiment Catalyst type hydroxy analogue (%) Ex. 3C-1 No catalyst 0 Ex. 3C-2 Sn-BEA 10.7 Ex. 3C-3 Ti-BEA 0.8 Ex. 3C-4 TS-1 1

[0090] Example 3D. Reactions from Example 3A were followed except water was added to the acetone/GA solution used in the experiment using 0.2 g GA, 0.8 g acetone, 0-1 g water, MeOH was added to a total solution mass of 10 g. It is clear that the <5 wt % water is preferable for the formation of the valine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Water content Yield of valine Yield of Experiment (wt %) hydroxy analogue (%) MVG (%) Ex. 3D-1 0 29.1 14.8 Ex. 3D-2 5 21.5 24.2 Ex. 3D-3 10 17.3 29.4

[0091] Example 3E. Reaction conditions from Example 3A were followed changing the temperature from 140 C. to 180 C. and varying the acetone/GA composition used to 0.2 g GA, 0.8 g acetone, MeOH making up the rest of the 10 g solution used. Here, lower temperatures, preferably <160 C. is desired for the formation of the valine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Temperature Yield of valine Yield of Experiment ( C.) hydroxy analogue(%) MVG (%) Ex. 3E-1 140 31.6 13.3 Ex. 3E-2 160 29.1 14.8 Ex. 3E-3 180 17.4 19.8

[0092] Example 3F. Reaction conditions from Example 3A were followed varying the amount of Sn-BEA catalyst used in the experiment from 0.1 g to 1 g and changing the acetone/GA solution composition. The reaction mixture was composed of 0.4 g GA, 1.6 g acetone and MeOH making up the rest of the 20 g of solution used in the experiment. Under these reaction conditions, an excess of catalyst is preferable for the production of the valine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Catalyst Yield of valine Experiment amount (g) hydroxy analogue(%) Ex. 3F-1 0.1 10.7 Ex. 3F-2 0.2.5 20.8 Ex. 3F-3 0.5 24.2 Ex. 3F-4 1 26.7

[0093] Example 3G. Reaction conditions from Example 3A were followed except the catalyst and substrate loading to 0.5 g catalyst and 10 g acetone solution (0.1 g GA, 2 g acetone, MeOH) testing the formation of the valine hydroxy analogue in the presence of Sn-BEA, Ge-BEA, Hf-BEA and Zn-BEA. The tin-containing catalyst Sn-BEA showed by far the highest activity for formation of the product under the chosen conditions compared with the rest of Lewis acidic catalysts, but importantly, all materials were capable of producing valine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Yield of valine Experiment Catalyst type hydroxy analogue (%) Ex. 3G-1 Sn-BEA 32.7 Ex. 3G-2 Ge- BEA 1.5 Ex. 3G-3 Hf- BEA 6.6 Ex. 3G-4 Zn- BEA 3.5

Example 4

Preparation of Phenylalanine Hydroxy Analogue from GA and Benzaldehyde

[0094] Example 4A. For the preparation of phenylalanine hydroxy analogue, 10 g of a benzaldehyde/GA solution composed of 0.1 g GA, 5 g benzaldehyde and anhydrous methanol was pre-mixed and added to a stainless steel pressure vessel (40 cc, Swagelock) along with 0.50 g of post-synthesized Sn-BEA (Si/Sn=125). This batch reactor was then sealed and placed in a pre-heated oil bath at 160 C. under 700 rpm stirring and left to react for 20 h. Upon experiment completion, the vessels were rapidly cooled in cold water. The reactor was then opened, the reaction mixture recovered by filtration and the products identified and quantified on a GC-MS (Agilent 6890 with a Zebron ZB-5MS column (Phenomenex) equipped with an Agilent 5973 mass selective detector) and a GC-FID (Agilent 7890 with a Zebron ZB-5 column (Phenomenex) equipped with a flame ionization detector). Pure standard of hydroxy-analogue of phenylalanine (ArkPharm, 97%), glycolaldehyde dimethyl acetal (Sigma Aldrich, 98%) and glycolaldehyde (>99%) was used to quantify the product yield and unconverted substrate.

[0095] Example 4B. Reaction conditions from Example 4A were followed changing the composition of the benzaldehyde/GA solution. In the solution 1-5 g of benzaldehyde was added to 0.1 g of glycolaldehyde and methanol to a total solution mass of 10 g. This yielded benzaldehyde/GA molar ratios between 5 and 30, showing the highest yield at a benzaldehyde/GA molar ratio of 5.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Benzaldehyde/GA Yield of phenylalanine Yield of Experiment molar ratio hydroxy analogue(%) MVG (%) Ex. 4B-1 5.7 49.9 5.6 Ex. 4B-2 8.5 34.4 0 Ex. 4B-3 11.3 29.6 0 Ex. 4B-4 15.6 22.0 0 Ex. 4B-5 28.3 7.0 0

[0096] Example 4C. Reaction conditions from Example 4A were followed changing and adding water to the benzaldehyde/GA solution. In the experiments, the benzaldehyde/GA solution was changed to reflect the following composition; 0.2 GA, 0.8 g benzaldehyde, 0-1 g water and MeOH for a total solution mass of 10 g. The highest yield of the phenylalanine hydroxy analogue was found at a water content of 5 wt %.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Water content Yield of phenylalanine Yield of Experiment (wt %) hydroxy analogue(%) MVG (%) Ex. 4C-1 0 44.1 0 Ex. 4C-2 5 48.3 0 Ex. 4C-3 10 43.9 0

