Phosphonolipids. XV. Synthesis of a dihydroceramide aminoethylphosphonate
The first chemical synthesis of a dihydroceramide aminoethylphosphonate is described. It is a saturated representative of a new class of recently discovered, naturally occurring complex lipids derived from phosphonic acid. The compound, viz. erythro-N-palmitoyl-DL-dihydrosphingosyl-1-(2-aminoethyl)-phosphonate, was obtained by two procedures: phosphonylation of erythro-N-palmitoyl-3-O-benzoyl-DL-dihydrosphingosine with (2-N,N-dibenzylammoethyl)phosphonic acid chloride (hydrochloride) and triethylamine, or with (2-phthalimidoethyl)phosphonic acid monochloride and triethylamine, and freeing the reaction products of both procedures, viz. erythro-N-palmitoyl-3-O-benzoyl-DL-dihydrosphingosyl-1-(2-N,N-dibenzylaminoethyl)phosphonate and erythro-N-palmitoyl-3-O-benzoyl-DL-dihydrosphingosyl-1-(2-phthalimidoethyl)phosphonate, from their protective benzyl or phthaloyl group by hydrogenolysis or hydrazinolysis, respectively, followed in both cases by removal of the benzoyl group by saponification.The (2-N,N-dibenzylaminoethyl)phosphonic acid was obtained by treating (2-bromoethyl)phosphonic acid with N,N-dibenzylamine and converting the reaction product, viz. the dibenzylammonium salt of (2-N,N-dibenzylaminoethyl)phosphonic acid, into the free acid by steam distillation.