Toward the synthesis of norzoanthamine: complete fragment assembly

The complex marine alkaloid norzoanthamine (2) was envisioned to be assembled from three key building blocks: the C1-C5 fragment A, the C6-C10 fragment B, and the C11-C24 fragment C. The synthesis of fragment A was achieved in 14 steps and 33% overall yield from (R)-gamma-hydroxymethyl-gamma-butyrolactone. Fragment B was made in two steps from PMB-protected 4-pentynol in 76% yield. The C11-C24 fragment C was made from (S)-carvone via (R)-isocarvone in 18 steps (6% overall yield). The convergent stereoselective synthesis of the entire carbon framework (C1-C24) of the target molecule was achieved via the following assemblage. Alkenyl iodide 20 derived from the C11-C24 fragment C was coupled to fragment B (C6-C10) through a high-yielding Stille coupling reaction of these two sterically very demanding coupling partners, affording the key Diels-Alder precursor 24. The intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction proceeded smoothly in excellent yield and diastereoselectivity, generating the tricyclic trans-anti-trans perhydrophenanthrene motif of norzoanthamine (C6-C24). The final fragment coupling between lithiated fragment A (C1-C5) and aldehyde 40 (C6-C24) has also been successfully accomplished affording the entire carbon framework of the natural product.     

Studies directed towards the synthesis of antascomicin A: stereoselective synthesis of the C1-C21 fragment of the molecule

A stereoselective synthesis of the C1-C21 fragment of the non-immunosuppressive immunophilin-binding natural product, antascomicin A was achieved using, as key steps, highly stereoselective Aldol reactions to build the C1-C17 fragment and a Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction to couple it with the remaining C18-C21 moiety.     

Total synthesis of (-)-callystatin A

[reaction: see text] A convergent enantioselective synthesis of the natural product (-)-callystatin A (1) is described. Key features of the synthesis include a lipase-mediated kinetic resolution to install the C5 lactone stereochemistry, a hydrozirconation-based approach to the C8-C9 trisubstituted (Z)-olefin, and a stereoselective cross-coupling of a vinyl dibromide to install the C14-C15 trisubstituted (E)-olefin.     

Studies directed toward the total synthesis of discodermolide: asymmetric synthesis of the C1-C14 fragment

[structure: see text] A convergent and stereoselective assembly of the C1-C14 subunit of marine natural product (+)-discodermolide has been completed. The approach employs chiral allylsilane bond construction methodology to establish four of the eight stereogenic centers. Key fragment coupling is achieved via an efficient stereoselective acetate aldol reaction between C1-C6 and C7-C14 subunits.     

Total synthesis of (+)-superstolide A

A convergent and highly stereocontrolled total synthesis of the cytotoxic macrolide (+)-superstolide A is described. Key features of this synthesis include the use of bimetallic linchpin 36b for uniting the C(1)-C(15) (43) and the C(20)-C(27) (38) fragments of the natural product, a late-stage Suzuki macrocyclization of 49, and a highly diastereoselective transannular Diels-Alder reaction of macrocyclic octaene 4. In contrast, the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of pentaenal 5 provided the desired cycloadduct with lower stereoselectivity (6:1:1).     

Total synthesis of cruentaren B

A convergent total synthesis of the cytotoxic natural product cruentaren B is completed in 26 steps (longest linear sequence) with an overall yield of 7.1%. For the construction of the C1-C11 benzolactone fragment of the molecule, the key steps used were O-methylation, using a Mitsunobu reaction, a Stille coupling method to construct the C7-C8 bond, and a Brown's asymmetric crotylboration reaction for the direct enantioselective installation of the two chiral centers present in this fragment. For diastereoselective installation of the chiral centers in the C12-C20 polyketide fragment, an Evans syn aldol reaction on a chiral aldehyde, derived from methyl (R)-3-hydroxyl-2-methylpropionate, and subsequently a Mukaiyama aldol reaction were employed. For the construction of the C21-C28 tail, a "non-Evans" syn aldol reaction was used. The three fragments were coupled by an SN2 reaction and a Wittig olefination reaction followed by standard functional group manipulations to furnish the target molecule.     

