An enantioselective route to four tricyclic amino acids and N-tosylamides, composed of a central norbornane framework with a 2-endo,3-endo-annelated pyrrolidine ring and a 5-endo-C₁ or -C₂ side chain, has been developed. A key intermediate was the chiral, N-Boc-protected ketone (1R,2S,6S,7R)-4-azatricyclo[5.2.1.0²,⁶]decan-8-one, available from inexpensive endo-carbic anhydride in five steps and 47% yield. The rigid scaffold makes these amino acid derivatives promising candidates for beta-turn-inducing building blocks in peptidomimetics and for chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric organocatalysis.
Keywords: amino acid; enantioselective synthesis; norbornane; polycyclic compounds; pyrrolidine.