Short and regiospecific synthesis of echinamine A--the pigment of sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis

New convenient two-step synthesis of natural pigment echinamine A by the condensation of 2,3-dichloro-6-ethyl-7-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone with sodium nitrite and subsequent reduction of intermediate 7-ethyl-2,5,6,8-tetrahydroxy-3-nitro-1,4-naphthoquinone has been developed.     

Revision of the structure of cuculoquinone to 3,3′-bis(6-ethyl-2,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) and confirmation of the proposed structure by synthesis

A reinvestigation of cuculoquinone, previously isolated from the lichen Cetraria cucullata, led to a revision of the proposed structure to 3,3′-bis(6-ethyl-2,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone). The new structure was confirmed by synthesis.     

Regiospecificity in the reaction of 2,3-dichloronaphthazarins with azide anions. Synthesis of echinamine A—a metabolite produced by the sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis

It was found that 6-hydroxy- and 6-alkoxy-2,3-dichloronaphthazarins react smoothly with sodium azide in methanol to produce the corresponding 2-azido derivatives as single regioisomers. We have explored the utility of this reaction for the synthesis of echinamine A (3-amino-7-ethyl-2,5,6,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone)—the first marine aminated hydroxynaphthazarin, a metabolite of the sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis (Agassiz).     

Synthesis of lomazarin and norlomazarin, pigments from Lomandra hastilis

5,8-Dihydroxy-2,3,6-trimethoxy-7-ethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (1) was used to synthesize in high yield 5,8-dihydroxy-7(1′-hydroxyethyl)-2,3,6-trimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (lomazarin, 3), a pigment from Lomandra hastilis. Alkaline hydrolysis of lomazarin produced mainly 5,6,8-trihydroxy-2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (9) through a retro-aldol decomposition of the 6-keto-form of 5,6,8-trihydroxy-7(1′-hydroxyethyl)-2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (13b) formed during the reaction. 2,5,8-Trihydroxy-7(1′-hydroxyethyl)-3,6-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (norlomazarin, 4a), a pigment of L. hastilis, and its 3,5,8-trihydroxy-7(1′-hydroxyethyl)-2,6-dimethoxy isomer 4b were formed as a difficultly separable mixture in addition to quinone 9. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 581–584, November–December, 2008.     

Synthesis of mimosamycin

Mimosamycin (1) was synthesized in eight steps with an overall yield of 13% from 2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone by regioselective introduction of a chloromethyl group at C-6 and a methoxycarbonylmethyl group at C-5 and subsequent reaction of the intermediate methyl (o-(chloromethyl)phenyl)acetate derivative 16 with methylamine. Oxidation of the 5,7,8-trimethoxy-2,6-dimethyl-1, 4-dihydroisoquinoline-3(2H)-one 17 thus obtained, using cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a selective oxidizing agent, gave mimosamycin (1) in good overall yield.     

A new sesquiterpene lactone from Bombax malabaricum

A new sesquiterpene lactone, 5-isopropyl-3-methyl-2,4,7-trimethoxy-8,1-naphthalene carbolactone (1) together with a known naphthoquinone, 8-formyl-7-hydroxy-5-isopropyl-2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (2) were isolated from the root bark of Bombax malabaricum. The structures of these two compounds were established by extensive one- and two-dimensional (1D- and 2D)-NMR spectral studies.     

Spinazarin and ethylspinazarin,pigments of the sea urchin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scaphechinus mirabilis</Emphasis>

2,3,5,8-Tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (spinazarin) and 6-ethyl-2,3,5,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (ethylspinazarin) were first isolated from the sea urchin Scaphechinus mirabilis. The structures of spinazarins were established based on analysis of spectroscopic data. A preparative synthetic route to ethylspinazarin was proposed. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 788–791, April, 2007.     

Synthesis and activity of a metabolite of (S)-6-amino-5-(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxamido)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione (CX-659S)

CX-659S (1) [(S)-6-amino-5-(6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxamido)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione], has been developed as a new type anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of dermatitis. The structure of a major metabolite of CX-659S was determined as (S)-6-amino-5-[2-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-(2,4,5-trimethyl-3,6-dioxo-1,4-cyclohexadienyl)butanamide]-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,4-(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione (2) by direct comparison with the synthesized authentic compound. The anti-inflammatory activity of 2 was equipotent with that of 1 on the contact hypersensitivity reaction (CHR) induced by picryl chloride (PC) in mice, suggesting that compound 2 contributes, at least in part, to the anti-inflammatory activity of CX-659S.     

Ein einfacher Zugang zu 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanon (furaneol), einem Aromabestandteil von Ananas und Erdbeere

Furaneol®

1 Registered trade mark of Firmenich SA.

[4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone ( 1 )], a flavour component of pineapple and strawberry, has been prepared by a two-step synthesis starting with readily available 3-hexyne-2,5-diol. By the same method 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone ( 2 ) and 2-ethyl-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone ( 3a ) have been prepared from 2-pentyne-1,4-diol and 3-heptyne-2,5-diol, respectively.     