Stereoselective synthesis of the C(1)-C(11) fragment of peloruside A

A highly stereoselective synthesis of the C(1)-C(11) fragment 4 of peloruside A has been accomplished via a stereoselective double allylboration and an intramolecular epoxide opening to provide the functionally dense C(3)-C(11) segment 14. A glycolate aldol reaction was then employed to introduce the remaining stereocenters at C(2)-C(3). [reaction: see text]     

Synthesis of the C1-C21 (C1'-C21') fragment of the dimeric polyketide natural product SCH 351448

[structure: see text] A convergent, stereoselective assembly of the C1-C21 (C1'-C21') fragment of SCH 351448, a 28-membered bis-lactone natural product, has been developed. A highly efficient approach to this fragment assembles 75% of the carbon skeleton and all the stereochemical elements present in the natural product. In addition, an interesting boron ligand effect on the diastereoselectivity of a key aldol reaction with methyl ketone-derived enolborinates is reported.     

A joint study based on the electron localization function and catastrophe theory of the chameleonic and centauric models for the Cope rearrangement of 1,5-hexadiene and its cyano derivatives

A novel interpretation of the chameleonic and centauric models for the Cope rearrangements of 1,5-hexadiene (A) and different cyano derivatives (B: 2,5-dicyano, C: 1,3,4,6-tetracyano, and D: 1,3,5-tricyano) is presented by using the topological analysis of the electron localization function (ELF) and Thom's catastrophe theory (CT) on the reaction paths calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. The progress of the reaction is monitorized by the changes of the ELF structural stability domains (SSD), each being change controlled by a turning point derived from CT. The reaction mechanism of the parent reaction A is characterized by nine ELF SSDs. All processes occur in the vicinity of the transition structure and corresponding to a concerted formation/breaking of C(1)-C(6) and C(3)-C(4) bonds, respectively, together with an accumulation of charge density onto C(2) and C(5) atoms. Reaction B presents the same number of ELF SSDs as A, but a different order appears; the presence of 2,5-dicyano substituents favors the formation of C(1)-C(6) bonds over the breaking of C(3)-C(4) bond process, changing the reaction mechanism from a concerted towards a stepwise, via a cyclohexane biradical intermediate. On the other side, reaction C presents the same type of turning points but two ELF SSD less than A or B; there is an enhancement of the C(3)-C(4) bond breaking process at an earlier stage of the reaction by delocalizing the electrons from the C(3)-C(4) bond among the cyano groups. In the case of competitive effects of cyano subsituents on each moiety, as it is for reaction D, seven different ELF SSDs have been identified separated by eight turning points (two of them occur simultaneously). Both processes, formation/breaking of C(1)-C(6) and C(3)-C(4) bonds, are slightly favored with respect to the parent reaction (A), and the TS presents mixed electronic features of both B and C. The employed methodology provides theoretical support for the centauric nature (half-allyl, half-radical) for the TS of D.     

Photochemical C2-C6 cyclization of enyne-allenes: detection of a fulvene triplet diradical in the laser flash photolysis

A series of enyne-allenes, with and without benzannulation at the ene moiety and equipped with aromatic and carbonyl groups as internal triplet sensitizer units at the allene terminus, was synthesized. Both sets, the cyclohexenyne-allenes and benzenyne-allenes, underwent thermal C(2)-C(6) cyclization exclusively to formal ene products. In contrast, the photochemical C(2)-C(6) cyclization of enyne-allenes provided formal Diels-Alder and/or ene products, with higher yields for the benzannulated systems. A raise of the temperature in the photochemical cyclization of enyne-allene 1b' led to increasing amounts of the ene product in relation to that of the formal Diels-Alder product. Laser flash photolysis at 266 and 355 nm as well as triplet quenching studies for 1b,b' indicated that the C(2)-C(6) cyclization proceeds via the triplet manifold. On the basis of a density functional theory (DFT) study, a short-lived transient (tau = 30 ns) was assigned as a triplet allene, while a long-lived transient (tau = 33 micros) insensitive to oxygen was assigned as fulvene triplet diradical. An elucidation of the reaction mechanism using extensive DFT computations allowed rationalization of the experimental product ratio and its temperature dependence.     

The reactions of O(3P) with terminal alkenes: the H2CO channel via 3,2 H-atom shift

The step-scan time-resolved FTIR emission spectroscopy is used to characterize systematically the H(2)CO channel for the reactions of O((3)P) with various alkenes. IR emission bands due to the products of CO, CO(2), and H(2)CO have been observed in the spectra. H(2)CO is identified to be the primary reaction product whereas CO and CO(2) are secondary reaction products of O((3)P) with alkenes. A general trend is observed in which the fraction yield of the H(2)CO product increases substantially as the reactant alkene varies from C(2)H(4), C(3)H(6), 1-C(4)H(8), iso-C(4)H(8), to 1-C(5)H(10). The formation mechanism of the H(2)CO is therefore elucidated to arise from a 3,2 H-atom shift followed by breaking of the C(1)-C(2) bond in the initially formed energized diradical RCH(2)CHCH(2)O*. The 3,2 H-atom shift may become the dominant process with the more rapid delocalization of the energy when the hydrocarbon chain of the alkene molecule is lengthened.     

