Total synthesis of gambierol

The convergent total synthesis of gambierol (1) is described. The octacyclic ether framework of 1 was constructed via the intramolecular allylation of alpha-chloroacetoxy ether followed by ring-closing metathesis. A modified Stille coupling was successfully applied to the synthesis of the triene side chain.     

Total synthesis of brevenal

The convergent total synthesis of brevenal, a non-toxic brevetoxin antagonist, has been achieved. The ABC ring segment and the E ring precursor were connected by the intramolecular allylation followed by ring-closing metathesis to furnish the pentacyclic ether compound. An alternative route to the key synthetic intermediate, a pentacyclic ether core, was also examined. The right- and left-hand side chains were introduced by Wittig and Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reactions, respectively, to furnish brevenal (1).     

Enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-obtusenyne

A total synthesis of the laurencia metabolite (+)-obtusenyne has been completed. The key steps include a Sharpless kinetic resolution and an asymmetric glycolate alkylation to establish the stereogenic centers adjacent to the ether linkage and a ring-closing metathesis reaction to construct the nine-membered ether without the aid of a cyclic conformational constraint. The synthesis was completed in 20 linear steps from commercially available 1,5-hexadiene-3-ol.     

Total synthesis of brevetoxin-B

Brevetoxin-B (BTX-B), produced by the red tide organism, Gymnodium breve Davis, is the first member of marine polycyclic ethers to be structurally elucidated and one of the most potent neurotoxins. The structural feature is a trans-fused polycyclic ether ring system with 23 stereocenters. Its unique, complex structure and potent biological activity have attracted the attention of synthetic organic chemists. Total synthesis of BTX-B has been accomplished via the coupling of the ABCDEFG and IJK-ring segments, each ether ring of which was stereoselectively and efficiently constructed on the basis of SmI2-induced intramolecular cyclization, 6-endo-cyclization of hydroxy epoxide, ring-closing olefin metathesis, and SmI2-induced intramolecular Reformatsky-type reaction. Several kinds of double reactions at the left and right sides were efficiently used through the synthesis.     

Combinatorial liquid-phase synthesis of

A new method for the synthesis of [1,4]oxazepin-7-ones from readily available aldehydes and alpha-amino alcohols was developed using the Baylis-Hillman reaction as the key step. To determine the scope and limitations of the method, a mixture library was synthesized from six aldehydes and six alpha-amino alcohols on the soluble polymer support poly(ethylene glycol) 5000 monomethyl ether (MeOPEG) via split synthesis and analyzed by GC-EIMS. Those oxazepines that were formed predominantly were resynthesized in a parallel synthesis and fully characterized. Thus, we have shown that split synthesis on MeOPEG can be an efficient method to rapidly screen the substrate spectrum of a newly developed reaction sequence.     

A new catalyst for direct synthesis of dimethyl ether from synthesis gas

A new catalyst has been prepared by coprecipitation sedimentation method developed in our laboratory. It exhibits excellent catalytic activity, selectivity and stability for conversion of synthesis gas to dimethyl ether: conversion of CO 92%, selectivity of dimethyl ether 98%. Catalytic properties of the catalyst show no evident change after being used for 100 h.     

Synthesis of polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols using bridgehead lithiation: the total synthesis of racemic clusianone and a formal synthesis of racemic garsubellin A

The synthesis of polyprenylated phloroglucinol natural products, including clusianone, nemorosone, and garsubellin A, was pursued by a strategy involving construction of a core bicyclo[3.3.1]nonanetrione structure and subsequent elaboration via organolithium intermediates. Appropriate bridged core structures were obtained through the cyclization of a suitably substituted cyclohexanone enol ether or enol silane with malonyl dichloride. Additional substituents were then introduced by means of regioselective lithiation reactions, including the generation of bridgehead enolates, thus enabling the total synthesis of clusianone and also of an advanced intermediate toward nemorosone. In the case of garsubellin A, an additional THF-like ring was elaborated by a biomimetic 5-exo-tet cyclization of an enol ether (or enol) with a side-chain epoxide. This enabled a formal synthesis of racemic garsubellin A by accessing one of the late intermediates in the Danishefsky synthesis.     

