Total synthesis of the topopyrones: a new class of topoisomerase I poisons

The topopyrones represent a new class of highly cytotoxic topoisomerase I poisons. Efficient total syntheses of all four naturally occurring members of this class have been accomplished. Key elements of the syntheses include Diels-Alder reactions employing two novel dienes and a titanium-mediated ortho-directed Friedel-Crafts acylation. Additionally, the syntheses of two chlorinated analogues accessible from an advanced intermediate are described.     

Asymmetric synthesis of the dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans interiotherin a and gomisin R

[structure: see text] Asymmetric total syntheses of the dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans interiotherin A and angeloylgomisin R are reported. The syntheses were based on an atropdiastereoselective, copper-promoted biaryl coupling reaction, a diastereoselective hydroboration/Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction sequence, and an asymmetric boron-mediated tiglylation of an aryl aldehyde precursor.     

Enantioselective syntheses of bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane carboxylic acid derivatives by intramolecular cyclopropanation

Enantioselective syntheses of bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane carboxylic acid derivatives are described. The syntheses were achieved by an intramolecular cyclopropanation as the key step, starting from enantiomerically pure starting materials that are commercially available.     

Synthetic studies towards pentacyclic quassinoids: total synthesis of unnatural (-)-14-epi-samaderine E and natural (-)-samaderine Y from (S)-(+)-carvone

First total syntheses of unnatural (-)-14-epi-samaderine E (5) and natural (-)-samaderine Y (2) were accomplished from (S)-(+)-carvone (6) in 18 and 21 steps, respectively. The syntheses are short, efficient (with an average yield of 80 % plus for each transformation), enantiospecific, and produce nine new chiral centers. The crucial points of the syntheses included a regioselective allylic oxidation on ring C, regio- and stereoselective reduction of ketone, a stereocontrolled epoxidation, an epoxymethano-bridge formation, a chemoselective Grignard reaction, an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, an intramolecular aldol addition, and a newly developed manganese(III)-catalyzed allylic oxidation on ring A.     

First asymmetric total syntheses of cernuane-type Lycopodium alkaloids, cernuine, and cermizine D

The first total syntheses of two cernuane-type Lycopodium alkaloids, (-)-cernuine and (+)-cermizine D, were accomplished starting from (+)-citronellal. The syntheses involved organocatalytic alpha-amination to afford oxazolidinone, which is used for diastereoselective allylation, and asymmetric transfer aminoallylation followed by stereoselective construction of an aminal moiety as key steps.     

Total Syntheses of Xiamycins A,C, F,H and Oridamycin A and Preliminary Evaluation of their Anti‐Fungal Properties

Divergent and enantiospecific total syntheses of the indolosesquiterpenoids xiamycins A, C, F, H and oridamycin A have been accomplished. The syntheses, which commence from (R)‐carvone, employ a key photoinduced benzannulation sequence to forge the carbazole moiety characteristic of these natural products. Late‐stage diversification from a common intermediate enabled the first syntheses of xiamycins C and F, and an unexpected one‐pot oxidative decarboxylation, which may prove general, led to xiamycin H. All synthetic intermediates and the natural products were tested for anti‐fungal activity. Xiamycin H emerged as an inhibitor of three agriculturally relevant fungal pathogens.     

First asymmetric total syntheses of (-)-subincanadines a and B, skeletally rearranged pentacyclic monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in aspidospermasubincanum

We achieved the first asymmetric total syntheses of novel Aspidosperma indole alkaloids, (-)-subincanadines A and B, which involve an intramolecular diastereoselective Pictet-Spengler cyclization and an intramolecular Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction as key steps in the total syntheses.     

Total Syntheses of Xiamycins A,C, F,H and Oridamycin A and Preliminary Evaluation of their Anti‐Fungal Properties

Divergent and enantiospecific total syntheses of the indolosesquiterpenoids xiamycins A, C, F, H and oridamycin A have been accomplished. The syntheses, which commence from (R)‐carvone, employ a key photoinduced benzannulation sequence to forge the carbazole moiety characteristic of these natural products. Late‐stage diversification from a common intermediate enabled the first syntheses of xiamycins C and F, and an unexpected one‐pot oxidative decarboxylation, which may prove general, led to xiamycin H. All synthetic intermediates and the natural products were tested for anti‐fungal activity. Xiamycin H emerged as an inhibitor of three agriculturally relevant fungal pathogens.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan natural products

[structure: see text] Full details of the asymmetric total syntheses of the dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans interiotherin A, angeloylgomisin R, gomisin O, and gomisin E (epigomisin O) are presented. The syntheses were based on a unified synthetic strategy involving a novel crotylation using the Leighton auxiliary that occurred with excellent asymmetric induction (>98:2 enantiomeric ratio), a diastereoselective hydroboration/Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction sequence, and an atropdiastereoselective biarylcuprate coupling, both of which occurred with total (>20:1) stereocontrol. The syntheses were achieved in six to eight steps from simple aromatic precursors.     

The first asymmetric total syntheses and determination of absolute configurations of xestodecalactones B and C

The first efficient asymmetric total syntheses of xestodecalactones B and C have been accomplished in 10 steps with an overall yield of 22 and 20.2%, respectively. The key steps involve the utility of Evans oxazolidinone-mediated syn-aldol condensations to establish the C-9 configuration and the macrolide ring formation by intramolecular acylation. The absolute configurations of xestodecalactones B and C have been determined via these syntheses.     