[0097] Example 4D. Reaction conditions from Example 4A were followed changing the temperature from 140 C. to 180 C. The benzaldehyde/GA composition used in this experiment was 0.1 GA, 0.95 g benzaldehyde and MeOH making up the 10 g solution used. Here, higher temperatures preferably >160 C. is desired for the formation of the phenylalanine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Temperature Yield of phenylalanine Yield of Experiment ( C.) hydroxy analogue (%) MVG (%) Ex. 4D-1 140 39.7 5.5 Ex. 4D-2 160 44.2 0 Ex. 4D-3 180 46.5 0

Example 5

Preparation of Isoleucine Hydroxy Analogue from GA and Butanone

[0098] Example 5A, For the preparation of isoleucine hydroxy analogue, 10 g of a butanone/GA solution composed of 0.1 g GA, 1 g butanone and anhydrous methanol was pre-mixed and added to a stainless steel pressure vessel (40 cc, Swagelock) along with 0.50 g of post-synthesized Sn-BEA (Si/Sn=125), This batch reactor was then sealed and placed in a pre-heated oil bath at 160 C. under 700 rpm stirring and left to react for 20 h. Upon experiment completion, the vessels were rapidly cooled in cold water. The reactor was then opened, the reaction mixture recovered by filtration and the products identified and quantified on a GC-MS (Agilent 6890 with a Zebron ZB-.SMS column (Phenomenex) equipped with an Agilent 5973 mass selective detector) and a GC-FID (Agilent 7890 with a Zebron ZB-5 column (Phenomenex) equipped with a flame ionization detector). Pure standard of hydroxy-analogue of isoleucine (Enamine, 95%), butanone (Sigma Aldrich), glycolaldehyde dimethyl acetal (Sigma Aldrich, 98%) and glycolaldehyde (>99%) was used to quantify the product yield and unconverted substrate,

[0099] Example 5B. Reaction conditions from Example 5A were followed changing the composition of the butanone/GA solution. In the solution 0.1-3 g of butanone was added to 0.1 g of glycolaldehyde and methanol to a total solution mass of 10 g. This yielded butanone/GA molar ratios between 0,8 and 25, showing the highest yield at a butanone/GA molar ratio of 25.

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Butanone/GA Yield of isoleucine Yield of Experiment molar ratio hydroxy analogue(%) MVG (%) Ex. 5B-1 0.8 6.4 30.4 Ex. 5B-2 8.3 24.2 13.4 Ex. 5B-3 25 49.7 8.5

[0100] Example 5C. Reaction conditions from Example 5A were followed changing the temperature from 140 C. to 180 C. The butanone/GA composition used in this experiment was 0.1 GA, 1 g butanone and MeOH making up the 10 g solution used. As the case for the other ketone in Example 3, lower temperatures preferably <160 C. is desired for the formation of the isoleucine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Temperature Yield of isoleucine Yield of Experiment ( C.) hydroxy analogue (%) MVG (%) Ex. 5C-1 140 35.3 9.1 Ex. 5C-2 160 24.2 13.4 Ex. 5C-3 180 14.8 16.8

Example 6

Preparation of Leucine Hydroxy Analogue from GA and Isobutyraldehyde

[0101] Example 6A. For the preparation of leucine hydroxy analogue, 10 g of a isobutyraldehyde/GA solution composed of 0.1 g GA, 1. g isobutyraldehyde and anhydrous methanol was pre-mixed and added to a stainless steel pressure vessel (40 cc, Swagelock) along with 0.50 g of post-synthesized Sn-BEA (Si/Sn=125). This batch reactor was then sealed and placed in a pre-heated oil bath at 160 C. under 700 rpm stirring and left to react for 20 h. Upon experiment completion, the vessels were rapidly cooled in cold water. The reactor was then opened, the reaction mixture recovered by filtration and the products identified and quantified on a GC-MS (Agilent 6890 with a Zebron 7B-5MS column (Phenomenex) equipped with an Agilent 5973 mass selective detector) and a GC-FID (Agilent 7890 with a Zebron ZB-5 column (Phenomenex) equipped with a flame ionization detector). Pure standard of hydroxy-analogue of leucine (Enamine, 95%), isobutyraldehyde (To), glycolaldehyde dimethyl acetal (Sigma Aldrich, 98%) and glycolaldehyde (>99%) was used to quantify the product yield and unconverted substrate.

[0102] Example 6B. Reaction conditions from Example 6A were followed changing the composition of the isobutyraldehyde/GA solution. In the solution 0.1-3 g of isobutyraldehyde was added to 0.1 g of glycolaldehyde and methanol to a total solution mass of 10 g. This yielded isobutyraldehyde/GA molar ratios between 0.8 and 25, showing the highest yield at an isobutyraldehyde/GA molar ratio of 25.

TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 isobutyraldehyde/GA Yield of leucine Yield of Experiment molar ratio hydroxy analogue(%) MVG (%) Ex. 6B-1 0.8 11.9 14.4 Ex. 6B-2 8.3 30.5 0 Ex. 6B-3 25 28.1 0

[0103] Example 6C. Reaction conditions from Example 6A were followed changing the temperature from 140 C. to 180 C. The isobutyraldehyde/GA composition used in this experiment was 0.1 GA, 1 g isobutyraldehyde and MeOH making up the 10 g solution used, As the case for the other aldehyde in Example 4, temperature does not have a large influence on the formation of the leucine hydroxy analogue.

TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 Temperature Yield of leucine Yield of Experiment ( C.) hydroxy analogue (%) MVG (%) Ex. 6C-1 140 28.5 2.4 Ex. 6C-2 160 30.5 0 Ex. 6C-3 180 28.7 0