Total syntheses of melinonine-E and strychnoxanthine: Evolution of the synthetic strategy enabled by novel method development

In this full account, the evolution of a synthetic strategy was detailed from a nitroso-ene cyclization to an aza-Wacker reaction for ring construction in the syntheses of melinonine-E and strychnoxanthine. The aza-Wacker cyclization to form the bridged ring was successfully developed and applied in the first asymmetric syntheses of melinonine-E and strychnoxanthine in 5–6 steps from a readily available chiral lactone. The proposed biogenesis of these two rare β-carbolinium alkaloids was revised based on their absolute configurations. Moreover, the substrate scope of the aza-Wacker cyclization demonstrated its potential for accessing various bridged ring skeletons. The mechanistic investigation established that the profound effect of the N-substituent on the amide was crucial to the success of the cyclization via the tunable amidopalladation pathway.