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Method Article

Scaled-Up Preparation of an Intermediate of Upatinib, ACT051-3

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DOI:

10.3791/64514

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April 7th, 2023

 ,  ,  ,  , 
1Aneo Chem-Tech Co., Ltd

In This Article

Summary

Here, we present a protocol for the scaled-up synthesis of the intermediate tert-butyl (5-toluenesulfonyl-5h-pyrrole [2,3-b] pyrazine-2-yl) carbamate (ACT051-3) of Upatinib.

Abstract

Upatinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor drug, was developed by a biotech company to treat immune diseases. The compound tert-butyl (5-toluenesulfonyl-5h-pyrrole [2,3-b] pyrazine-2-yl) carbamate (ACT051-3) is an important intermediate of Upatinib. To date, the steady industrial production of this intermediate compound (ACT051-3) has not been reported. In this study, we described the specific synthesis method and process of the compound ACT051-3 in terms of laboratory synthesis, pilot scale-up, and industrial production. During the exploration of the process route for ACT051-3, many appropriate adjustments and improvements were made to the reaction conditions, finally leading to the successful development of the optimal industrial production process for ACT051-3. The reaction time was nearly doubled by changing the state of the potassium carbonate involved in the reaction, which greatly improved the reaction efficiency. Additionally, by introducing N,N-diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA) to the reaction, the amount of the expensive catalyst Pd(OAc)2 was reduced 2.5-fold, significantly lowering production costs, confirming the feasibility of this process route and the industrial production of ACT051-3, and satisfying market demand for this important intermediate.

Introduction

Upatinib has become a globally popular Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) inhibitor for treating immune disorders in recent years1,2. This drug has demonstrated significant therapeutic effects on psoriaticarthritis (PsA)3,4, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)5,6,7, and atopic dermatitis (AD)8,9. Additionally, due to its high selectivity10, Upatinib has a wide range of clinical applications. Tert-butyl (5-tosyl-5h-pyrolo [2,3-b] pyrazin-2-yl) carbamate (ACT051-3) is an important intermediate of Upatinib. Its main structural components are the pyrrole ring and the pyrazine ring, which can be used in the preparation of new nitrogen-containing tricyclic kinase inhibitors for the treatment of immune and tumor diseases11.

Pilot scale-up is a medium-sized scale-up (50x-100x) of the process route and conditions determined by the laboratory pilot study, followed by process testing, industrial investigation, and optimization to determine the best industrial production and operating conditions12.

At present, the lab synthesis routes for this intermediate compound (ACT051-3) have been reported, but they have only been performed on a small scale due to problems of low yield, complex reactions, and high equipment requirements, which still have a lot of room to be optimized11,13,14,15. However, no process route has been reported for pilot scale-up and industrial production of the intermediate compound ACT051-3 at present.

Therefore, in this study, we investigated the pilot scale-up and production route of the compound ACT051-3, with reference to the better reported laboratory synthetic routes. Compared with the original laboratory synthesis route, many appropriate adjustments and improvements were made to the reaction conditions, and other factors that may affect the reaction results were investigated. Finally, the most suitable process parameters for the optimal route were identified, and we obtained a process route that is simple to operate, low cost, and environmentally friendly, which is suitable for the pilot scale-up and production of ACT051-3.

