A Biomimetic Synthesis of (±)‐Basiliolide B

A highly diastereoselective and practical biomimetic total synthesis of (±)‐basiliolide B has been achieved through the study of the two proposed biosynthetic pathways (O‐methylation and O‐acylation) for the unprecedented 7‐methoxy‐4,5‐dihydro‐3H‐oxepin‐2‐one (C ring). The synthesis featured a cyclopropanation/ring opening strategy for establishing the stereogenic centers at C8 and C9, a biomimetic 2‐pyrone Diels–Alder cycloaddition for the synthesis of the ABD ring system, and finally a highly efficient biomimetic intramolecular O‐acylation for the C ring formation. This result provides an important perspective on the biosynthetic origin of the unprecedented 7‐membered acyl ketene acetal moiety of the C ring.     

Mapping the characteristics of the radical ring‐opening polymerization of a cyclic ketene acetal towards the creation of a functionalized polyester

Radical ring‐opening polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals is a means to achieve novel types of aliphatic polyesters. 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxe‐5‐pene is a seven‐membered cyclic ketene acetal containing an unsaturation in the 5‐position in the ring structure. The double bond functionality enables further reactions subsequent to polymerization. The monomer 2‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxe‐5‐pene was synthesized and polymerized in bulk by free radical polymerization at different temperatures, to determine the structure of the products and propose a reaction mechanism. The reaction mechanism is dependent on the reaction temperature. At higher temperatures, ring‐opening takes place to a great extent followed by a new cyclization process to form the stable five‐membered cyclic ester 3‐vinyl‐1,4‐butyrolactone as the main reaction product. Thereby, propagation is suppressed and only small amounts of other oligomeric products are formed. At lower temperatures, the cyclic ester formation is reduced and oligomeric products containing both ring‐opened and ring‐retained repeating units are produced at higher yield. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4587–4601, 2009     

A selective synthesis of 4‐bromo‐2‐furancarboxaldehyde and its pinacolborane derivative

A selective synthesis of ethylene acetal of 4‐bromo‐2‐furancarboxaldehyde ( 4 ) and its pinacolborane derivative ( 5 ) is described. The synthesis was carried out using 2‐furancarboxaldehyde ( 1 ) that was bromi‐nated to 4,5‐dibromo‐2‐furancarboxaldehyde ( 2 ) in an emulsion of aluminum chloride and methylene chloride. The product was isolated, protected as ethylene acetal, and selectively debrominated to the ethylene acetal of 4‐bromo‐2‐furancarboxaldehyde ( 4 ) in one step. This moiety was reacted with pinacolborane to give a reactive reagent of Suzuki coupling.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-cannabisativine

The asymmetric total synthesis of natural (+)-cannabisativine 1 was completed in 19 steps and 7% overall yield. The key synthetic intermediate 29 was prepared with a high degree of stereocontrol in 12 steps starting from chiral 1-acylpyridinium salt 10. Addition of zinc enolate 11 to pyridinium salt 10 furnished dihydropyridone 12 containing two contiguous stereocenters of the correct absolute configuration. Luche reduction of ketone 16 afforded diol 17 in high yield (96%) and excellent diastereoselectivity. The Mukaiyama-Michael reaction of pyridones 27a/b with O-silyl ketene acetal 32 gave phenyl selenyl ketones 33a/b with complete stereoselectivity. Elimination of cis-beta-hydroxyselenides 34 and 35 effected the regiocontrolled preparation of tetrahydropyridine derivative 29. Several approaches to the macrocyclic ring closure of the 13-membered ring were investigated, ultimately leading to the completion of an asymmetric synthesis of the target compound with a high degree of stereocontrol.     

Synthesis of (+)-obtusenyne

An enantioselective synthesis of the halogenated medium-ring ether natural product (+)-obtusenyne is reported which uses the ring expansion of a seven-membered ketene acetal by means of a Claisen rearrangement to construct the core nine-membered oxygen heterocycle. The trans substituents across the ether linkage were established by using a transition-metal-catalyzed intramolecular hydrosilation reaction of an exo-cyclic enol ether. In addition, a formal synthesis of ent-obtusenyne from 2-deoxy-D-ribose is reported. A number of interesting points regarding the chemistry of medium-ring oxygen heterocycles are highlighted.     

Total synthesis and structure revision of deacetylravidomycin M

Total synthesis of the unnatural enantiomer of deacetylravidomycin M was accomplished. The key steps include, (1) aryl C-glycosidation of the azido-bearing fucosyl acetate 2 by using catalytic Sc(OTf)₃, (2) the [2+2] cycloaddition reaction of alkoxybenzyne bearing an azido sugar to ketene silyl acetal, and (3) the ring expansion reaction of alkoxybenzocyclobutenone. The synthesis revealed that the natural product is not the proposed amine, but the corresponding N-oxide.     

