Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-yohimbine

The total synthesis of (+)-yohimbine was achieved in 11 steps and 14% overall yield. The absolute configuration was established through a highly enantioselective thiourea-catalyzed acyl-Pictet-Spengler reaction, and the remaining 4 stereocenters were set simultaneously in a substrate-controlled intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction.     

Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-lactacystin

Total synthesis of (+)-lactacystin, a potent and selective proteasome inhibitor, was accomplished using a catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of a ketoimine as the initial key step. An enone-derived N-phosphinoyl ketoimine 7 was selected as a stable masked alpha-hydroxy ketoimine analogue. Excellent enantioselectivity (98% ee) and practical catalyst activity were produced under the optimized catalyst preparation method using 2.5 mol % Gd{N(SiMe3)2}3 as a metal source and 3.8 mol % D-glucose-derived ligand 8. This reaction was conducted on a 5 g scale. The chiral tetrasubstituted C-5 carbon efficiently controlled the stereochemistry of the other three chiral centers of lactacystin. Chelation-controlled Meerwein-type reduction of ketone 5 using i-PrMgBr (originally reported by Kang in a related substrate) selectively produced the desired secondary alcohol at the C-9 position. The C-6 hydroxy and C-7 methyl groups were introduced via a silyl conjugate addition followed by the Tamao oxidation and Donohoe methylation, respectively, in a highly stereoselective manner. A practical amount of enantiomerically pure clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone (2), the biologically active form of (+)-lactacystin, can be synthesized using this route. clasto-Lactacystin beta-lactone (2) was converted to (+)-lactacystin following the reported procedure.     

Natural products synthesis: enabling tools to penetrate Nature's secrets of biogenesis and biomechanism

Selected examples from our laboratory of how synthetic technology platforms developed for the total synthesis of several disparate families of natural products was harnessed to penetrate biomechanistic and/or biosynthetic queries is discussed. Unexpected discoveries of biomechanistic reactivity and/or penetrating the biogenesis of naturally occurring substances were made possible through access to substances available only through chemical synthesis. Hypothesis-driven total synthesis programs are emerging as very useful conceptual templates for penetrating and exploiting the inherent reactivity of biologically active natural substances. In many instances, new enabling synthetic technologies were required to be developed. The examples demonstrate the often untapped richness of complex molecule synthesis to provide powerful tools to understand, manipulate and exploit Nature's vast and creative palette of secondary metabolites.     

Catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-torrubiellone C

Silyl-protected (R)-methyl 2-(hydroxymethyl)butanoate was obtained by an enantioselective Ir-catalyzed hydrogenation in high yield and selectivity. Elaboration of this building block via Takai and Stille reactions gave a protected hydroxy polyene chain, which was coupled to a 5-hydroxyphenyl-4-hydroxy-2-pyridone derivative by a modified Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction. Deprotection gave synthetic (+)-torrubiellone C, which led to the assignment of the configuration of the natural product as (R).     

Catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-dumetorine by ring-rearrangement metathesis

A concise, enantioselective synthesis of (+)-dumetorine is described, giving the natural product in six steps and a 27% overall yield from a readily available precursor. Among the key steps used, the synthesis entails a high-yielding ring-rearrangement metathesis (RRM), using the commercially available first generation Grubbs catalyst 2 in combination with Ti(Oi-Pr)₄ as a co-catalyst. This constitutes the first enantioselective total synthesis of the alkaloid from a known chiral intermediate, and hence a confirmation of its absolute stereochemistry.     

Catalytic, asymmetric transannular aldolizations: total synthesis of (+)-hirsutene

We report an asymmetric, catalytic transannular aldolization that provides polycyclic products useful for natural product synthesis. We found that a proline-derivative catalyzes the transannular aldol reaction of 1,4-cyclooctanediones to the corresponding cyclic beta-hydroxy ketones in good yields and with high enantioselectivities. The utility of our reaction has been demonstrated in a total synthesis of (+)-hirustene.     