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Protocol

1. Pilot scale synthesis of compounds ACT051-2 and ACT051-3

  1. Synthesis of 2-bromo-5-tosyl-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine (ACT051-2)
    1. In a round-bottom flask, dissolve 50.0 g of the compound 2-bromo-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine (ACT051-1; 0.25 M) in 15 mL of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF; 3 V).
    2. Add 65.3 g of diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA; 0.51 M) to the reaction solution under nitrogen protection (provide a gas and moisture barrier) and cool the temperature to 0-5 °C through a cool water bath. For nitrogen protection, pump the pressure of the reactor to -0.75--0.8 MPa, then pass N2 to balance the pressure at 0.1 MPa.
    3. Add 60.20 g of TsCl dissolved in 12 mL of DMF (0.32 M). Raise the temperature to 20-30 °C through the warm water bath and stir for about 1 h. Add cool water (600.0 mL, 0-10 °C) to the mixture and stir for another 1 h.
    4. Filter the product under a vacuum using a glass funnel with a sanding board padded with filter paper. Wash with water (200.0 mL) several times and dry using an electric thermostatic drying oven to obtain a pale-yellow solid (ACT051-2) with a yield of 78%.
  2. Synthesis of tert-butyl (5-toluenesulfonyl-5H-pyrrole [2,3-b] pyrazine-2-yl) carbamate (ACT051-3)
    1. Dissolve 176.11 g of ACT051-2 in 366.31 g of 1,4-dioxane in a three-port round-bottom flask.
    2. Add 65.75 g of tert-butyl carbamate, 138.21 g of granular potassium carbonate (2.0 eq), 11.57 g of xantphos (0.04 eq), and 2.25 g of Pd(OAc)2 (1.28% wt) to the solution.
    3. Heat the mixture to 105 °C and stir for 7 h under a nitrogen atmosphere. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and filter the product with a Buchner funnel (the filter paper aperture is 80-120 µm).
    4. Wash the filter residue with ethyl acetate (200 mL). Use a circulating water vacuum pump to concentrate the product under reduced pressure at 50-60 °C with a pressure value of -0.095 MPa. Keep the pump working to maintain the pressure and obtain a dark brown oil.
    5. Purify the crude product with column chromatography, eluting with petroleum ether and ethyl acetate (V/V, 10/1) to obtain the target compound as a white solid with a yield of 93.5%.

2. Pilot scale-up synthesis of compounds ACT051-2 and ACT051-3

  1. Pilot scale-up synthesis of 2-bromo-5-tosyl-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine (ACT051-2)
    1. Add 1.0 kg of ACT051-1 (5.05 M) and 1.305 kg of DIPEA (10.1 M) to a three-port round-bottom flask. Add 3 L of DMF (3 V) to the flask and dissolve the solid. Heat the reaction mixture to 35 °C.
    2. Add 1.203 kg of TsCl (6.31 M) to the reaction solution and stir for 1 h. Stir the mixture until the completion of the reaction is confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In brief, take a small amount of reaction product and subject this to TLC monitoring. When the TLC shows that there is almost no raw material left, send the sample to the HPLC central control, and detect the reaction to raw material or the product ratio to be 0.1/99.9.
    3. Pour in 8.4 L of cool water and stir for another 0.5 h. Filter all liquids with a Buchner funnel (the filter paper aperture is 80-120 µm) and rinse the crude product with 600 mL of water.
    4. Dry the resulting product at 70 °C overnight using an electric thermostatic drying oven and obtain a product with a yield of 94.9%.
  2. Pilot scale-up synthesis of tert-butyl (5-toluenesulfonyl-5H-pyrrole [2,3-b] pyrazine-2-yl) carbamate (ACT051-3)
    1. Add 3.31 L of tert-amyl alcohol and 4.97 L of toluene (V/V, 2/3) to the reaction kettle.
    2. To the solution, add 1.66 kg of ACT051-2, 0.83 kg of tert-butyl carbamate, 1.301 kg of powdered potassium carbonate, 0.11 kg of xantphos, and 0.31 kg of DIPEA.
    3. Evacuate nitrogen three times, as in step 1.1.2, repeat this 3x, and add 10 g of Pd(OAc)2 (0.60% wt) to the reaction solution under nitrogen protection.
    4. Heat the reaction mixture to 90 °C and stir for 4 h. Cool the mixture to 40 °C or below.
    5. Filter the reaction solution with a Buchner funnel (the filter paper aperture is 80-120 µm) using diatomite as a filter aid and washing the filter cake with toluene.
    6. Collect and concentrate the filtrate. Use a circulating water vacuum pump to concentrate the filtrate under reduced pressure at 50-60 °C with a pressure value of -0.095 MPa. Keep the pump working to maintain the pressure.
    7. Add 300 mL of heptane and stir for 20 min. Filter the reaction solution again with a Buchner funnel (the filter paper aperture is 80-120 µm) and rinse the crude product with heptane (50 mL, three times). Dry and obtain the product with a yield of 96.3%.

