Stereocontrolled Total Syntheses of (−)‐Rotenone and (−)‐Dalpanol by 1,2‐Rearrangement and SNAr Oxycyclizations

The total syntheses of (−)‐rotenone and (−)‐dalpanol have been achieved by a group‐selective, stereospecific 1,2‐shift of an epoxy alcohol and S_NAr cyclizations. Three oxacycles are constructed, thus illustrating a versatile synthetic route to various rotenoids.     

Total Synthesis of (−)‐N‐Methylwelwitindolinone B Isothiocyanate

The asymmetric synthesis of (−)‐N ‐methylwelwitindolinone B isothiocyanate is reported. Critical challenges overcome through these studies include the stereoselective installation of the sterically congested C13 alkyl chloride and control of the wayward reactivity of the indole unit to standard oxidants. A Pt‐catalyzed hydrosilylation helped stymie unwanted rearrangements facilitated by vinyl group participation during the chloride installation step, and a new Fe^II‐catalyzed oxidation accomplished the problematic conversion of indole into 2‐indolinone.     

Organocatalytic,Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (−)‐Haliclonin A

The first total synthesis of the alkaloid (−)‐haliclonin A is reported. The asymmetric synthesis relied on a novel organocatalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of nitromethane with 3‐alkenyl cyclohex‐2‐enone to set the stereochemistry of the all‐carbon quaternary stereogenic center. The synthesis also features a Pd‐promoted cyclization to form the 3‐azabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane core, a SmI₂‐mediated intermolecular reductive coupling of enone with aldehyde to form the requisite secondary chiral alcohol, ring‐closing alkene and alkyne metathesis reactions to build the two aza‐macrocyclic ring systems, and an unprecedented direct transformation of enol into enone.     

Organocatalytic Asymmetric Mannich Cyclization of Hydroxylactams with Acetals: Total Syntheses of (−)‐Epilupinine, (−)‐Tashiromine,and (−)‐Trachelanthamidine

An asymmetric, organocatalytic, one‐pot Mannich cyclization between a hydroxylactam and acetal is described to provide fused, bicyclic alkaloids bearing a bridgehead N atom. Both aliphatic and aromatic substrates were used in this transformation to furnish chiral pyrrolizidinone, indolizidinone, and quinolizidinone derivatives in up to 89 % yield and 97 % ee. The total syntheses of (−)‐epilupinine, (−)‐tashiromine, and (−)‐trachelanthamidine also achieved to demonstrate the generality of the process.     

Total Synthesis of (−)‐Tetrodotoxin and 11‐norTTX‐6(R)‐ol

The enantioselective total synthesis of (−)‐tetrodotoxin [(−)‐TTX] and 4,9‐anhydrotetrodotoxin, which are selective blockers of voltage‐gated sodium channels, was accomplished from the commercially available p ‐benzoquinone. This synthesis was based on efficient stereocontrol of the six contiguous stereogenic centers on the core cyclohexane ring through Ogasawara's method, [3,3]‐sigmatropic rearrangement of an allylic cyanate, and intramolecular 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of a nitrile oxide. Our synthetic route was applied to the synthesis of the tetrodotoxin congeners 11‐norTTX‐6(R )‐ol and 4,9‐anhydro‐11‐norTTX‐6(R )‐ol through late‐stage modification of the common intermediate. Neutral deprotection at the final step enabled easy purification of tetrodotoxin and 11‐norTTX‐6(R )‐ol without competing dehydration to their 4,9‐anhydro forms.     

Unified Asymmetric Total Syntheses of (−)‐Alotaketals A–D and (−)‐Phorbaketal A

The novel tricyclic spiroketal alotane‐type sesterterpenoids showed strikingly different biological activities and potency with subtle structural alterations. Asymmetric total syntheses of the tricyclic sesterterpenoids (−)‐alotaketals A–D and (−)‐phorbaketal A were accomplished [29–31 steps from (−)‐malic acid] in a collective way for the first time. The key features of the strategy included 1) a new cascade cyclization of vinyl epoxy δ‐keto‐alcohols to forge the common tricyclic spiroketal intermediate, 2) a late‐stage allylic C−H oxidation, and 3) olefin cross‐metathesis to install the different side chains.