Bio‐Inspired Fragmentations: Rapid Assembly of Indolones, 2‐Quinolinones,and (−)‐Goniomitine

Inspired by the biogenetic origin of goniomitine, new synthetic bio‐inspired fragmentation strategies for the synthesis of functionalized 2‐quinolinones and indolones have been developed. Remarkable synthetic efficiency was achieved by telescoping several transformations into one‐pot reactions, allowing for the direct coupling of 2‐alkynyl‐anilines and diazo ketones. The synthetic utility was demonstrated by the 5‐step asymmetric total synthesis of (−)‐goniomitine from 2‐ethyl‐cyclopentanone.     

Scalable Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (−)‐Goniomitine

A scalable enantioselective total synthesis of (?)‐goniomitine has been developed by using an iridium‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of an exocyclic enone ester to control the configuration of the molecule. The synthesis begins from commercially available starting materials, and proceeds through an integrated asymmetric ketone hydrogenation, Johnson–Claisen rearrangement, and one‐pot oxidation/deprotection/cyclization process. With this highly efficient and scalable strategy, (?)‐goniomitine was synthesized in eleven steps with 27 % overall yield, and formal enantioselective syntheses of (+)‐1,2‐dehydroaspidospermidine, (+)‐aspidospermidine, and (+)‐vincadifformine were also achieved.     

Enantioselective Pd‐Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation Reactions of Dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indolone Substrates: Efficient Syntheses of (−)‐Goniomitine, (+)‐Aspidospermidine,and (−)‐Quebrachamine

The successful application of dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indolone (DHPI) substrates in Pd‐catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation chemistry facilitates rapid access to multiple alkaloid frameworks in an enantioselective fashion. Strategic bromination at the indole C3 position greatly improved the allylic alkylation chemistry and enabled a highly efficient Negishi cross‐coupling downstream. The first catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of (?)‐goniomitine, along with divergent formal syntheses of (+)‐aspidospermidine and (?)‐quebrachamine, are reported herein.     

Enantioselective Pd‐Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation Reactions of Dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indolone Substrates: Efficient Syntheses of (−)‐Goniomitine, (+)‐Aspidospermidine,and (−)‐Quebrachamine

The successful application of dihydropyrido[1,2‐a]indolone (DHPI) substrates in Pd‐catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation chemistry facilitates rapid access to multiple alkaloid frameworks in an enantioselective fashion. Strategic bromination at the indole C3 position greatly improved the allylic alkylation chemistry and enabled a highly efficient Negishi cross‐coupling downstream. The first catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of (−)‐goniomitine, along with divergent formal syntheses of (+)‐aspidospermidine and (−)‐quebrachamine, are reported herein.     

Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed Intramolecular Redox‐Neutral Annulation of Tethered Alkynes: Formal Total Synthesis of (±)‐Goniomitine

A Rh^III‐catalyzed intramolecular redox‐neutral atom‐economic annulation of a tethered alkyne has been developed to efficiently construct 2‐amidealkyl indoles with completely reversed regioselectivity by a C?H activation pathway. Furthermore, using the Rh^III‐catalyzed C?H activation/annulation as a key step, a one‐pot synthesis of pyrido[1,2‐a]indoles has also been developed and applied to a highly efficient formal total synthesis of (±)‐goniomitine.     

A General Entry to Antifeedant Sesterterpenoids: Total Synthesis of (+)‐Norleucosceptroid A, (−)‐Norleucosceptroid B,and (−)‐Leucosceptroid K

The first asymmetric total synthesis of the antifeedant terpenoids (+)‐norleucosceptroid A, (−)‐norleucosceptroid B, and (−)‐leucosceptroid K has been accomplished. This highly concise synthetic route was guided by our efforts to develop a platform for the collective synthesis of a whole family of antifeedant natural products. The synthesis features a Hauser–Kraus‐type annulation followed by an unprecedented, highly efficient intramolecular dilactol aldol‐type condensation reaction to produce the 5,6,5 skeleton. The developed synthetic route proceeds for norleucosceptroid A and B in 16 steps (longest linear sequence) from known compounds.     

A General Entry to Antifeedant Sesterterpenoids: Total Synthesis of (+)‐Norleucosceptroid A, (−)‐Norleucosceptroid B,and (−)‐Leucosceptroid K

The first asymmetric total synthesis of the antifeedant terpenoids (+)‐norleucosceptroid A, (?)‐norleucosceptroid B, and (?)‐leucosceptroid K has been accomplished. This highly concise synthetic route was guided by our efforts to develop a platform for the collective synthesis of a whole family of antifeedant natural products. The synthesis features a Hauser–Kraus‐type annulation followed by an unprecedented, highly efficient intramolecular dilactol aldol‐type condensation reaction to produce the 5,6,5 skeleton. The developed synthetic route proceeds for norleucosceptroid A and B in 16 steps (longest linear sequence) from known compounds.     