Thermal C1-C5 diradical cyclization of enediynes

Computational studies at the BLYP/6-31G(d) level (supplemented by BCCD(T)/cc-pVDZ calculations) suggest that in aryl-substituted 1,2-diethynylbenzenes, steric effects disfavor the thermal C1-C6 diradical cyclization reaction (Bergman) and electronic effects favor the regiovariant C1-C5 cyclization to the extent that the C1-C5 process should become an important reaction pathway in the thermolyses of such compounds. Experimentally, thermolyses of 1,2-bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenylethynyl)benzene, a particularly favorable case, yields only products derived from C1-C5 cyclization [specifically, 1-(2,4,6-trichlorobenzylidene)-2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-1H-indene and its hydrogenation product 3-(2,4,6-trichlorobenzyl)-2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)-1H-indene], and even for the parent hydrocarbon 1,2-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene, the formation of C1-C5 cyclization products is competitive with the major Bergman reaction. Although some C1-C5 cyclization products are probably formed by transfer hydrogenation from 1,4-cyclohexadiene (commonly included in such reactions), thermolyses in the absence of 1,4-CHD as well as deuterium labeling studies confirm the existence of direct C1-C5 diradical cyclizations for diaryl-substituted enediynes.     

Stereoselective synthesis of the phorboxazole A macrolide by ring-closing metathesis

[Structure: see text] Described is a regio- and stereoselective ring-closing metathesis (RCM) to form the C2-C3 alkene of the macrolide-containing domain of phorboxazole A. This work demonstrates a dramatic effect of reaction solvent on RCM product (E/Z)-selectivity. This process offers an alternative assembly of the macrolide-containing domain of phorboxazole A, one of the most potent anticancer agents known.     

Studies on the synthesis of (-)-gymnodimine. Subunit synthesis and coupling

Two principal subunits of the marine algal toxin (-)-gymnodimine were synthesized. A trisubstituted tetrahydrofuran representing C10-C18 of the toxin was prepared via a highly stereoselective iodine-mediated cyclization of an acyclic alkene bearing a bis-2,6-dichlorobenzyl (DCB) ether. The formation of a cis-2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran in this process conforms to a stereodirecting effect by the DCB group proposed by Bartlett and Rychnovsky. A cyclohexene subunit corresponding to the C1-C8, C19-C24 portion of gymnodimine was synthesized via Diels-Alder cycloaddition of a 1,2,3-trisubstituted diene to a symmetrical dienophile obtained from Meldrum's acid. Differentiation of carbonyl groups in the cycloadduct was made by an intramolecular reaction with a neighboring alcohol to form a gamma-lactone. Linkage of the two subunits at C18-C19 was accomplished by using a B-alkyl Suzuki coupling in which a borane prepared from the pendent alkenyl chain of the cyclohexene domain was reacted with the (E)-iodoalkene attached at C16 of the tetrahydrofuran sector. Subsequent transformations positioned functional groups in the coupled product for a future macrocyclization event that would close the 15-membered ring of gymnodimine.     

Synthesis of the C(1)-C(12) segment of peloruside A by an alpha-benzyloxymethyl ketone aldol strategy

The C(1)-C(12) segment of 16-membered antitumor macrolide peloruside A has been prepared by a BF(3).OEt(2)-catalyzed Mukaiyama aldol reaction between a glucose-derived C(1)-C(7) aldehyde and a C(8)-C(12) alpha-benzyloxymethyl ketone. Exclusive 2,3-anti and moderate 3,5-anti/syn facial selectivity (3.5:1) was observed in the aldol reaction. The key C(1)-C(7) aldehyde contains the required stereochemistry at carbons two, three, and five, and has been efficiently prepared on multigram scales from commercial triacetyl D-glucal. [reaction: see text]     

Isomeric effects in the gas-phase reactions of dichloroethene, C2H2CL2, with a series of cations

