Efficient synthesis of morolic acid and related triterpenes starting from betulin

Morolic acid (1) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpene whose derivatives exhibit promising anti-HIV and other biological activities. An efficient synthesis of 1 has been accomplished in 11 steps with a total yield of 24% starting from betulin. Some related natural triterpenes including moradiol (4), acridocarpusic acid D (5), acridocarpusic acid E (6), and moronic aldehyde (7) have also been synthesized. Biological assay results showed that 1, 5, and 6 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against glycogen phosphorylase.     

Serendipitous and acid catalyzed synthesis of spirolactones

Formation of three diasteroisomeric spirodilactones 14a-c and 11 has been reported from diester 13 and 9, respectively, under the influence of mineral acid.     

The regioselectivity of the formation of 2-pyrazolylthiazoles and their precursors from the reaction of 2-hydrazinothiazoles with 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-hetaryl-1,3-butanediones

Reaction of 2-hydrazinothiazoles 1 with 1-thienyl- and 1-furyl-1,3-butanediones 2a,b in methanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid mainly leads to a mixture of pyrazoles 3 and pyrazolines 4 or pyrazoles 3 and 5 in strong acidic conditions. Isomeric hydrazones 6 and pyrazolines 4 were formed and isolated in these reactions in the absence of hydrochloric acid. It has been shown that the regioselectivity in the reaction of diketones 2 with hydrazine 1 is governed by both the concentration of acid and the nature of substituents in the 1,3-diketones 2. Cyclization of hydrazones 6 is shown to occur under milder conditions than dehydration for pyrazolines 4. The new heterocyclic compounds were prepared and fully characterized by NMR spectra and by X-ray analysis for 3c.     

Efficient access to isomeric 2,3-dihydroxy lupanes: first synthesis of alphitolic acid

Alphitolic acid (3) is a naturally occurring lupane type of pentacyclic triterpene, which possesses various pharmacological properties. Efficient synthesis of 3 has been accomplished in 10 steps with an overall yield of 19% starting from the readily available diketone 11. An alternative approach to the key intermediate 17 has also been developed, and based on this approach, 3 could be obtained in 10 steps with an overall yield of 26% starting from 11. Moreover, seven other isomeric 2,3-dihydroxy lupanes 4-10 have been synthesized. The synthesized triterpenes 3-10 were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against rabbit muscle GPa (RMGPa), and some of them exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against RMGPa.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel pyridyl/naphthyl/(diphenyl)methylseleno substituted alkanoic acids: X-ray structure of 2-pyridylselenoethanoic acid, 2-naphthylselenoethanoic acid and 2-(diphenyl)methylselenoethanoic acid

A number of novel and synthetically important pyridyl/naphthyl/(diphenyl)methylseleno substituted alkanoic acids (20-25) have been synthesized using an efficient and operationally simple strategy. Starting substrates, ethyl pyridyl/naphthyl/(diphenyl)methylseleno substituted alkanoates (8-13) were easily prepared by treatment of ethyl chloroalkanoates 7(a-c) with nucleophilic selenium reagent RSeNa⁺, generated from the cleavage of dipyridyl/dinaphthyl/bis(diphenylmethyl) diselenide (1-6) with sodium borohydride in ethanol. The ethyl pyridyl/naphthyl/(diphenyl)methylseleno substituted alkanoates (8-13) on basic hydrolysis and subsequent acidification afford pyridyl/naphthyl/(diphenyl) methylseleno substituted alkanoic acids (20-25) in excellent yields. These selenoalkanoates (8-13) and selenoalkanoic acids (20-25) have been characterized by elemental analysis and various spectroscopic techniques viz. NMR (¹H, ¹³C and ⁷⁷Se), IR and mass spectrometry. The molecular structure of 2-pyridylselenoethanoic acid (20a), 2-naphthylselenoethanoic acid (23a) and 2-(diphenyl)methylselenoethanoic acid (24a) has also been established with the help of single crystal X-ray analysis.     

