Synthesis of methyl epijasmonate and cis-3-(2-oxopropyl)-2-(pent-2Z-enyl)-cyclopentan-1-one

A novel and efficient synthesis of both (±)-methyl epijasmonate and (±)-cis-3-(2-oxopropyl)-2-(pent-2Z-enyl)-cyclopentan-1-one is described. The key step to establish the cis-stereochemistry on the 5-membered ring is an ionic Diels–Alder reaction, which is high yielding and highly regioselective. Subsequent key steps include oxidative cleavage of the six-membered ring, Wittig coupling and for the synthesis of epijasmonate, the haloform reaction.     

Total synthesis of (+/-)fasicularin via a 2-amidoacrolein cycloaddition

The total synthesis of the cytotoxin fasicularin is described. The key steps include the following: (1) an intermolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition of a 2-(triflamido)acrolein with the dioxolane ketal of trideca-1,3-dien-7-one to establish the trans-perhydroisoquinoline stereochemistry, (2) a stereoelectronically controlled hydride addition to a N(1)-C(2) iminium ion to introduce the equatorial hexyl substituent, and (3) elaboration of the pyrido ring by an internal aldol reaction.     

A second generation formal synthesis of (-)-cephalotaxine

A second generation formal synthesis of the alkaloid (-)-cephalotaxine has been achieved using an alkylidene carbene 1,5-CH insertion reaction to establish a key quaternary stereocenter. The carbene precursor was readily derived from L-proline, and the 1,5-CH insertion reaction was performed under Ohira's conditions using lithiotrimethylsilyldiazomethane (LTDM), which gave the desired spirocyclic product in 74% yield. The hydroxymethyl group was then oxidized and then decarbonylated (93%), and this material was easily transformed into the desired Friedel-Crafts cyclization precursor. Exposure of this material to SnCl4 then gave the desired pentacyclic product, which was identical to that previously prepared by Mori and thus represents a formal total synthesis of (-)-cephalotaxine.     

An efficient synthesis of the C27–C45 fragment of lagunamide A,a cyclodepsipeptide with potent cytotoxic and antimalarial properties

An efficient and stereoselective synthesis of the entire C27–C45 moiety of lagunamide A has been achieved from 1-[(4S)-4-benzyl-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl]propan-1-one in six steps with 22% overall yield. The key step in the synthesis is an asymmetric acetal aldol reaction featuring the enantioselective addition of a chiral thiazolidinethione-derived titanium enolate to an acetal to establish the stereochemistry at C39.     

Formal total synthesis of (+/-)-gamma-lycorane and (+/-)-1-deoxylycorine using the [4+2]-cycloaddition/rearrangement cascade of furanyl carbamates

The total syntheses of gamma-lycorane and (+/-)-1-deoxylycorine were accomplished using an intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition of a furanyl carbamate as the key step. The initially formed [4+2]-cycloadduct undergoes nitrogen-assisted ring opening followed by deprotonation/reprotonation of the resulting zwitterion to give a rearranged hexahydroindolinone. The stereochemical outcome of the IMDAF cycloaddition has the side arm of the tethered alkenyl group oriented syn with respect to the oxygen bridge. The key intermediate used in both syntheses corresponds to hexahydroindolinone 20. Removal of the t-Boc group in 20 followed by reaction with 6-iodobenzo[1,3]dioxole-5-carbonyl chloride afforded enamide 22. Treatment of this compound with Pd(OAc)(2) employing the Jeffrey modification of the Heck reaction provided the galanthan tetracycle 24 in good yield. Compound 24 was subsequently converted into (+/-)-gamma-lycorane using a four-step procedure to establish the cis-B,C-ring junction. A radical-based cyclization of the related enamide 33 was used for the synthesis of 1-deoxylycorine. Heating a benzene solution of 33 with AIBN and n-Bu(3)SnH at reflux gave the tetracyclic compound 38 possessing the requisite trans fusion between rings B and C in good yield. After hydrolysis and oxidation of 38 to 40, an oxidative decarboxylation reaction was used to provide the C(2)(-)C(3)(-)C(12) allylic alcohol unit characteristic of the lycorine alkaloids. The resulting enone was eventually transformed into (+/-)-1-deoxylycorine via known synthetic intermediates.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (2S,3R)- and (2R,3S)-iodoreboxetine; potential SPECT imaging agents for the noradrenaline transporter

With the aim of developing a new SPECT imaging agent for the noradrenaline transporter, a twelve-step stereoselective synthesis of iodinated analogues of (2S,3R)- and (2R,3S)-reboxetine has been achieved from 4-bromobenzaldehyde. The key steps involve a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation to establish the stereogenic centres and a copper catalysed aromatic halogen exchange reaction to introduce the key iodine atom. In vitro testing of these compounds using a [(3)H]nisoxetine displacement assay with homogenised rat brain shows both compounds to have significant affinity, with K(i) values of 320.8 nM and 58.2 nM for (2S,3R)- and (2R,3S)-iodoreboxetine respectively.     