3. Industrial production of compounds ACT051-2 and ACT051-3

  1. Industrial production of 2-bromo-5-tosyl-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazine (ACT051-2)
    1. Confirm that the reactor is clean and free of water, and make sure the mixing device makes no noise when turning on and the bottom discharge valve of the reactor has been closed.
    2. Add 355.50 kg of DMF (3 V) into the 2,000 L enamel reactor and start to stir. Add 125.04 kg of ACT051-1 (1.0 eq) and 164.8 kg of DIPEA (2.0 eq) to the solution.
    3. Drop the temperature to 20-25 °C under nitrogen protection. Add 150.22 kg of TsCl (1.25 eq) at 25-35 °C in 10 batches within 3 h.
    4. Allow the mixture to remain at 25-35 °C and stir for 2 h. Prepare 750.20 kg of cool water (3-4 °C) in another 2,000 L reactor.
    5. Monitor the reaction by HPLC and confirm completion of the reaction when the remaining raw material is 0.5%.
    6. Add the cool water ( 3-4 °C) to the reaction mixture and stir at 15-30 °C for 1.5 h. Collect the filtrate and rinse with water (250-500 kg, 2-4 V) until it becomes neutral (tested using pH paper).
    7. Dry the product at 60-65 °C for 30.5 h to obtain a light brown solid with a yield of 95.5%.
  2. Industrial production of tert-butyl (5-toluenesulfonyl-5H-pyrrole [2,3-b] pyrazine-2-yl) carbamate (ACT051-3)
    1. Confirm the reactor is clean and free of water, and make sure the mixing device is normal and the bottom discharge valve of the reactor has been closed.
    2. Add 340.10 kg of tert-amyl alcohol (2 V) and 552.50 kg of toluene (3 V) into a 2,000 L enamel reactor and start to stir.
    3. Add 212.40 kg of ACT051-2 (1.0 eq), 106.00 kg of tert-butyl carbamate (1.5 eq), 166.70 kg of powdered potassium carbonate (2.0 eq), 14.10 kg of xantphos (0.04 eq), 39.40 kg of DIPEA (0.5 eq), and 1.06 kg of Pd(OAc)2 (0.5% wt) to the solution.
    4. Replace the nitrogen four times, allow the mixture to heat to 85-95 °C under nitrogen protection, and stir for 3 h. Monitor the reaction by HPLC and confirm completion of the reaction when the remaining raw material is 0.44%.
    5. Cool the reaction temperature to 20-30 °C. Collect the solution in batches and place it in a 125 L plastic bucket for 30 min.
    6. Filter the reaction solution with a chemical suction filter barrel (the filter bag aperture is 10-15 µm) using diatomite as a filter aid and washing the filter cake with toluene (185.20-370.40 kg, 1-2 V).
    7. Collect the filtrate in an enamel vessel and use a circulating water vacuum pump under reduced pressure at 55-65 °C for 10 h with a pressure value of -0.095 MPa. Keep the pump working to maintain the pressure and obtain the product compound as a viscous liquid.
    8. Evaporate the product twice by pumping toluene and continuing the reaction. Concentrate the final product for 4 h. Purify the resulting product with column chromatography, eluting with heptane and ethyl acetate (V/V, 10/1-3/1), to obtain a solid with a yield of 98.5%.