Enantioselective and Regioselective Pyrone Diels–Alder Reactions of Vinyl Sulfones: Total Synthesis of (+)‐Cavicularin

The total synthesis of (+)‐cavicularin is described. The synthesis features an enantio‐ and regioselective pyrone Diels–Alder reaction of a vinyl sulfone to construct the cyclophane architecture of the natural product. The Diels–Alder substrate was prepared by a regioselective one‐pot three‐component Suzuki reaction of a non‐symmetric dibromoarene.     

Total Synthesis and Stereochemical Revision of Iriomoteolide‐2a

Total syntheses of the proposed and correct structures of iriomoteolide‐2a, a cytotoxic marine macrolide natural product with an unusual 23‐membered macrolactone skeleton, have been accomplished for the first time. The synthesis of the correct structure involves an asymmetric epoxidation/diepoxide cyclization cascade for the construction of the bis(tetrahydrofuran) moiety, a Suzuki–Miyaura coupling for the fragment assembly, and a ring‐closing metathesis for the closure of the macrocyclic backbone. In addition, the original stereochemical assignment of iriomoteolide‐2a was revised.     

Radical ring‐opening polymerization

The radical ring‐opening polymerization (RROP) behavior of the following monomers is reviewed, and the possibility for application to functional materials is described: cyclic disulfide, bicyclobutane, vinylcyclopropane, vinylcyclobutane, vinyloxirane, vinylthiirane, 4‐methylene‐1,3‐dioxolane, cyclic ketene acetal, cyclic arylsulfide, cyclic α‐oxyacrylate, benzocyclobutene, o‐xylylene dimer, exo‐methylene‐substituted spiro orthocarbonate, exo‐methylene‐substituted spiro orthoester, and vinylcyclopropanone cyclic acetal. RROP is a promising candidate for producing a wide variety of environmentally friendly functional polymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 265–276, 2001     

Total Synthesis and Biological Assessment of Mandelalide A

A new convergent total synthesis of the marine macrolide mandelalide A ( 1 ) has been developed that is based on macrocyclic ring closure by a Shiina‐type macrolactonization and the construction of the requisite precursor seco acid by a highly efficient Sonogashira cross‐coupling reaction between two fragments of comparable complexity. Key steps in the elaboration of the acid building block were the enantioselective, catalytic addition of a protected acetylene to crotonaldehyde and the construction of the tetrahydropyran unit that is embedded in the macrocycle by means of an acid‐catalyzed Prins reaction. The synthesis of the alcohol fragment features the formation of the trisubstituted tetrahydrofuran ring through an acetal cleavage/epoxide opening cascade reaction and a rarely used radical alkynylation of a primary alkyl iodide. Intriguingly, the dihydroxylation of a terminal double bond as part of the synthesis of this building block gave the same major product for both the α‐ and β‐AD‐mix reagents, albeit with moderate or low selectivity. Synthetic mandelalide A ( 1 ) was a potent proliferation inhibitor of A549, HT460, and H1299 human lung cancer cells in vitro, but not of SK‐N‐SH neuroblastoma cells. However, in no case did we observe complete cell kill even at the highest compound concentration tested (5 μm ).     

Shape‐Selective Zeolites Promote Ethylene Formation from Syngas via a Ketene Intermediate

Syngas conversion by Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is characterized by a wide distribution of hydrocarbon products ranging from one to a few carbon atoms. Reported here is that the product selectivity is effectively steered toward ethylene by employing the oxide‐zeolite (OX‐ZEO) catalyst concept with ZnCrO_x‐mordenite (MOR). The selectivity of ethylene alone reaches as high as 73 % among other hydrocarbons at a 26 % CO conversion. This selectivity is significantly higher than those obtained in any other direct syngas conversion or the multistep process methanol‐to‐olefin conversion. This highly selective pathway is realized over the catalytic sites within the 8‐membered ring (8MR) side pockets of MOR via a ketene intermediate rather than methanol in the 8MR or 12MR channels. This study provides substantive evidence for a new type of syngas chemistry with ketene as the key reaction intermediate and enables extraordinary ethylene selectivity within the OX‐ZEO catalyst framework.     

Synthesis of [3]Rotaxanes that Utilize the Catalytic Activity of a Macrocyclic Phenanthroline–Cu Complex: Remarkable Effect of the Length of the Axle Precursor

[3]Rotaxanes, which consist of one macrocyclic phenanthroline compound and two axle components, were prepared by the oxidative dimerization of an alkyne compound with bulky tris[4′‐cyclohexyl‐(1,1′‐biphenyl)‐4‐yl]methyl blocking group. The catalytic activity of a macrocyclic phenanthroline–Cu complex was utilized to thread the two axle components inside the ring. The alkyne compound with chain of 15 or 20 methylene groups gave [3]rotaxanes in high yields, whereas the axle with a chain of six methylene groups afforded a [3]rotaxane in very poor yield. We also examined the effect of the ring size on the synthesis of [3]rotaxanes. [3]Rotaxanes were not isolated when a macrocyclic phenanthroline compound with a smaller ring size was used.     