Asymmetric total syntheses of heliannuol E and epi-heliannuol E

Asymmetric total syntheses of heliannuol E and epi-heliannuol E were achieved in 10 and 13 steps, respectively, from the commercially available starting materials. The syntheses feature an intramolecular attacking on the sulfate to form the dihydropyran ring of heliannuol E and an acyl transfer-secondary carbocation capture sequence to construct the dihydropyran ring of epi-heliannuol E.     

First total synthesis of the brominated polyacetylenes (+)-diplyne A and D: proof of absolute configuration

The first total syntheses of the enantiomers of two novel brominated polyacetylenic natural products, diplynes A and D, are reported. The syntheses are based on Pd and Cu(I)-catalyzed coupling reactions. The stereocenter was derived from D-mannitol. The stereocenter in the naturally occurring (−)-diplyne A was established to have an (R)-configuration.     

Occurrence, biological activity and synthesis of drimane sesquiterpenoids

In this review the names, structures and occurrence of all new drimanes and rearranged drimanes which have been published between January 1990 and January 2003 have been collected. Subjects that have been treated are biosynthesis, analysis, biological activities, with special attention to cytotoxic activity and antifeedant and insecticidal activity and mode of action. An important part of the review deals with the synthesis of drimanes. This part has been subdivided into syntheses by transformation of natural products, syntheses starting from chiral compounds obtained by enzymatic resolution, syntheses by cationic polyolefin cyclizations, syntheses from trans-decalones, syntheses by radical cyclizations and syntheses by cycloaddition reactions. The review contains about 350 references.     

Practical asymmetric preparation of azetidine-2-carboxylic acid

[reaction: see text] Facile and straightforward syntheses of both enantiomers of azetidine-2-carboxylic acid are described. The syntheses depart from inexpensive chemicals and allow for the production, in five to six steps, of practical quantities of each enantiomer. Synthetic highlights include the construction of the azetidine ring using an intramolecular alkylation and the use of optically active alpha-methylbenzylamine as chiral auxiliary.     

Biomimetic total synthesis of malbrancheamide and malbrancheamide B

The biomimetic total syntheses of both malbrancheamide and malbrancheamide B are reported. The synthesis of the two monochloro species enabled the structure of malbrancheamide B to be unambiguously assigned. The syntheses each feature an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of a 5-hydroxypyrazin-2(1H)-one to construct the bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane core, which has also been proposed as the biosynthetic route to these compounds.     

The Principle of Minimum Chemical Distance (PMCD)

The principle of minimum chemical distance (PMCD) allows one to formulate the isoprene rule, the conversion of tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene into adamantane, five syntheses of colchicine, and the syntheses of C₁₆-hexaquinacene, morphine and strychnine as optimization problems which can be solved by computers in less than a second. The principle of minimum chemical distance is based on an algebraic theory of constitutional chemistry. The PMCD, a corollary to the well known principle of minimum structure change, is a quantitative heuristic rule which serves as the foundation of the computer-assisted combinatorial solution of a great variety of chemical problems, particularly in substructure analysis, the study of reaction mechanism, and the design of syntheses.     

Concise, protecting group free total syntheses of (+)-sattabacin and (+)-4-hydroxysattabacin

The first asymmetric total syntheses of the antiviral natural products (+)-sattabacin and (+)-4-hydroxysattabacin are reported. Both total syntheses are remarkably concise and were completed without the use of protecting groups. These syntheses allowed the unambiguous assignment of the absolute configuration of both natural products. The syntheses of these natural products, which exhibit marked antiviral activity, are readily amenable to the preparation of structural analogs and progress in this regard is also reported.     

Thirty-five years of synthetic studies directed towards the histrionicotoxin family of alkaloids

This article brings together for the first time reviews of all the synthetic attempts towards the spirocyclic histrionicotoxin alkaloids published since the discovery of the group in 1971. This covers 5 total syntheses of the fully unsaturated parent alkaloid HTX-283A, 7 total syntheses of perhydrohistrionicotoxin, 15 total syntheses of other members of this alkaloid family, 25 formal syntheses, and 19 partial syntheses involving the successful formation of the core azaspirocyclic structure but lacking advancement towards the target structure.     

Pd-catalyzed enantioselective aerobic oxidation of secondary alcohols: applications to the total synthesis of alkaloids

Enantioselective syntheses of the alkaloids (-)-aurantioclavine, (+)-amurensinine, (-)-lobeline, and (-)- and (+)-sedamine are described. The syntheses demonstrate the effectiveness of the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric oxidation of secondary alcohols in diverse contexts and the ability of this methodology to set the absolute configuration of multiple stereocenters in a single operation. The utility of an aryne C-C insertion reaction in accessing complex polycyclic frameworks is also described.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-azimine and (+)-carpaine

[reaction: see text] The enantioselective total syntheses of (+)-azimine and (+)-carpaine have been developed, starting with (S)-1,2,4-butanetriol as a single source of chirality. The key common feature in these syntheses involves stereoselective intramolecular hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of an acylnitroso compound. The critical macrocyclic dilactonization of the N-Cbz derivatives of azimic acid and carpamic acid was efficiently achieved by using the Yamguchi macrocyclization conditions.