Solid-phase synthesis of phenolic steroids: from optimization studies to a convenient procedure for combinatorial synthesis of biologically relevant estradiol derivatives

During the course of our studies on therapeutic agents for the treatment of breast cancer, we became interested in the solid-phase combinatorial synthesis of estradiol derivatives that contain a functionalized side chain at either position 16 beta or 7 alpha. Both types of compounds have already demonstrated inhibitory activity toward both biosynthesis and action of estradiol. As a first step, two versatile precursors bearing an azidoalkyl side chain at either position 16 beta or 7 alpha of estradiol were synthesized using standard solution-phase methods. Afterward, the effectiveness of five linkers to attach the phenolic function of these estradiol derivatives to a polystyrene resin was investigated; they were benzylic ether (Merrifield), 4-alkoxy-benzylic ethers (Wang, Sheppard), tetrahydropyranyl ether (Ellman), benzoic ester, and o-nitrobenzyl ether. To test the linker in a synthetic context, a short sequence of reactions, including reduction of the azide and acylation of the corresponding amine, was performed on the polymer-bound estradiol derivative. While all of the tested linkers proved effective in attaching the phenol functionality of the precursor, only the o-nitrobenzyl ether photolabile linker enabled the release of the final products in acceptable purities. Consequently, this linker was used to perform successfully the solid-phase synthesis of four different classes of estradiol derivatives in acceptable yields and excellent purities. This study was preliminary to the combinatorial synthesis of larger libraries of biologically relevant estradiol derivatives.     

Simple and efficient synthesis of thysanone methyl ether

The synthesis of thysanone methyl ether is achieved by employing semivioxanthin methyl ether, which in turn is prepared by the tandem Michael addition of an anion of orsellinate to a substituted dihydropyrone.     

Studies on the synthesis of landomycin A: synthesis and glycosidation reactions of L-rhodinosyl acetate derivatives

An efficient, eight-step synthesis of L-rhodinosyl acetate derivative 3 is described. The synthesis originates from methyl (S)-lactate and involves a highly stereoselective, chelate-controlled addition of allyltributylstannane to the lactaldehyde derivative 7. The beta-anomeric configuration of 3 was established with high selectivity by acetylation of the pyranose precursor with Ac(2)O and Et(3)N in CH(2)Cl(2). Preliminary studies of glycosidation reactions of 3 and L-rhodinosyl acetate 10 containing a 3-O-TES ether revealed that these compounds are highly reactive glycosidating agents and that trialkylsilyl triflates are effective glycosylation promoters. The best conditions for reactions with 15 as the acceptor involved use of diethyl ether as the reaction solvent and 0.2 equiv of TES-OTf at -78 degrees C. However, the TES ether protecting group of 10 proved to be too labile under these reaction conditions, and mixtures of 16a, 17, and 18a are obtained in reactions of 10 and 15. Disaccharide 17 arises via in situ cleavage of the TES ether of disaccharide 16a, while trisaccharide 18a results from a glycosidation of in situ generated 17 (or of 16a itself) with a second equivalent of 10. These problems were largely suppressed by using 3 with a 3-O-TBS ether protecting group as the glycosyl donor and 0.2 equiv of TES-OTf as the reaction promoter. Attempts to selectively glycosylate the C(3)-OH of diol acceptors 20 or 28 gave a 70:30 mixture of 21 and 22 in the reaction of 20 and a 43:27:30 mixture of regioisomeric trisaccharides 29 and 30 and tetrasaccharide 31 from the glycosidation reaction of 28. However, excellent results were obtained in the glycosidation of differentially protected disaccharide 34 using 1.5 equiv of 3 and 0.05 equiv of TBS-OTf in CH(2)Cl(2) at -78 degrees C. The latter step is an important transformation in the recently reported synthesis of the landomycin A hexasaccharide unit.     

First total synthesis of four natural prenylated flavonoids

A facile approach for the first total synthesis of prenylated flavonoids,(±)-abyssinone-Vl-4-O-methyl ether 1,(±)-abyssinoneIV -4’-O-methyl ether 2,(±)-abyssinone-V-4’-O-methyl ether 3 and(±)-sigmoidin E 4 has been described.The key intermediate 4-hydroxy-3,5-di-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)benzaldehyde 6 was also first synthesized that features regioselective prenylation of 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and crystallizing with petroleum ether from the reaction mixture by freeze-out effect.     

Total synthesis of gambierol

[structure: see text] The first total synthesis of gambierol, a marine polycyclic ether toxin, has been achieved. The synthesis features the Pd(PPh3)4/CuCl/LiCl-promoted Stille coupling for the stereoselective construction of the sensitive triene side chain that includes a conjugated (Z,Z)-diene moiety.     