Synthesis of the reported structure of crassiflorone, a naturally occurring quinone isolated from the African ebony Diospyros crassiflora, and regioisomeric pentacyclic furocoumarin naphthoquinones

A synthesis of the structure reported for the natural product crassiflorone, a furocoumarin naphthoquinone, is described. The key steps are a Diels-Alder reaction to form 2-bromo-8-hydroxy-6-methylnaphthoquinone, followed by O-protection and copper(II) mediated coupling to 4-hydroxy-5-methylcoumarin to establish the pentacyclic framework whose structure was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Since the spectroscopic data of the synthetic material did not match those reported for the natural product, three further regioisomeric furocoumarin naphthoquinones were prepared by copper(II) mediated coupling of 4-hydroxy-5- or 8-methyl coumarins with 5-benzyloxy-2-bromo-7-methyl- or 8-benzyloxy-2-bromo-6-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone. Again the spectroscopic data did not match those of the natural material and therefore the true structure of crassiflorone remains unknown.     

Bromination and diazo-coupling of pyridinethiones; microwave assisted synthesis of isothiazolopyridine, pyridothiazine and pyridothiazepines

Isothiazolopyridines, pyridothiazines and pyridothiazepines are important compounds that possess valuable biological activities. This paper reports on the synthesis of these compounds using both conventional chemical methods and modern microwave techniques. 3-Bromo-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydropyridine-3-carboxamide, 5-arylazo-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-thioxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carboxamides, 3,5-bis-arylazo-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydropyridine-3-caboxamide, 4-methyl-2,3,6,7-tetra-hydroisothiazolo[5,4-b]-pyridine-3,6-dione, 2,2'-(methylene-bis-(sulfanediyl))bis(4-methyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridine-3-carboxamide), 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-4H-pyrido[3,2-e][1,3]-thiazine-4,7(8H)-dione and 2-arylmethylene-8-hydroxy-6-methyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyrido-[3,2-f][1,4]thiazepine-3,5-diones have been prepared from 6-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydropyridine-3-carboxamide. Some of these compounds were prepared using microwave-assisted reaction conditions, that provided higher yields in shorter times than the conventional methods.     

Cycloaddition of 1-Aryl-3-trimethylsiloxy-1,3-butadienes in the Synthesis of Natural Quinone Analogs

7-Hydroxy-5-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-6-R-1,4-naphthoquinones, 8-hydroxy-1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-9,10-anthraquinone, and 2-ethoxycarbonyl-8-hydroxy-1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-trimethylsiloxy-1,1a,4,4a-tetrahydro-9,10-anthraquinone were synthesized by reactions of 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-R-3-trimethylsiloxy-1,3-butadienes with 2-bromo-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone and juglone. 1-Aryl-2-ethoxycarbonyl-3-trimethylsiloxy-1,3-butadienes reacted with 1,4-naphthoquinone to afford 1-aryl-2-ethoxycarbonyl-3-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinones and their 4,4a-dihydro derivatives.     

Direct asymmetric Michael reactions of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and enamines catalyzed by chiral bisoxazoline-copper(II) complexes

The catalytic direct Michael addition of cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and enamines to unsaturated 2-ketoesters is presented. A series of different 4-hydroxycoumarins, 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2-pyrone, 3-hydroxy-1H-phenalene-1-one, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione, and various enamines of cyclic 1,3-diketones all add to unsaturated 4-substituted 2-ketoesters in an enantioselective manner. The reaction is catalyzed by chiral bisoxazoline-copper(II) complexes and proceeds in the absence of base to afford Michael adducts in good to high yields and with up to 98% ee. The products formed are substructures found in skeletons of important biological and pharmaceutical molecules. The scope and potential of the new reaction are discussed as well as the mechanism for the catalytic enantioselective reaction.     

Total synthesis of naturally occurring 5,6,7- and 5,7,8-trioxygenated coumarins

The synthesis of five naturally occurring polyoxygenated coumarins is described. It concerns two 5,6,7-trioxygenated coumarins, i.e., 6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (fraxinol) 1 and 5,6,7-trimethoxycoumarin 2, and three 5,7,8-trioxygenated coumarins, i.e., 8-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (leptodactylone) 3, 5,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin 4 and 8-(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)-5,7-dimethoxycoumarin (artanin) 5. Key feature of the synthetic pathway is the synthesis of suitable tetraoxygenated benzaldehydes, which are then converted to the corresponding coumarins via a Wittig reaction.     

Synthesis of trialkyl derivatives of pyrrole and pyrrolidine

Summary 1-Furyl-3-methylaminoalkanes when hydrogenated in the vapor phase on Pt-asbestos, as a result of hydrogenolysis of the furan ring, are converted to 1-methyl homologs of pyrrole and pyrrolidine. At 220° we obtained the 1,5-dimethyl-, 1-methyl-5-ethyl-,1,4-dimethyl-, and 1-methyl-4-ethyl-2-n-propylpyrrolidines in 70% yield, while at 300° we obtained the 1,5-dimethyl-, 1-methyl-5-ethyl-, and 1-methyl-4-ethyl-2-n-propylpyrroles in 73–75% yield.     

