The Woodward-Doering/Rabe-Kindler total synthesis of quinine: setting the record straight

In 1918, Paul Rabe and Karl Kindler reported the three-step conversion of d-quinotoxine into quinine. In 1944 Robert B. Woodward and William von Eggers Doering reported the total synthesis of homomeroquinene and d-quinotoxine from 7-hydroxyisoquinoline. Based on the transformations by Rabe and Kindler, Woodward and Doering asserted the "Total Synthesis of Quinine" (the title of their 1944 and 1945 papers). In 2000 and 2001, Gilbert Stork concluded that the claim by Woodward and Doering is a "myth" because they had synthesized only homomeroquinene and d-quinotoxine; no synthetic quinine had been made in Cambridge. In fact, Rabe and Kindler never published the experimental details of their conversion of d-quinotoxine into quinine. This Review presents the results of a detailed examination of the synthesis of cinchona alkaloids, and previously unpublished material combined with unpublished material and numerous interviews give insight into the lives of the personalities in this nearly 100-year saga.     

Palladium-catalyzed enantioselective domino heck-cyanation sequence: development and application to the total synthesis of esermethole and physostigmine

An efficient synthesis of functionalized 3-alkyl-3-cyanomethyl-2-oxindole 1 by a palladium-catalyzed domino Heck-cyanation reaction has been developed. Reaction of ortho-iodoanilide 5 with potassium ferro(II)cyanide, K(4)[Fe(CN)(6)], dissolved in DMF in the presence of palladium acetate and sodium carbonate afforded oxindole 1 in good to excellent yields. An enantioselective domino Heck-cyanation process has been developed for the first time using (S)-DIFLUORPHOS as a chiral supporting ligand, and an enantioselectivity of up to 79 % ee in the enantiomerically enriched oxindole was obtained under optimized conditions. A concise total synthesis of esermethole and physostigmine, powerful inhibitors of acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase, is documented.     

Double ring-closing metathesis reaction of nitrogen-containing tetraenes: efficient construction of bicyclic alkaloid skeletons and synthetic application to four stereoisomers of lupinine and their derivatives

The double ring-closing metathesis reaction of nitrogen-containing tetraenes was studied. The selectivity of the fused/dumbbell-type products can be controlled by the electronic/steric effects of the substituents attached to the C[double bond]C bonds and the s-cis/s-trans conformational ratios of the substrates. This methodology has also been successfully applied to the enantioselective synthesis of four stereoisomers of lupinine and their derivatives.     

Asymmetric synthetic access to the hetisine alkaloids: total synthesis of (+)-nominine

A dual cycloaddition strategy for the synthesis of the hetisine alkaloids has been developed, illustrated by a concise asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-nominine (7). The approach relies on an early-stage intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a 4-oxido-isoquinolinium betaine dipole with an ene-nitrile dipolarophile. Subsequent late-stage pyrrolidine-induced dienamine isomerization/Diels-Alder cascade allows for rapid construction of the carbon--nitrogen polycyclic skeleton within this class of C(20)-diterpenoid alkaloids.     

Aza‐Quaternary Scaffolds from Selective Bond Cleavage of Bridgehead‐Substituted 7‐Azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane: Total Synthesis of (+)‐Cylindricines C–E and (−)‐Lepadiformine A

A novel bridgehead‐substituted aza‐bicyclic framework has been designed and developed in both enantiomeric forms through an asymmetric desymmetrization reaction. Strategic exploitation of the ring strain in the aza‐bicyclic framework has been utilized for the construction of the chiral aza‐quaterenary scaffolds by selective bond fragmentation processes. Furthermore, a strategically designed precursor is employed for selective bond cleavage to initiate a cascade rearrangement for the total synthesis of the 1‐azaspirotricyclic marine alkaloids (+)‐cylindricines C, D, and E, as well as (?)‐lepadiformine A. An oxidation/retro‐aldol/aza‐Michael sequence generated three new chiral centers with the required configuration in one pot.     

Enantioselective Catalysts for the Synthesis of α‐Substituted Allylboronates—An Accelerated Approach towards Isomerically Pure Homoallylic Alcohols

The use of a convenient protecting group for boronates allows a selective, catalyzed S_N2′ reaction to generate allylboronates which are applied for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure homoallylic alcohols. Depending on the configuration of both catalyst and the protecting group any of the four possible stereoisomers can be formed. The rationale behind the selective addition is supported by density functional theory calculations.     