3 + 2] Annulation of allylic silanes in acyclic stereocontrol: total synthesis of (9S)-dihydroerythronolide A

The [3 + 2] annulation reactions of allylic silanes can be utilized to achieve acyclic stereocontrol. This method was employed as a key step in an enantioselective total synthesis of (9S)-dihydroerythronolide A. The key annulation reaction served to establish most of the stereochemistry of the target, including the two tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenters. The symmetry of the target molecule allowed it to be disconnected into two equally sized fragments, both of which were generated from the same annulation reaction. The two fragments were coupled using a tin(II)-mediated chelation-controlled aldol reaction of an alpha-benzyloxy ethyl ketone. This convergent total synthesis of (9S)-dihydroerythronolide A was accomplished with the longest linear sequence of 29 steps and in 5.4% overall yield.     

Total synthesis and absolute configuration of malyngamide W

A concise enantioselective synthesis of malyngamide W (1) and its 2'-epimer was described. The strategy was based on three key steps: (1) ozonolysis of compound 11 which was derived from (R)-(-)-carvone 8, followed by copper-iron-catalyzed rearrangement to give the key cyclohex-2-enone intermediate 5, (2) Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi coupling reaction between aldehyde 4 and iodide 14 to afford alcohol 3, and (3) asymmetric (R)-CBS reduction of the ketone functionality in compound 21 to establish the C-2' chiral center in the target compound 1. The absolute configuration of malyngamide W (1) was thus confirmed via the synthesis of 1 and 2'-epi-1.     

Determination of the Absolute Configuration of Dimethyl (2S,3S)-2-Allyl-3-hydroxyglutarate: A Chiral Building Block for Preparing Branched-Chain Nucleoside Analogues

A yeast-catalyzed reduction of dimethyl (2S,3S)-2-allyl-3-hydroxyglutarate is the key step in the preparation of bis-homo, branched-chain nucleoside analogues. To establish unambiguously the stereochemical course of the microbial reaction, the product has been converted to a derivative esterified with camphanoyl chloride, and a crystal structure of the derivative solved.     

An efficient synthesis of an alphavbeta3 antagonist

A practical preparation of an alpha(v)beta(3) antagonist is reported. The antagonist consists of three key components, a tetrahydronaphthyridine moiety, a beta-alanine moiety, and a central imidazolidone moiety. The tetrahydronaphthyridine component was prepared using two different methods, both of which relied on variations of the Friedl?nder reaction to establish the desired regiochemistry. The beta-alanine component was prepared using Davies' asymmetric 1,4-addition methodology as the key stereo-defining step. The central imidazolidone portion was created from these two components using an effective three-step cyclization protocol. Thus, a highly convergent process for the drug candidate was defined.     

Chain microstructure and conformation of partially quaternized poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)

¹H-NMR spectroscopy was used to establish the chain microstructure and conformation produced by the quaternization reaction of syndiotactic poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate], a polymer with tertiary amino groups in the side chains. A chain microstructure with mini blocks of modified units was found by analyzing the N⁺CH₃ signal that was proved to be split in accordance with the composition triads. The macromolecular backbone changes its form by quaternization, from a close to an expanded coil, was confirmed by light scattering measurements and NOE spectra modifications. The two linked processes, the block formation and chain expansion can be the key in developing a reaction mechanism explaining both positive and negative deviations from a second-order kinetic model.     

Contra-thermodynamic behavior in intermolecular hydrogen transfer of alkylperoxy radicals.

Quantum chemical investigation of bimolecular hydrogen transfer involving alkylperoxy radicals, a key reaction family in the free-radical oxidation of hydrocarbons, was performed to establish structure-reactivity relationships. Eight different reactions were investigated featuring four different alkane substrates (methane, ethane, propane and isobutane) and two different alkylperoxy radicals (methylperoxy and iso-propylperoxy). Including forward and reverse pairs, sixteen different activation energies and enthalpies of reaction were used to formulate structure-reactivity relationships to describe this chemistry. We observed that the enthalpy of formation of loosely bound intermediate states has a strong inverse correlation with the overall heat of reaction and that this results in unique contra-thermodynamic behavior such that more exothermic reactions have higher activation barriers. A new structure-reactivity relationship was proposed that fits the calculated data extremely well: E(A)=E(o)+alphaDeltaH(rxn) where alpha=-0.10 for DeltaH(rxn)<0, and alpha=1.10 for DeltaH(rxn)>0 and E(o)=3.05 kcal mol(-1).     