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Results

This study provides the scaled-up synthesis process for the important intermediate ACT051-3 of Upatinib (Figure 1 and Figure 2). The protocol section (steps 1-3) specifically shows the gram-grade synthesis, pilot-scale kilogram-grade synthesis, and scale-up production step of the compound ACT051-2 and the intermediate ACT051-3.

In the course of exploring the optimal route for the compound ACT051-2, as shown in

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Discussion

The reaction conditions of synthesis, including reaction temperature, time, the selection of reaction reagents, and the ratio of materials, affect the feasibility of the reaction, yields, purity, and production cost, especially for scale-up production.

In the laboratory synthesis of ACT051-2, TsCl in liquid form (dissolved in DMF; step 1.1.3) can be used to in the reaction; however, it is not suitable for pilot scale-up synthesis or industrial production, as using liquid TsCl for this reaction...

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Disclosures

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

There are no acknowledgments to mention here.

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Materials

List of materials used in this article
NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
2-bromo-5H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyrazineNanjing Cook Biotechnology Co., Ltd.19120110
1,4-dioxaneLiaoning cook Biotechnology Co., LtdGeneral Reagent
1H NMRBruker AVIII 500
37% chloride acid molecular gradeNEON02618 NEON
4-toluenesulfonyl chloride (TsCl)Nanjing Cook Biotechnology Co., Ltd.AR A2010137
Anti-Chicken IgY (H+L), highly cross-adsorbed, CF 488A antibody produced in donkeySigma-AldrichSAB4600031
Anti-mouse IgG (H+L), F(ab′)2Sigma-AldrichSAB4600388
BD FACSCanto IIBD BiosciencesBF-FACSC2
BD FACSDiva CS&T research beads (CS&T research beads)BD Biosciences655050
BD FACSDiva software 7.0BD Biosciences655677
Bovine serum albuminSigma-AldrichA4503
Centrifuge 5702 REppendorfZ606936
Circulating water vacuum pumpGuangzhou Zhiyan Instrument Co., LtdSHZ-D(figure-materials-1)
CML latex, 4% w/vInvitrogenC37253
DiatomiteGuangzhou Qishuo Chemical Co., Ltd./
Double cone rotary vacuum dryerJiangsu Yang-Yang Chemical Equipment Plant IncSZE-500T
enamel kettleJiangsu Yang-Yang Chemical Equipment Plant IncCS-03-0021000L / 2000L
heptaneNanjing Cook Biotechnology Co., Ltd.General Reagent
HPLCGuangzhou aoyi Technology Trading Co., LtdLC-2030C 3D
Large scale rotary evaporatorsGuangzhou Xingshuo Instrument Co.,Ltd.RE-2002
Low temperature and constant temperature stirring reaction bathGuangzhou Yuhua Instrument Co., LtdXHDHJF-3005
Low temperature coolant circulating pumpGuangzhou Jincheng Scientific Instrument Co., LtdXHDLSB-5/25
Megafuge 8RThermo ScientificTS-HM8R
N, N-Diisopropyl ethylamine (DIPEA)Apicci PharmGeneral Reagent
N-dimethylformamide (DMF)Guangzhou bell Biotechnology Co., LtdGeneral Reagent
Octanoid acidSigma-AldrichO3907
Pd(OAc)2Xi'an Catalyst New Materials Co.,ltd.200704
Phosphate buffered salineSigma-Aldrich1003335620
Potassium carbonate (K2CO3)Guangzhou Zhonghua Trade Co.,Ltd.General Reagent
Tert amyl alcoholNanjing Cook Biotechnology Co., Ltd.General Reagent
tert-Butyl carbamateNanjing Cook Biotechnology Co., Ltd.General Reagent
Thermo Mixer Heat/CoolKASVIK80-120R
tolueneLiaoning cook Biotechnology Co., LtdGeneral Reagent
Vacuum drying ovenGuangzhou Yuhua Instrument Co., LtdDZF-6090
Water//
XantphosLiaoning cook Biotechnology Co., LtdAsp20-44892

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