Series of methyl 3- and 5-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates were developed and regioselectively synthesized as novel heterocyclic amino acids in their N-Boc protected ester form for achiral and chiral building blocks. In the first stage of the synthesis, piperidine-4-carboxylic and (R)- and (S)-piperidine-3-carboxylic acids were converted to the corresponding β-keto esters, which were then treated with N,N-dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal. The subsequent reaction of β-enamine diketones with various N-mono-substituted hydrazines afforded the target 5-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates as major products, and tautomeric NH-pyrazoles prepared from hydrazine hydrate were further N-alkylated with alkyl halides to give 3-(N-Boc-piperidinyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylates. The structures of the novel heterocyclic compounds were confirmed by 1H-, 13C-, and 15N-NMR spectroscopy and HRMS investigation.
Keywords: building blocks; enamines; heterocyclic amino acids; hydrazines; piperidines; pyrazoles; β-keto esters.