Development of approaches to fibrostatin F,N-acetyl-L-cysteinyl-containing 1,4-naphthoquinone metabolite of Streptomyces catenulae

A possibility of the synthesis of microbial metabolite Streptomyces catenulae fibrostatin F through the AcOH-catalyzed condensation of 5-hydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl-2,7-dimethoxy1,4-naphthoquinone and its related 3-chloromethyl, 3-acetoxymethyl, and 3-methoxymethyl derivatives with N-acetyl-L-cysteine and paraformaldehyde in 1,4-dioxane was studied. In these conditions, all naphthoquinones gave N-acetyl-S-[(8-hydroxy-3,6-dimethoxy-1,4-dioxonaphthalen-2-yl)methyl]-L-cysteine isomeric to the natural fibrostatin C.

     

Regioselectivity in the diels-alder reactions of α-pyrones with alkynes

4-Ethyl-5-methyl-6-methylthio-2(H)-pyranone (4) undergoes Diels-Alder reactions with ethyl hexynoate (5), 3-heptyn-2-one (6), ethyl propiolate (7), and 3-butyn-2-one (8) to afford substituted benzenes with high regioselectivity upon extrusion of CO₂. 4-Ethyl-5,6-dimethyl-(1), 4-ethyl-3,6-dimethyl-(2) and 4-ethyl-5-methyl-(2H)-pyranone (3) gave excellant to good regioselectivity with internal alkynes 5 and 6 and poor regioselectivity with terminal alkynes 7 and 8. MNDO calculations have been carried out on the pyrones and alkynes and qualitative FMO analysis correctly predicts the major products.     

Studies on organophosphorus compounds—V: Pyridines from secondary car☐amides and HMPA

A new pyridine synthesis has been found by refluxing certain simple secondary car☐amides in HMPA. Thus 2,6-dimethylpyridine, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyridine, 2,3,6-trimethylpyridine, 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyridine, 2-benzyl-6-methyl-3-phenylpyridine, 2-ethyl-3-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline and 2-t-butyl-6-methylpyridine were prepared in 15–40% yield.     

1,2-Acyl group migration in the oxidative free radical reaction of 2-substituted-1,4-quinones

Oxidative free radical reactions of 2-substituted-1,4-quinone derivatives are described. Electrophilic carbon-centered radical produced by the manganese(III) acetate oxidation of α-chloro-β-ketoester undergoes efficient addition to the C-C double bond of 5,6-dimethyl-2-(methylamino)-1,4-benzoquinone, and this reaction provides a novel method for the synthesis of spirolactam 3 and indole-2,4,7-trione 4. It shows high chemoselectivity depending on the migratory aptitude of the substituent on α-chloro-β-ketoester. Imine radical can be generated from the oxidation of β-enamino carbonyl compound with Mn(III) or Ce(IV) salt. With 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, spirolactam 6 was prepared from β-enamino carbonyl compound effectively. TBACN/CHCl₃ is the most effective reaction condition for the formation of 6.     

Synthese von Plectranthonen,diterpenoiden Phenanthren-1,4-chinonen

Synthesis of Plectranthons, Diterpenoid Phenanthrene-1,4-diones The following phenanthrene-1,4-diones have been synthesized by using the photocyclization of the corresponding highly substituted stilbenes as the key step: 3-hydroxy-5,7,8-trimethyl-2-(prop-2-enyl)phenanthrene-1,4-dione ( 1 ), (RS)-, (R)-, and (S)-2-[3-hydroxy-5,7,8-trimethyl-1,4-dioxophenanthren-2-yl]-1-methylethyl acetate ( 2 , 31 , and 32 , resp.), 3-hydroxy-7,8-dimethyl-2-(prop-2-enyl)phenanthrene-1,4-dione ( 3 ), 3-hydroxy-7,8,10-tri-methyl-2-(prop-2-enyl)phenanthrene-1,4-dione ( 4 ), 5,7,8-trimethyl-2-(prop-2-enyl)phenanthrene-1,4-dione ( 17 ), and 3-hydroxy-2-methylphenanthrene-1,4-dione ( 42 ). The quinones 1 and 3 proved to be identical with the recently isolated plectranthons A and C. Compounds 2 , 31 , and 32 exhibited the same UV/VIS, IR, ¹H-NMR and mass spectra as natural plectranthon B , but had different melting points. This might be due either to crystal modifications or to diastereoisomerism caused by the helical structure of the phenanthrene-1,4-dione skeleton. The spectral data of synthetic 4 were not compatible with those of natural plectranthon D for which structure 4 had been proposed based mainly on ¹H-NMR arguments concerning the chemical shifts of H? C(9) and H? C(10) in 1–3. Extensive ¹H-NMR investigations have now revealed that the currently stated assignments of the H? C(9)/ H? C(10) AB system have to be reversed for highly substituted phenanthrene-1,4-diones: in the model compounds 2-methylphenanthrene-1,4-dione (41) and 2, H? C(10) resonates al lower field as expected (peri-position), whereas in the highly substituted congeners 1 , 2 , 3 , 31 , and 32 , H? C(9) is shifted paramagnetically, a fact which had lead to the erroneous assignment of structure 4 for natural plectranthon D .