Synthetic studies on bafilomycin A1: stereoselective synthesis of the C12-C17 fragment and its coupling with the C1-C11 subunit

Stereoselective addition of (E)-1-lithio-2-tributylstannylethylene on a chiral cyclic di-t-butylsilyleneketal C₁₄-C₁₇ aldehyde afforded the required Felkin-Anh adduct for the synthesis of the C₁₂-C₁₇ fragment of bafilomycin A₁, the configuration of which was assigned unambiguously. After appropriate coupling with the enantiopure C₁-C₁₁ fragment, the C₁₂-C₁₇ subunit obtained here can be used for the study of the 16-membered macrolide formation either by an acyl activation or an intramolecular Stille reaction. Intermolecular esterification of the 15-OH with an acyl activation of the carboxylic acid of the C₁-C₁₁ fragment, in modified Yamaguchi's conditions, affords here an intermediate for examining an intramolecular Stille coupling.