A novel synthetic route for the synthesis of 4,6‐diaryl‐2‐methyl‐1,3‐benzoxazoles

A new synthetic route was developed for the synthesis of 4,6‐diaryl‐2‐methyl‐l,3‐benzoxazoles and their hydrogenated derivatives. The target compounds were obtained via the Neber rearrangement from 3,5‐diaryl‐2‐cyclohexen‐l‐ones. The formation of the isomers in the dihydro derivatives was explained by the [1,5] sigmatropic shift of hydrogen under thermal condition. DDQ was employed for the dehydrogenation of the dihydro benzoxazoles.     

Synthesis of 4‐hydroxyquinolin‐2(1H)‐one analogues and 2‐substituted quinolone derivatives

A versatile synthetic method for preparing 4‐hydroxyquinolone and 2‐substituted quinolone compounds from simple benzoic acid derivatives was demonstrated. The synthetic strategies involve the use of well known ethyl acetoacetate synthesis, malonic ester synthesis and reductive cyclization. The key intermediates were keto esters 4a‐e , which could be transformed to 4‐hydroxyquinolones 5a,b or 2‐substituted quinolone ethyl esters 6a‐c depending on the reaction conditions. 4‐Hydroxyquinolone analogues were prepared and investigated for N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) activity in vitro. Among these derivatives, 6,7‐difluoro‐3‐nitro‐4‐hydroxyquinolin‐2(1H)‐one ( 9 ) exhibited moderate activity.     

Synthesis,characterization and spectral studies of various newer 4‐benzyloxy‐1H‐indole‐2‐carboxylic acid (arylidene)‐hydrazides

4‐Benzyloxyindole‐2‐carboxylic acid hydrazide reacts with aromatic and heterocyclic aldehydes in alcoholic medium in refluxing conditions to give 4‐benzyloxy‐1H‐indole‐2‐carboxylic acid (arylidene)‐hydrazides, important synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of a newer class of pharmacologically active compounds. We describe here the synthesis of various 4‐benzyloxy‐1H‐indole‐2‐carboxylic acid (arylidene)‐hydrazides by conventional as well as microwave irradiation techniques. The structures of these compounds have been confirmed by spectroscopic techniques (FTIR, NMR and MS). Some of the interesting features of the electron impact mass spectral fragmentation pattern of these compounds are also discussed.     

Nucleophile‐Directed Selective Transformation of cis‐1‐Tosyl‐2‐tosyloxymethyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)aziridine into Aziridines,Azetidines, and Benzo‐Fused Dithianes,Oxathianes, Dioxanes,and (Thio)morpholines

A five‐step procedure for the synthesis of cis‐1‐tosyl‐2‐tosyloxymethyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)aziridine was developed, starting from 1‐ethoxy‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol, involving imination, aziridination, ester reduction, hydrogenation, and N‐,O‐ditosylation steps. Further synthetic elaborations revealed a remarkable difference in the reactivity of cis‐1‐tosyl‐2‐tosyloxymethyl‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)aziridine with respect to aromatic sulfur and oxygen nucleophiles, thus enabling the selective deployment of this versatile substrate as a building block for the synthesis of functionalized aziridines, azetidines, and benzo‐fused dithianes, oxathianes, dioxanes, and (thio)morpholines.     

Synthesis of (±)‐Kempa‐6,8‐dien‐3‐ol (=(2aRS,3SR,4aSR,7RS,7aSR,10bSR,10cSR)‐2,2a,3,4,4a,5,6,7,7a,8,10b,10c‐Dodecahydro‐2a,7,10,10c‐tetramethylnaphth[2,18‐cde]azulen‐3‐ol)

The synthesis of kempa‐6,8‐dien‐3β‐ol ( 4a ), as a synthetic leading model of the natural product 4b , was carried out starting from intermediate 12 , the synthetic route of which has been developed previously (Scheme 1). The conversion of 12 to the model compound 4a involved the elaboration of three structure modifications by three processes, Tasks A, B, and C (see Scheme 2). Task A was achieved by epoxy‐ring opening of 41 with Me₃SiCl (Scheme 9), and Task B being performed by oxidation at the 13‐position, followed by hydrogenation, and then epimerization (Schemes 4 and 5). The removal of the 2‐OH group from 12 (Task C) was achieved via 30b according to Scheme 6, whereby 30b was formed exclusively from 30a / 31a 1 : 1 (Scheme 7). In addition, some useful reactions from the synthetic viewpoint were developed during the course of the present experiments.     

Solid‐phase synthesis of a novel series of 2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2,5‐dione libraries

An efficient solid‐phase synthetic method for 2,3,4,5‐Tetrahydro‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2,5‐diones, having amine derivatives on the benzene ring, was developed. This method has been successfully applied to the synthesis of several spatially separated drug‐like and information‐rich small‐molecule libraries composed of 400 compounds using ACT‐496 automatic synthesizer and the IRORI radio frequency‐encoded split‐mix synthesis technology.     