Asymmetric synthesis of 1,2-dioxolane-3-acetic acids: synthesis and configurational assignment of plakinic acid A

The first asymmetric synthesis of 1,2-dioxolane-3-acetic acids is reported. Key features include the stereoselective opening of enantiomerically enriched oxetanes by hydrogen peroxide, conversion of the resulting 4-hydroperoxy-2-alkanols to 3-alkoxy-1,2-dioxolanes, and Lewis acid mediated homologation of the latter with a thioester silyl ketene acetal. The approach is modeled on 3,5-dimethyl-5-hexadecyl-1,2-dioxolane-3-acetic acid (1a), an unnamed natural product, and an optimized strategy is applied to the synthesis of four stereoisomers of plakinic acid A (2), allowing a configurational assignment of this incompletely characterized natural product.     

Total Synthesis and Complete Stereostructure of a Marine Macrolide Glycoside, (−)‐Lyngbyaloside B

We have described in detail the total synthesis of both the proposed and correct structures of (?)‐lyngbyaloside B, which facilitated the elucidation of the complete stereostructure of this natural product. Our study began with the total synthesis of 13‐demethyllyngbyaloside B, in which an esterification/ring‐closing metathesis (RCM) strategy was successfully used for the efficient construction of the macrocycle. We also established reliable methods for the introduction of the conjugated diene side chain and the l ‐rhamnose residue onto the macrocyclic framework. However, the esterification/RCM strategy proved ineffective for the parent natural product because of the difficulties in acylating the sterically encumbered C‐13 tertiary alcohol; macrolactionization of a seco‐acid was also extensively investigated under various conditions without success. We finally completed the total synthesis of the proposed structure of (?)‐lyngbyaloside B by means of a macrolactonization that involves an acyl ketene as the reactive species. However, the NMR spectroscopic data of our synthetic material did not match those of the authentic material, which indicated that the proposed structure must be re‐examined. Inspection of the NMR spectroscopic data of the natural product and molecular mechanics calculations led us to postulate that the configuration of the C‐10, C‐11, and C‐13 stereogenic centers had been incorrectly assigned in the proposed structure. Finally, our revised structure of (?)‐lyngbyaloside B was unambiguously verified through total synthesis.     

Total Synthesis of Sanglifehrin A

The immunosuppressive agent sanglifehrin A has been prepared for the first time by total synthesis. The construction of the macrocyclic unit of the target molecule was achieved through a selective intramolecular Stille coupling, and the spirolactam unit by Paterson–aldol reactions. The final steps involve an intermolecular Stille coupling and the opening of the internal acetal unit. This convergent synthesis opens the way for the synthesis of libraries of novel sanglifehrin analogues for biological screening.     

Utilization of Donor–Acceptor Interactions for the Catalytic Acceleration of Nucleophilic Additions to Aromatic Carbonyl Compounds

A conceptually new method for the catalytic electrophilic activation of aromatic carbonyl substrates, by utilizing donor–acceptor interactions between an electron‐deficient macrocyclic boronic ester host ( [2+2] _BTH‐F ) and an aromatic carbonyl guest substrate, was realized. In the presence of a catalytic amount of [2+2] _BTH‐F , dramatic acceleration of the nucleophilic addition of a ketene silyl acetal towards either electron‐rich aromatic aldehydes or ketones was achieved. Several control experiments confirmed that inclusion of the aromatic substrates within [2+2] _BTH‐F , through efficient donor–acceptor interactions, is essential for the acceleration of the reaction.     

Total Synthesis,Stereochemical Reassignment,and Biological Evaluation of (−)‐Lyngbyaloside B

(−)‐Lyngbyaloside B is a 14‐membered macrolide glycoside isolated from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya sp. as a cytotoxic substance by Moore and co‐workers. The first total synthesis of (−)‐lyngbyaloside B and the reassignment of its stereostructure is described. The synthesis features an Abiko–Masamune aldol reaction, a vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction, and a macrocyclization involving an acyl ketene intermediate for the construction of the macrocyclic backbone, which contains an acylated tertiary alcohol. The antiproliferative activity of selected compounds against a small panel of human cancer cell lines is also reported.     

Total Synthesis,Stereochemical Reassignment,and Biological Evaluation of (−)‐Lyngbyaloside B

(?)‐Lyngbyaloside B is a 14‐membered macrolide glycoside isolated from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya sp. as a cytotoxic substance by Moore and co‐workers. The first total synthesis of (?)‐lyngbyaloside B and the reassignment of its stereostructure is described. The synthesis features an Abiko–Masamune aldol reaction, a vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction, and a macrocyclization involving an acyl ketene intermediate for the construction of the macrocyclic backbone, which contains an acylated tertiary alcohol. The antiproliferative activity of selected compounds against a small panel of human cancer cell lines is also reported.     

Highly enantioselective sequential Claisen–Ireland/metathesis: synthesis of cycloalkenes bearing two contiguous highly functionalized asymmetric centres

A sequence of two reactions, consisting of a highly stereoselective silylated ketene acetal Claisen–Ireland rearrangement followed by a ring closing metathesis, gave a stereocontrolled access to various carbocycles.