Reinvestigation of the stereochemistry of kulokekahilide-2

An attempt to carry out a total synthesis of kulokekahilide-2 (1) by macrolactonization of a seco acid prepared from a suitably protected hexapeptide and a dioxy acid moiety unexpectedly resulted in the formation of the 43-epimer (1a) of the cytotoxic depsipeptide, for which structure 1b has previously been proposed. A second attempt involving macrolactamization of the corresponding amino acid gave the target product, 1b, but the spectral data of the product did not match those of natural 1. Furthermore, neither 1a nor 1b showed any cytotoxicity, from which it is concluded that the structure of natural 1 is incorrect and should be re-examined.     

Synthesis of chiral 4-hydroxy-2,3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds from 3,4-epoxy alcohols by oxidation: application in the formal synthesis of macrosphelide A

An interesting transformation during the oxidation of 3,4-epoxy alcohols 1a-d, derived from the corresponding homoallylic alcohols, led to the formation of 4-hydroxy-2,3-unsaturated carbonyls 2a-d in very good yields. One of these products 2c was transformed into the functionalised carboxylic acid 5, an advanced stage intermediate from which the total synthesis of macrosphelide A has been reported.     

Diastereoselective routes towards the austrodorane skeleton based on pinacol rearrangement: synthesis of (+)-austrodoral and (+)-austrodoric acid

Efficient routes towards the austrodorane skeleton from the labdane diterpene (−)-sclareol (22) are described. The processes, based on pinacol rearrangement, take place with complete diastereoselectivity. Utilizing these, the marine nor-sesquiterpenes (+)-austrodoral (1) and (+)-austrodoric acid (2) have been prepared from 22. Ketone 19, a key intermediate in the synthesis of rearranged cytotoxic diterpene lactones, such as norrisolide (3), has also been prepared in moderate yield.     

The first stereoselective total synthesis of antiviral antibiotic, xanthocillin X dimethylether and its stereoisomer

Xanthocillin X dimethylether (1) has been stereoselectively synthesized from the propiolic acid 6 through an oxidative rearrangement of the stannyl vinyl amide 27 to give the vinyl isocyanate 30 and a homocoupling of the stannyl N-formylenamine 31.     

An unexpected reaction of pyridine with acetyl chloride to give dihydropyridine and piperidine derivatives

An unexpected reaction of pyridine with acetyl chloride to give N-acetyl-1,2 and 1,4-dihydropyridyl acetic acid (1, 2) in high yield and regioselectivity has been reported. The key step is the formation of a zwitterionic pyridinium ketene enolate. The effect of different activating agents on the reaction yield and selectivity has been studied. Platinum(IV) mediated hydrogenation of the corresponding methyl esters (7, 8) gave piperidine derivatives (9, 10).     

Asymmetric synthesis of α,β-substituted β-aminoalkanamides and stereochemical determination

Highly enantiomerically enriched β-aminoalkanamides 12 and β-phenylaminoalkanamides 13 have been prepared by the addition reaction of α-lithiated 2-alkyl-2-oxazolines 9-Li, derived from optically active oxazolines 9, to N-cumyl nitrones 2. The relative stereochemistry of alkanamides 5 and 6 has been established by 1D-NOESY experiments carried out on the related pyrimidinones 7, whereas the absolute configuration of alkanamides 12 and 13 has been confirmed by an X-ray analysis.     

Structure and reactions of photothebainehydroquinone

The structure of photothebainehydroquinone, which was obtained by unsensitized irradiation with UV light of thebainequinone (1) or thebainehydroquinone (2) has been shown by X-ray crystallography to be 3a, which arises from 2 through a di-π-methane to vinylcyclopropane rearrangement. Treatment of 3a with acid gave 5a, 6a, 5b and probably 6b. Studies using DCl showed that the opening of the cyclopropane in 3a to give 5a, 5b, and 6a involved ‘end-on’ approach of the D⁺. The mechanisms of the reactions are discussed.     