4‐(4,6‐Dimethoxy‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2‐yl)‐4‐methylmorpholinium Toluene‐4‐sulfonate (DMT/NMM/TsO−) Universal Coupling Reagent for Synthesis in Solution

4‐(4,6‐Dimethoxy‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2‐yl)‐4‐methylmorpholinium toluene‐4‐sulfonate (DMT/NMM/TsO⁻), a representative member of the inexpensive and environmentally‐friendly N‐triazinylammonium family of sulfonates, has been found to be a very effective coupling reagent for the synthesis of amides, esters and peptides in solution. This study confirms the usefulness of DMT/NMM/TsO⁻ for peptide synthesis in solution, starting from Z‐, Fmoc‐, and Boc‐protected substrates as well as unnatural building blocks. Peptide synthesis with DMT/NMM/TsO⁻ produced high yields, with high crude product purity and low risk of racemization. In all cases, stoichiometric amounts of reagents were used and the standard synthetic procedure, without the need for time‐consuming optimization stages or expensive chromatographic purification. DMT/NMM/TsO⁻ was also found to be very useful for the synthesis of oligopeptides using a fragment coupling strategy.     

Library‐directed Solution‐ and Solid‐phase Synthesis of 2,4‐Disubstituted Pyridines: One‐pot Approach through 6 π‐Azaelectrocyclization

An efficient one‐pot synthetic procedure for the synthesis of 2,4‐disubstituted pyridines has been successfully established. The method proceeds through a 6π‐azaelectrocyclization‐aromatization sequence. Using this method, a wide variety of pyridine structures substituted at the 2‐position have been rapidly constructed from vinyl stannanes, vinyl iodide, sulfonamide, and a palladium catalyst. The method was further applied to the solid‐phase synthesis wherein the use of a “traceless” sulfonamide linker enabled the rapid preparation of a small library of pyridines with high purity, without any chromatographic separation.     

Synthesis of Functionalized Pyrazoles via 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of α‐Diazo‐β‐ketophosphonates,Sufones and Esters with Electron‐Deficient Alkenes

1,3‐Dipolar cycloaddition of diazo compounds with olefinic substrates is a promising atom‐economic strategy for the construction of functionalized pyrazoles. Over the last few years, our group has been engaged in the synthesis of phosphonyl/sulfonylpyrazoles and pyrazole esters by employing Bestmann‐Ohira Reagent (BOR) and its sulfur and ester analogs as 1,3‐dipole precursors with various dipolarophiles. This account describes the novel synthetic methods developed in our laboratory, in the perspective of closely related work by others, for the synthesis of phosphonyl/sulfonylpyrazoles, pyrazole esters and the total synthesis of Withasomnine, a natural product, by using 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition as the key step.     

1‐Butyl‐3‐methyl Imidazolium Acetate Catalyzed Synthesis of N‐substituted‐5‐arylidene‐rhodanines

A direct method for the synthesis of N‐substituted‐5‐arylidene‐rhodanines has been reported in high yield via [bmim]OAc‐catalyzed one‐pot four‐component domino Knoevenagel condensation of primary amine, carbon disulfide, ethyl chloroacetate, and aromatic aldehyde under neat condition. The catalytic role of [bmim]OAc is due to the acidic nature of C‐2 hydrogen of bmim cation and the basic nature of acetate anion in the noncovalent interactions. The synthetic methodology is simple and offers a wide scope for the synthesis of N‐substituted‐5‐arylidene‐rhodanines.     

Substituted 4‐Oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinoline‐3‐carboxylic Esters by a Tandem Imine Addition‐SNAr Reaction

A tandem imine addition‐S_NAr annulation reaction has been developed as a new approach to the synthesis of 4‐oxo‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinoline‐3‐carboxylic esters. A series of these structures has been generated by reacting selected imines with tert‐butyl 2‐fluoro‐5‐nitrobenzoylacetate. Structural variations in the final products are accomplished by changing the substituents on the imine and the alkyl group of the ester. The title compounds are isolated as their enols in 55–97% yield without the need for added base or catalysts. The synthesis of the starting materials as well as mechanistic studies and further synthetic conversions of the products are presented.     

Stereoselective Total Synthesis of (3S,5S)‐1,7‐Bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)heptane‐3,5‐diol, (3S,5S)‐Alpinikatin,and Its Diastereoisomers

Stereoselective synthesis of the diarylheptanoids, (3S,5S)‐1,7‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)heptane‐3,5‐diol ( 1 ), (3S,5S)‐alpinikatin ( 3 ), and their diastereoisomers ( 2 and 4 , resp.), was achieved from readily available 4‐hydroxybenzaldehyde. The synthetic sequences involve Browns's allylation and Et₂Zn mediated diastereoselective alkynylation reaction as key steps.     

Copper‐Mediated Addition of Ethanolamine Affording 2‐Hydroxymethyl Naphtho[2,1‐d]oxazoles from 2‐Naphthols

A new and mild synthetic approach was presented for the synthesis of naphtho[2,1‐d]oxazoles. In the presence of copper (II)‐ethanolamine, 2‐hydroxymethyl naphtho[2,1‐d]oxazoles were one‐pot synthesized in moderate to good yields through copper‐mediated oxidation of 2‐naphthols followed with the addition of ethanolamine in acetonitrile.