An enantioselective formal synthesis of (-)-thujopsene

Dihydromayurone (3), a key intermediate to synthesize (-)-thujopsene (1), was efficient enantiocontrolled synthesized from ( )-dihydrocarvone through 9 steps in an overall yield of 19.3%. The key step was the Simmons-Smith reaction.     

An enantioselective formal synthesis of （-）-thujopsene

Dihydromayurone （3）, a key intermediate to synthesize （-）-thujopsene （1）, was efficient enantiocontrolled synthesized from （＋）-dihydrocarvone through 9 steps in an overall yield of 19.3%. The key step was the Simmons-Smith reaction.     

Total synthesis of (-)-martinellic acid via radical addition-cyclization-elimination reaction

The asymmetric total synthesis of martinellic acid, the first pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline alkaloid found in nature, is described. Three key steps in our synthesis of (-)-martinellic acid are the Bu(3)SnH-promoted radical addition-cyclization-elimination (RACE) reaction of an oxime ether with an alpha,beta-unsaturated ester to generate the pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline core, a chemoselective lactam carbonyl reduction, and guanidinylation under Mitsunobu reaction conditions. The key radical cyclization has also been investigated by using SmI(2). (-)-Martinellic acid was synthesized from commercially available methyl 4-bromo-3-methylbenzoate in fewer steps than previous syntheses and in an improved overall yield.     

A short and concise synthetic route to (−)-coniceine

(−)-Coniceine, the simplest framework of indolizidine alkaloids, has been successfully accessed using a route in which ruthenium-catalyzed ring-closing olefin metathesis (RCM) was the key reaction to establish the unsaturated bicyclic lactam system.     

Stereoselective Syntheses and Biological Properties of (E)-α-(Methoxyimino)-2-[1-(aryloxy)methyl]-benzeneacetates

(E)-α-(Methoxyimino)-2-[1-(aryloxy)methyl]-benzeneacetates, the analogues of Kresoxim-methyl, were stereoselectively synthesized with the coupling reaction of 2-methylphenyldiazonium chloride and methyl 2-hydroxyiminoacetate in the presence of CuSO4/Na2SO3 as a key step, and it was first found that the coupling reaction could give the key intermediate material(E)- and(Z)-methyl 2-(hydroxyimino)-2-o-tolylacetate with a molar ratio of 14∶1. The(E)-configurations of all these compounds were assigned on the basis of their 2D-NOESY spectra of 1H NMR. The preliminary bioassays indicate that most of the compounds show an activity against a wide variety of fungi.     

Diastereoselective formal synthesis of a monoterpene alkaloid, (-)-incarvilline

Diastereoselective formal synthesis of a monoterpene alkaloid, (-)-incarvilline, the key intermediate for the synthesis of (-)-incarvillateine, was achieved by using an intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction of (S)-N-[(E)-2-butenyl]-N-(3-butynyl-2-methoxymethoxy)-p-toluenesulfonamide as a key step.     

克唑替尼关键中间体(S)-1-(2,6-二氯-3-氟苯基)乙醇的不对称合成

(S)-1-(2,6-二氯-3-氟苯基)乙醇（2）是合成抗癌药物克唑替尼的关键手性前体。本文以1-(2,6-二氯-3-氟苯基)乙酮为起始原料,利用二异松莰基氯化硼［(-)-Ipc₂BCl］不对称还原制得光学纯的2;并将中间体2经Mitsunobu反应、还原、溴代、 Suzuki偶联及脱除Boc保护合成克唑替尼,其结构¹H NMR,¹³C NMR和HR-MS(ESI)确证。对关键中间体2的合成条件进行了优化,并其对反应机理进行了推测。     

Synthesis of cannabidiols via alkenylation of cyclohexenyl monoacetate

[reaction: see text] Because of the lack of potency binding to the receptors responsible for psychoactivity, cannabidiol has received much attention as a lead compound to develop a nonpsychotropic drug. Herein, we establish a method to access not only cannabidiol but also its analogues. The key reaction is nickel-catalyzed allylation of 2-cyclohexene-1,4-diol monoacetate with a new reagent, (alkenyl)ZnCl/TMEDA, which gives a S(N)2-type product with 94% regioselectivity in good yield.