Rearrangement of the carbon skeleton in the intramolecular photoadduct of anthracene and benzene rings

The effectivity of optical switching between anthracene derivatives 3a,b and their intramolecular photocycloadducts 4a,b is impaired by traces of acid. The systematic treatment of 4a,b with an increasing excess of formic acid revealed that—apart from the normal enolether cleavage 4a,b→6a,b→7a,b—a cleavage with rearrangement of the carbon skeleton can occur: 5b→6b′. The driving force is a stability enhancement of the involved carbenium ions 5b→5b′. A further increased excess of formic acid leads finally to a competitive ether cleavage in the tetrahydrofuran ring 5b→8.     

New route to 15-hydroxydehydroabietic acid derivatives: application to the first synthesis of some bioactive abietane and nor-abietane type terpenoids

A new route to 15-hydroxydehydroabietic acid derivatives from abietic acid (11), via abieta-8,13(15)-dien-18-oic acid (12), is reported. Utilizing this, the first synthesis of bioactive terpenes 3, 6, 9 and 10, as well as natural diol 4 and lactones 7-8 was achieved.     

Integrating chemosensors for amine-containing compounds into cross-linked dendritic hosts

Trifluoroacetylazo dye 1, a known chemosensor for amines, has been integrated into cross-linked dendrimer hosts. Thus, boronic acid 16 was linked to iododye 9 via a Suzuki coupling reaction. In situ deprotection and alkylation with dendrons 3 and 4, containing 8 homoallyl or allyl ether groups, respectively, afforded dendrons 18 and 19 with chemosensor units at their focal point. Conversion of 18 (19) to the bis-imine of butane 1,4-diamine, extensive cross-linking via the ring closing metathesis reaction with Grubbs catalyst 25, and hydrolysis produced dendrimer hosts 28 and 29. Host-guest studies with a small library of amines and alcohols showed 28 and 29 to selectively signal certain diamines but not due to template mediated imprinting.     

Arene cis-dihydrodiols—useful precursors for the preparation of antimetabolites of the shikimic acid pathway: application to the synthesis of 6,6-difluoroshikimic acid and (6S)-6-fluoroshikimic acid

The synthesis of 6,6-difluoroshikimic acid (11) has been achieved in ten steps from the enantiopure diol 16, which is derived from enzymatic cis-dihydroxylation of iodobenzene. The versatility of the synthetic strategy has been demonstrated by the preparation of the known antimicrobial agent, (6S)-6-fluoroshikimic acid (5).     

Functionalization of C60 via organometallic reagents

The reaction of [60]fullerene with organolithium and Grignard reagents carrying orthoester, acetal or other end groups yielded adducts 3-5 at the 6-6 bond of C60 after quenching with trifluoroacetic acid. The adducts could be easily methylated or benzylated with methyl iodide or benzyl bromide in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide to yield exclusively the 1,4-disubstituted C60 6 and 7a,b. Cleavage of the orthoester, acetal and silylether groups gave the corresponding carboxylic acid 9, aldehydes 10a,b and 11 and alcohols 12 and 13a,b. The carboxylic acid 9 readily reacted with alanine ethyl ester under standard peptide coupling conditions to give 14 in 55% yield. Attempts to generate a silyl enol ether from the reaction of aldehyde 10b with TIPSOTf and triethylamine failed. Instead the reaction led to a cyclized ether 16a (or alcohol 16b in the absence of silylating agent) resulting from the addition of an initially formed fulleride anion to the aldehyde group. The corresponding acetal 4b reacted similarly. The reaction of aldehyde 10b with aniline also gave a cyclized product 19. Surprisingly, aldehyde 11, which no longer carried an acidic fullerene proton reacted with aniline to give a product 20 resulting from an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction followed by aromatization of a primarily formed N-phenylimine. Alcohol 13b could be readily converted to the corresponding bromide using tetramethyl-α-bromoenamine. The bromide was reacted with the carbanion derived from the protected glycine derivative to yield the diastereomeric fullerene amino acid derivatives 1-benzyl-4-[α-propyl-tert-butylglycinate benzophenone imine] 1,4-dihydro[60]fullerenes 24a and 24b.     

