Stereoselective synthesis of hydroxy-substituted tetrahydrofurans

Iodocyclizations of 4-alkene-1,3-diol derivatives proceed with high stereocontrol to provide cis 2-iodomethyl-3-hydroxy(alkoxy)tetrahydrofurans. The effect of alkoxy substituents on the diastereoselectivity has also been assessed.     

Route selection in the synthesis of C-4 and C-6 substituted thienopyrimidines

Three different routes have been investigated for the preparation of 6-aryl-N-(1-arylethyl)thienopyrimidin-4-amines. First the possibilities of selective Suzuki reactions on 6-bromo-4-chlorothienopyrimidine were investigated. The preference for mono arylation at C-6 could be increased, in the case of Pd(PPh₃)₄ catalysis, by reducing the water content of the reaction, or by using less electron rich Pd-ligands. The highest selectivity was obtained with Pd(OAc)₂ or Pd₂(dba)₃, while reactions with the more electron rich Pd(PPh₃)₄ and especially XPhos gave a lower mono- to dicoupled product ratio. Secondly, two alternative strategies avoiding this selectivity issue were tested. Suzuki reaction on C-6 of 6-bromothienopyrimidin-4(3H)-one (three examples) proceeded in 70-89% yield using Pd(PPh₃)₄ in dioxane/water. Similar conditions on 4-amino-6-bromo-thienopyrimidine (eight examples) gave 67-95% yield. The reaction could be performed with boronic acids containing nonprotected phenolic groups in the ortho, meta and para positions. By prolonging the reaction time, coupling with sterically crowded arylboronic acids was also efficient. Diarylation of 6-bromo-4-chlorothienopyrimidine gave the corresponding 4,6-diarylated derivatives in 71-80% yield depending on the nature of the arylboronic acid.     

Reagent-controlled stereoselective synthesis of lignan-related tetrahydrofurans

The reaction of ring-closing metathesis-derived cyclic allylsiloxanes 3 with aldehydes in the presence of a Lewis acid gives 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans related to the furanolignan family of natural products. The reactions proceed with complete 3,4-trans stereoselectivity, whereas the C-2 stereochemistry depends on both the aldehyde and Lewis acid used. When boron trifluoride etherate is used with aliphatic or electronically neutral aryl aldehydes, the reactions favor the production of the 2,3-cis isomer 8, whereas electron-rich aryl aldehydes lead to the 2,3-trans isomer 9 by Lewis acid-mediated isomerization of the kinetically favored cis isomer. The isomerization can be avoided by use of TMSOTf as a promoter, and hence, the stereochemistry can be tuned by appropriate choice of reagent. Cleavage of the pendant 3-ethenyl group installs the 3-hydroxymethyl group common to the furanolignans.     

Diastereoselective synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans

This review focuses on synthetic methods allowing the preparation of 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans reported in the literature between 1993 and 2008.     

New methods for the synthesis of oxygenated carotenoids

Six keto carotenoids ( 4 , 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 , and 22 ) were synthesized from intermediates which were prepared from the condensation products of mesityl oxide and acetoacetic ester. Compounds 4 and 22 can serve as precursors for zeaxanthin, while 5 can be used as an intermediate for xanthophyll. Echinenone and canthaxanthin were prepared by a new approach from vitamin A. Two new types of keto carotenoids with the keto functions incorporated into the unsaturated chain were prepared.     

δ-Nitroalkanols as precursors for the one-pot synthesis of substituted tetrahydrofurans

DBU catalyses the one-pot Michael addition of nitroalkanes to 1,4-dienone derivatives, elimination of nitrous acid, then intramolecular conjugate addition-ring closure to allow the direct formation of a variety of tetrahydrofurans.     

Palladium catalysis for the synthesis of hydrophobic C-6 and C-2 aryl 2'-deoxynucleosides. Comparison of C-C versus C-N bond formation as well as C-6 versus C-2 reactivity

Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of haloaromatic compounds with arylboronic acids provides a simple entry to biaryl systems. Despite its ease, to date, there are no detailed investigations of this procedure for deoxynucleoside modification. As shown in this study, a wide variety of C-6 arylpurine 2'-deoxyriboside (C-6 aryl 2'-deoxynebularine analogues) and C-2 aryl 2'-deoxyinosine analogues can be conveniently prepared via the Pd-mediated cross-coupling of arylboronic acids with the C-6 halonucleosides, 6-bromo- or 6-chloro-9[2-deoxy-3,5-bis-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl]purine (1 and 2), and the C-2 halonucleoside, 2-bromo-O(6)-benzyl-3',5'-bis-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-2'-deoxyinosine (3). Although bromonucleoside 1 proved to be a good substrate for the Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings, we have noted that for several C-6 arylations, the chloronucleoside 2 provides superior coupling yields. Also described in this study is a detailed evaluation of catalytic systems that led to optimal product recoveries. Finally, a comparison of the C-C and C-N bond-forming reactions of deoxynucleosides is also reported. On the basis of this comparison, we provide evidence that C-N bond formation at the C-6 position, leading to N-aryl 2'-deoxyadenosine analogues, is more sensitive to the ligand used, whereas C-C bond-forming reactions at the same position are not. In contrast to the ligand dependency exhibited in C-N bond formation at the C-6 position, comparable reactions at the C-2 position of purine deoxynucleosides proceed with less sensitivity to the ligand used.     