Total synthesis of the ristocetin aglycon

The first total synthesis of the ristocetin aglycon is described employing a modular and highly convergent strategy. An effective 12-step (12% overall) synthesis of the ABCD ring system 3 from its amino acid subunits sequentially features an intramolecular aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction for formation of the diaryl ether and closure of the 16-membered CD ring system (65%), a respectively diastereoselective (3:1, 86%) Suzuki coupling for installation of the AB biaryl linkage on which the atropisomer stereochemistry can be further thermally adjusted, and an effective macrolactamization (51%) for closure of the 12-membered AB ring system. A similarly effective 13-step (14% overall) synthesis of the 14-membered EFG ring system 4 was implemented employing a room-temperature intermolecular S(N)Ar reaction of an o-fluoronitroaromatic for formation of the FG diaryl ether (69%) and a key macrolactamization (92%) with formation of the amide linking residues 1 and 2. The two key fragments 3 and 4 were coupled, and the remaining 16-membered DE ring system was closed via diaryl ether formation to provide the ristocetin tetracyclic ring system (15 steps, 8% overall) enlisting an unusually facile (25 degrees C, 8 h, DMF, >/=95%) and diastereoselective (>/=15:1) aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction that benefits from substrate preorganization.     

Effect of microwave heating on Ullmann-type heterocycle-aryl ether synthesis using chloro-heterocycles

Ullmann ether synthesis was conducted on a variety of chloro-heterocycles with different phenols using optimized conditions involving copper powder and cesium carbonate. On many substrates, microwave heating afforded higher yields in significantly shorter reaction times compared to conventional heating conditions. These findings provide a facile method for aryl ether synthesis from chloropyridines, chloroquinolines, and chlorobenzothiazoles.     

Electrophile-induced ether transfer: stereoselective synthesis of 2,6-disubstituted-3,4-dihydropyrans

Stereoselective synthesis of trans-2,6-disubstituted-3,4-dihydropyrans has been achieved from a simple homoallylic alkoxyether via a three-step sequence: electrophile-induced ether transfer, cyclization, and functionalization, which is highlighted by a rare example of Ferrier rearrangement of allylic ether. This methodology was successfully implemented for the asymmetric synthesis of a C7-C17 fragment of swinholide A.     

Polyene synthesis: A comparative study

As part of an effort to synthesize the polyene macrolide antibiotics, a comparison of several methods of polyene synthesis has been carried out with the finding that superior results were obtained using the Wollenberg vinyl ether method.     

Total synthesis of (-)-brevisin: a concise synthesis of a new marine polycyclic ether

The first and highly efficient total synthesis of (-)-brevisin has been achieved. The title compound was synthesized in only 29 steps (longest linear sequence) from commercially available starting materials. The synthesis provided over 70 mg of a marine polycyclic ether compound.     

Convergent strategies for the total synthesis of polycyclic ether marine metabolites

Marine polycyclic ether natural products continue to fascinate chemists and biologists due to their exceptionally large and complex molecular architectures and potent and diverse biological activities. Tremendous progress has been made over the past decade toward the total synthesis of marine polycyclic ether natural products. In this area, a convergent strategy for assembling small fragments into an entire molecule always plays a key role in successful total synthesis. This review describes our efforts to develop convergent strategies for the synthesis of polycyclic ethers and their application to the total synthesis of gambierol, gymnocin-A, and brevenal, and to the partial synthesis of the central part of ciguatoxins and the nonacyclic polyether skeleton of gambieric acids.     

Supramolecular carbohydrate scaffold-catalyzed synthesis of tetrahydroquinolines

Natural supramolecular carbohydrate scaffold-catalyzed synthesis of tetrahydroquinoline derivatives by the reaction of aromatic amine and cyclic enol ether in excellent yield with high diastereoselectivity has been developed. Carbohydrates, cellulose, and starch were converted into their sulfonic acid derivative and these scaffolds exhibit efficient catalytic properties, along with excellent cost effectivity and recyclability.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (+)-lauthisan

Stereoselective synthesis of (+)-lauthisan has been accomplished starting from d-glyceraldehyde acetonide by combination of diastereoselective alkylation and ring-closing metathesis. High degree of 1,3-asymmetric induction has been realized in ether system.