Synthesis of alkylphenanthrenes from naphthylalkylidenemalonodinitriles. A route to 1-methyl-, 2-methyl-, and 1,2-dimethylphenanthrene

The study has been carried out to evaluate the feasibility of synthesis of 1-methyl-, 2-methyl-, 1,2-dimethyl-, and 1-ethyl-2-methylphenanthrene through the annulation of the naphthalene system with the exploitation of the dicyanovinyl moiety of 2-naphthylalkylidenemalonodinitriles as an active electrophile in cold solutions of concentrated sulfuric acid. 2-(2-Naphthyl)propanal (3), 1-(2-naphthyl)propan-2-one (9), 3-(2-naphthyl)butan-2-one (14), and 3-(2-naphthyl)pentan-2-one (19) had been condensed with malonodinitrile to afford 2-naphthylalkylidenemalonodinitriles which were then cyclised to give 4-amino-1-methylphenanthrene-3-carbonitrile (5), 4-amino-2-methylphenanthrene-3-carbonitrile (11), 4-amino-1,2-dimethylphenanthrene-3-carbonitrile (16), and 4-amino-1-ethyl-2-metylphenanthrene-3-carbonitrile (21). The nitrile function has been removed from the aminonitriles, with the exception of 21, through hydrolysis and decarboxylation in alkaline ethanolic solutions under elevated pressure (∼3 MPa) and temperature 220-230°C to give the respective 4-amino-methylphenanthrenes. Diazotisation of the phenanthreneamines and the reaction with hypophosphorus acid has lead to the methylphenanthrenes in moderate yields (50-52%).     

A facile access to natural and unnatural dialkylsubstituted maleic anhydrides

A facile new route to the potential building blocks 2-bromomethyl-3-alkylmaleic anhydrides 15a/b for the synthesis of natural and unnatural dialkylsubstituted maleic anhydrides has been demonstrated, starting from dimethyl citraconate (9) via NBS-bromination, S_N2′ Grignard coupling reactions, hydrolysis, molecular bromine addition and dehydrative ring closure reactions pathway with 49-51% overall yield in 5-steps. Chemoselective allylic substitution of bromoatom in 15a/b with Grignard reagents has been described to obtain the unsymmetrical maleic anhydride 16 and symmetrically dialkylsubstituted maleic anhydrides 25a/b in 55% yield. The naturally occurring 2-carboxymethyl-3-hexylmaleic anhydride (1) has been synthesized from 16 via esterification, ozonolysis and an oxidation route. The synthesis of two naturally occurring 2-(β-carboxyethyl)-3-alkylmaleic anhydrides 2a/b have been completed via a chemoselective diethylmalonate coupling reaction followed by acid induced hydrolysis. In our hands the S_N2 or S_N2′ coupling of Grignard reagent with 21 to obtain 1 and Reformatsky reaction with 15a/b to obtain 2c/d met with failure.     

Palladium-catalyzed carbonylative coupling of pyridine halides with aryl boronic acids

The carbonylative Suzuki cross-coupling of a variety of mono-iodopyridines and bromopyridines (1a,b, 3a-c, 5) catalyzed by palladium-phosphane systems has been studied to prepare benzoylpyridine derivatives (2, 4, 6). The selectivity and the rate of the reaction are highly dependent on the reaction conditions, i.e. nature of the palladium catalyst precursor, solvent, temperature and CO pressure. The main side-products arise from direct, non-carbonylative cross-coupling. Under optimized conditions, benzoylpyridines are recovered in high yields (80-95%). The order of reactivity decreases from iodo- to bromopyridines and from 2-, 4- to 3-substituted halopyridines. The reactivity of dihalopyridines has been investigated; 2,6-dibromopyridine (7) and 3,5-dibromopyridine (11) are selectively transformed into either the corresponding benzoyl-phenylpyridine (8, 12) or the corresponding dibenzoylpyridine (9, 13). Dissymmetric 2,5-dihalopyridines (15a,b) are transformed into 2-benzoyl-5-bromopyridine (16) or 2,5-dibenzoylpyridine (17) in high yields.