A study of the reactions of a series of gas-phase cations (NH(4)(+), H(3)O(+), SF(3)(+), CF(3)(+), CF(+), SF(5)(+), SF(2)(+), SF(+), CF(2)(+), SF(4)(+), O(2)(+), Xe(+), N(2)O(+), CO(2)(+), Kr(+), CO(+), N(+), N(2)(+), Ar(+), F(+), and Ne(+)) with the three structural isomers of dichloroethene, i.e., 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), cis-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), and trans-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) is reported. The recombination energy (RE) of these ions spans the range of 4.7-21.6 eV. Reaction rate coefficients and product branching ratios have been measured at 298 K in a selected ion flow tube (SIFT). Collisional rate coefficients are calculated by modified average dipole orientation (MADO) theory and compared with experimental data. Thermochemistry and mass balance have been used to predict the most feasible neutral products. Threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectra have also been obtained for the three isomers of C(2)H(2)Cl(2) with photon energies in the range of 10-23 eV. The fragment ion branching ratios have been compared with those of the flow tube study to determine the importance of long-range charge transfer. A strong influence of the isomeric structure of dichloroethene on the products of ion-molecule reactions has been observed for H(3)O(+), CF(3)(+), and CF(+). For 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) the reaction with H(3)O(+) proceeds at the collisional rate with the only ionic product being 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2)H(+). However, the same reaction yields two more ionic products in the case of cis-1,2- and trans-1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2), but only proceeds with 14% and 18% efficiency, respectively. The CF(3)(+) reaction proceeds with 56-80% efficiency, the only ionic product for 1,1-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) being C(2)H(2)Cl(+) formed via Cl(-) abstraction, whereas the only ionic product for both 1,2-isomers is CHCl(2)(+) corresponding to a breaking of the C=C double bond. Less profound isomeric effects, but still resulting in different products for 1,1- and 1,2-C(2)H(2)Cl(2) isomers, have been found in the reactions of SF(+), CO(2)(+), CO(+), N(2)(+), and Ar(+). Although these five ions have REs above the ionization energy (IE) of any of the C(2)H(2)Cl(2) isomers, and hence the threshold for long-range charge transfer, the results suggest that the formation of a collision complex at short range between these ions and C(2)H(2)Cl(2) is responsible for the observed effects.     

18O assisted analysis of a γ,δ-epoxyketone cyclization: synthesis of the C16-C28 fragment of ammocidin D

The C16-C28 fragment common to the cytotoxic macrolide ammocidin D has been prepared by a stereospecific 5-exo closure of a γ,δ-epoxyketone followed by a rearrangement to a pyran acetal. The reaction pathway was traced by (18)O labeling of the keto carbonyl and observation of (18)O induced (13)C shifts in the pyran acetal product. NMR data of the synthetic C16-C28 fragment compared favorably to the natural product providing support of the assigned stereochemistry.     

Total synthesis of scytophycin C. 2. Coupling reaction of the C(1)-C(18) segment and the C(19)-C(31) segment, a key macrolactonization, and the crucial terminal amidation reaction

[reaction: see text] Stereoselective syntheses of the C(1)-C(18) segment (segment A) and the C(19)-C(31) segment (segment B) are described in the preceding paper. This paper reports the key coupling reaction of both segments, 22-membered lactonization, and the crucial terminal amidation reaction culminating in the total synthesis of scytophycin C.     

Modular synthesis of the C9-C27 degradation product of aflastatin A via alkyne-epoxide cross-couplings

A modular approach to the synthesis of complex polyketide natural products is demonstrated for the synthesis of the C9-C27 degradation product from aflastatin A. The product of the cross-coupling of C23-C27 terminal alkyne with C17-C22 epoxide underwent functionalization of the resulting internal alkyne, which was then coupled similarly with C9-C16 epoxide. This synthesis concluded with regio- and stereoselective addition of methyl onto the internal alkyne followed by stereoselective hydroboration-oxidation.     

3He NMR as a sensitive probe of fullerene reactivity: [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone to C70

The [2 + 2] photoadditions of 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone to C70 and 3He@C70 have been studied by a combination of HPLC chromatography and FAB-MS, as well as IR and 1H and 3He NMR spectroscopies. The total yield of the mixture of monoadducts was 55% (67% on the basis of the recovered C70). The use of 3He NMR was especially powerful in determining the regioselectivity of the photoaddition reaction of enone to C70. Results of the 3He NMR experiments conducted on the product mixture implicate the two [6,6] bonds closest to the poles of the fullerene (C1-C2 and C5-C6) in the photoaddition process. This reaction mode is analogous to that of most thermal addition reactions to C70. Separation and characterization of the product mixture shows that eight distinct monoadducts are formed in the photoaddition, namely, the four diastereomeric adducts to the C1-C2 and C5-C6 bonds of the C70 cage, each consisting of cis- and trans-fused isomers in a ratio of 2:3. The major mode of photoaddition, accounting for 65% of the product mixture, involves addition to the C1-C2 bond of the ovoid fullerene. Mechanistic implications of these findings are discussed.