Catalytic asymmetric formal total synthesis of (+)-dichroanone and (+)-taiwaniaquinone H

Catalytic asymmetric formal total synthesis of (+)-dichroanone and (+)-taiwaniaquinone H has been achieved. Key step involved construction of all-carbon quaternary carbon by palladium-catalyzed conjugate addition of arylboronic acid to 3-methyl cyclohexenone. Furthermore, a new approach to build [6-5-6] tricyclic backbone via formyl introduction and subsequent aldol-type condensation was also explored.     

Catalytic antibody route to the naturally occurring epothilones: total synthesis of epothilones A-F

Naturally occurring epothilones have been synthesized starting from enantiomerically pure aldol compounds 9-11, which were obtained by antibody catalysis. Aldolase antibody 38C2 catalyzed the resolution of (+/-)-9 by enantioselective retro-aldol reaction to afford 9 in 90% ee at 50 % conversion. Compounds 10 and 11 were obtained in more than 99% ee at 50% conversion by resolution of their racemic mixtures using newly developed aldolase antibodies 84G3, 85H6 or 93F3. Compounds 9, 10 and 11 were resolved in multigram quantities and then converted to the epothilones by metathesis processes, which were catalyzed by Grubbs' catalysts.     

Chemical tools from biology-oriented synthesis

Lessmann et al. present a chiral natural-product-derived library of alpha,beta-unsaturated delta-lactones obtained through stereoselective synthesis on a solid support [1]. Phenotypic screening of this compound collection provided new modulators of cell cycle progression and of viral cell entry with high hit rates.     

Catalytic cycloalumination of 1,2-dienes in the total synthesis of natural grenadamide and lyngbyoic acid

Russian Chemical Bulletin - An original method for the total synthesis of natural grenadamide and its precursor lyngbyoic acid with high stereoselectivity and yields was developed using the...     

Catalytic crossed Michael cycloisomerization of thioenoates: total synthesis of (+/-)-ricciocarpin A

[reaction: see text] Thioenoates are found to participate in highly chemoselective catalytic crossed Michael cycloisomerization with appendant aryl ketone and enoate partners to afford cyclopentene and cyclohexene products. This methodology has enabled a concise total synthesis of the potent molluscicide (+/-)-ricciocarpin A.     

Catalytic synthesis of benzodithiophenes

Conclusions The reaction of p-diethylbenzene and H₂S on a chromium-containing oxide catalyst gives a thiophene analog of phenanthrene, namely, benzo[2,1-b3,4-b]dithiophene, and a thiophene analog of anthracene, namely, benzo[1,2-b4,5-b]dithiophene.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2857–2859, December, 1988.     

Catalytic synthesis of polyfluoroolefins

A catalytic synthesis of polyfluoroolefins was developed proceeding from polyfluorochlorocarbons with the use of industrially produced nickel-chromium catalyst. Three ways of the catalytic synthesis of fluoroolefins were implemented: the cleavage of vicinal chlorine atoms from polyfluorochlorocarbons, the replacement of vinyl chlorine atoms by hydrogen in fluorochloroolrfins, and the reductive dimerization of polyfluorochlorocarbons containing a trichloromethyl group. The condition of a prolonged operation of the nickel-chromium catalyst was found consisting in the application of quartz for absorption of the hydrogen fluoride formed as a side product.     

Catalytic synthesis of tetrahydrothiophenes

It has been established that the liquid-phase hydrogenation of thiophene and its alkyl derivatives in the presence of metallic or sulfurized palladium catalysts provides preparative yields of tetrahydrothiophene homologs at increased pressures of hydrogen and elevated temperatures.

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Catalytic synthesis of nitriles

Summary An effective catalyst for the conversion of isoalkanols into nitriles under the action of ammonia is pure zinc oxide at 390°. In presence of zinc oxide at this temperature, isobutyl alcohol reacts with ammonia with formation of isobutyronitrile in yields of up to 76.6% and isopentyl alcohol gives isovaleronitrile under the same conditions in yields of up to 71.4%.