A Stereodivergent Strategy to Both Product Enantiomers from the Same Enantiomer of a Stereoinducing Catalyst: Agelastatin A

In this article, we report a full account of our recent development of pyrroles and N‐alkoxyamides as new classes of nucleophiles for palladium‐catalyzed AAA reactions, along with application of these methodologies in the total synthesis of agelastatin A, a marine natural product with exceptional anticancer activity and other biological properties. Our method allows for access to either regioisomer of the pyrrolopiperazinones ( 6 and 19 ) with high efficiency and enantioselectivity. Note that isomer 19 was obtained via a cascade reaction through a double allylic alkylation pathway. From regioisomer 6 , the total synthesis of (+)‐agelastatin A was completed in a very short fashion (four steps from 6 ), during the course of which we developed a new copper catalyst for aziridination and an In(OTf)₃/DMSO system to oxidatively open an N‐tosyl aziridine. Starting with the other pyrrolopiperazinone 19 , a five‐step sequence has been developed to furnish a formal total synthesis of (?)‐agelastatin A. A unique feature of our syntheses is the use of two rather different strategies for the total syntheses of both enantiomers of agelastatin A using the same enantiomer of a chiral palladium catalyst.     

Asymmetric synthesis of bioactive hydrodibenzofuran alkaloids: (-)-lycoramine, (-)-galanthamine, and (+)-lunarine

Divergent route: A direct C?C bond-forming approach to the key aryl-substituted all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center present in bioactive hydrodibenzofuran alkaloids has been discovered. This approach involves an unprecedented organocatalytic enantioselective Michael addition of α-cyanoketones with acrylates and was used in a novel and divergent synthetic strategy for the title compounds in asymmetric fashion.     

The Relationship of William Henry Perkin,Jr. and Sir Robert Robinson: Teacher and Student,then Student and Teacher

William Henry Perkin, Jr. FRS, the son of the inventor of mauve and other commercial dyes and credited for initiating the industrialization of chemistry, was himself a notable chemist. He was the Professor of Organic Chemistry at Manchester from 1892–1912 and then was the Waynflete Professor of Chemistry at Oxford and the first Head of the Dyson Perrins Laboratory from 1912–1929. One of Perkin's graduate students and research assistants at Manchester was Robert Robinson, subsequently Sir Robert Robinson, FRS and recipient of the 1947 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Perkin and Robinson had perhaps the most productive and broad collaboration between a professor and one's student. Together, during and after Robinson's student days, they had 71 joint publications, 25 of which involved just the two of them, 17 of which involved the structure determination of strychnine, and eight of which were published after Perkin's death in 1929. Upon Perkin's early death, Robinson succeeded him as the fourth Waynflete Professor of Chemistry at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory, Oxford University. This Essay will examine the professional relationship of Perkin, Jr. and Robinson as revealed in their joint publications on the structure of strychnine.     

The First Mixed Calcium Zinc Borate with a Flexible [B8O17] Fundamental Building Block and Short UV Cutoff Edge

The first mixed calcium zinc borate with a new fundamental building block (FBB) [B₈O₁₇], Ca_1.13Zn_0.87B₈O₁₄ has been successfully synthesized. It exhibits two independent interpenetrating three-dimensional B−O anion networks constructed by [B₈O₁₇] groups, enriching the structural diversity of B−O configurations. In particular, the UV-Vis-NIR diffuse-reflectance spectrum shows that it has a short UV cutoff edge (<195 nm).     

A Flexible Approach to Azasugars: Asymmetric Total Syntheses of (+)‐Castanospermine, (+)‐7‐Deoxy‐6‐epi‐castanospermine,and (+)‐1‐epi‐Castanospermine

The asymmetric total synthesis of natural azasugars (+)‐castanospermine, (+)‐7‐deoxy‐6‐epi‐castanospermine, and synthetic (+)‐1‐epi‐castanospermine has been accomplished in nine to ten steps from a common chiral building block (S)‐ 8 . The method features a powerful chiral relay strategy consisting of a highly diastereoselective vinylogous Mukaiyama‐type reaction with either chiral or achiral aldehydes (≥95 % de; de=diastereomeric excess) and a diastereodivergent reduction of tetramic acids, which allows formation of three continuous stereogenic centers with high diastereoselectivities. The method also provides a flexible access to structural arrays of 5‐(α‐hydroxyalkyl)tetramic acids, such as 17/34 , and 5‐(α‐hydroxyalkyl)‐4‐hydroxyl‐2‐pyrrolidinones, such as 18 and 25/35 a . The method constitutes the first realization of the challenging chiral synthons A and D and thus of the conceptually attractive retrosynthetic analysis shown in Scheme 1 in a highly enantioselective manner.