Regulation of cyclization for the stereoselective synthesis of substituted tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydrooxepines

Dramatic solvent effect is observed during the cyclization of 1. Synthesis of 2 is achieved from the reaction of 1 with a hexamethylditin-catalyzed palladium complex followed by aldehydes in the presence of TMSOTf in THF, whereas 3 is formed in CH2Cl2. The method described herein is successful with various substrates 1 in good yields and high levels of diastereoselectivity.     

A modular approach to the synthesis of 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans

A highly diastereoselective Lewis acid-mediated [1,3] rearrangement of 1,3-dioxepins is the key step along a modular route to 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans.     

The synthesis and development of 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans as potential scaffolds for diversity-oriented synthesis

The synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans from donor silylmethylcyclopropanes (without bearing an acceptor function) is described. Their further elaboration via a wide range of synthetic transformations is presented to highlight the potential of this method and the resulting THFs as potential scaffolds for diversity-oriented synthesis.     

Stereoselective synthesis of functionalized trans-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans

[reaction: see text] The addition of the titanium enolates of N-acetyl, N-propionyl, and N-bromoacetyl (R)-oxazolidin-2-ones to gamma-lactol 2, derived from (S)-glutamic acid, afforded trans- and cis-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans (trans/cis ratio: R = H, 2:1; R = Me, 8:1; R = Br, 10:1) after desilylation with aqueous HF/CH3CN. Chromatographic separation and LiBH4 reduction allowed the efficient preparation of the corresponding trans-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran diols and the recovery of the chiral auxiliary.     

Highly diastereoselective synthesis of trans-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans

trans-2,5-Disubstituted tetrahydrofurans were obtained as major diastereomers (trans/cis ratio 90:10-100:0) when acetylated gamma-lactols derived from (S)-glutamic acid were treated with titanium enolates of N-acetyl (R)-oxazolidin-2-thiones. A simple transesterification allowed us to obtain the corresponding methyl esters and recover the chiral auxiliary.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans and 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans using an intramolecular allylation strategy employing allylsilanes

A Brønsted acid-mediated intramolecular allylation involving an allylsilane and an aldehyde has been used as the key step in a stereoselective synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans and 2,3,4-trisubstituted tetrahydrofurans.     

A flexible stereospecific synthesis of polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidines from commercially available pyranosides

Nitrogen-containing sugar analogues, known as azasugars or iminosugars, such as polyhydroxylated piperdines, pyrrolidines, pyrrolizidines, and indolizidines, have the potential to become important therapeutic agents due to their ability to inhibit glycosidases. Synthetic pathways that are able to systematically produce a variety of these azasugars are eagerly sought after, since even minute structural or stereochemical changes often significantly alter the degree of inhibition. The synthesis of tetrahydroxylated pyrrolizidines 40 and 41 starting from methyl alpha-d-glucopyranoside is described and will be used as a template to develop syntheses of all the stereoisomers of polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidine 9 as well as other analogous bicyclic polyhydroxylated iminosugars. The key steps in this synthesis involve a one-pot conversion of a halopyranoside to a divinylamine by employing a simultaneous Zn reduction and reductive amination of the resulting aldehyde. After protection of the amine, a ring-closing metathesis results in a multifunctional eight-membered ring that then undergoes an internal S(N)2 cyclization to form an alkene-containing pyrrolizidine 33. Dihydroxylation of the alkene followed by hydrogenolysis of the benzyl protecting groups results in tetrahydroxylated pyrrolizidines 40 and 41.     

An expedient synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted-3-oxygenated tetrahydrofurans

Single enantiomer 2,5-disubstituted-3-oxygenated tetrahydrofurans are synthesized in as little as four steps from a commercially available epoxide. The key steps are homoallylic alcohol epoxidation, palladium-catalysed alkoxy-carbonylation-lactonisation and Mitsunobu inversion. The protocol is applied to the formal total syntheses of (+)-kumausallene, (6S,7S,9R,10R)-6,9-epoxynonadec-18-ene-7,10-diol and the core of lytophilippine A.     

New reactions of gamma-halocarbanions: simple synthesis of substituted tetrahydrofurans

The treatment of 4-chlorobutyronitrile, 3-chloropropyl phenyl sulfone, and other related compounds with a base afforded gamma-halocarbanions that undergo fast intramolecular substitution of the halogen to produce substituted cyclopropanes. We found that these short-lived carbanionic intermediates can be trapped with active external electrophilic partners, such as aldehydes, to give the aldol anions. These anions then undergo rapid intramolecular substitution of chloride to produce 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans. Under the right conditions, yields of tetrahydrofurans are excellent. Similar reactions with ketones gives 2,2,3-trisubstituted furans, but this process is usually less efficient. Ratios between the rates of intramolecular and intermolecular processes were qualitatively estimated by competitive experiments. It was shown that gamma-halo and gamma-trimethylammonium substituents substantially increase the kinetic CH acidity of alkane nitriles and sulfones.