Cu-catalyzed hydroxycyclopropanol ring-opening cyclization to tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydropyrans: short total syntheses of hyperiones

Tetrahydrofurans (THFs) and tetrahydropyrans (THPs) are important core scaffolds frequently found in many molecules of medicinal importance. Herein, we report a novel copper-catalyzed hydroxycyclopropanol ring-opening cyclization methodology to synthesize di- or tri-substituted THFs and THPs. In this reaction, a strained C–C bond was cleaved and a new Csp³–O bond was formed to produce the aforementioned O-heterocycles. The new THF synthesis features a broad substrate scope, scalability, and good functional-group tolerability. It enabled us to complete the shortest enantioselective syntheses of hyperiones A and B (3 and 4 steps, respectively), which is significantly shorter than the previously reported two total syntheses (≥10 steps).

A novel Cu-catalyzed hydroxycyclopropanol ring-opening cyclization was developed to synthesize substituted tetrahydrofuran/tetrahydropyran molecules including two norlignan natural products hyperiones A and B.     

Stereoselective total synthesis of (+)-varitriol

Stereoselective total synthesis of (+)-varitriol, an antitumor natural product, was accomplished by two versatile strategies starting from the commercially available d-(−)-ribose and ethyl (S)-lactate. The key steps involved in the synthesis of the target molecule are epoxidation, cyclization, dihydroxylation and Diels-Alder reaction.     

Enantioselective total synthesis and confirmation of the absolute and relative stereochemistry of streptorubin B

The enantioselective total synthesis of the pyrrolophane natural product streptorubin B is described. Key steps in the concise route include the application of a one-pot enantioselective aldol cyclization/Wittig reaction and an anionic oxy-Cope rearrangement to forge the crucial 10-membered ring. Comparisons between CD spectra of synthetic and natural samples of streptorubin B coupled with X-ray crystallography allowed for the determination of the absolute stereochemistry of this natural product for the first time. These studies also provided unambiguous proof of the relative configuration between the butyl side chain and the bispyrrole subunit. Additional studies revealed a novel atropstereoselective Paal-Knorr pyrrole condensation and provided fundamental experimental insight into the barrier for atropisomerization of the natural product.     

Design and Synthesis of C-1 Methoxycarbonyl Derivative of Narciclasine and Its Biological Activity

A 15-step chemoenzymatic total synthesis of C-1 methoxycarbonyl narciclasine (10) was accomplished. The synthesis began with the toluene dioxygenase-mediated dihydroxylation of ortho-dibromobenzene to provide the corresponding cis-dihydrodiol (12) as a single enantiomer. Further key steps included a nitroso Diels–Alder reaction and an intramolecular Heck cyclization. The C-1 homolog 10 was tested and evaluated for antiproliferative activity against natural narciclasine (1) as the positive control. Experimental and spectral data are reported for all novel compounds.     

Total synthesis of ent-(−)-azonazine using a biomimetic direct oxidative cyclization and structural reassignment of natural product

A biomimetic approach has been investigated and developed for the total synthesis of azonazine, an unusual marine natural cyclopeptide containing a rigid transannular 10-membered ring. A hypervalent iodine-mediated direct oxidative cyclization was successfully developed and applied to construct the highly strained core, which was the key step in the first total synthesis of ent-(−)-azonazine. Based on the physical evidences of synthesized diastereomer and enantiomer of azonazine, both the relative and absolute configurations of the natural product were revised. Two fluorinated azonazine derivatives were also synthesized in short convenient steps utilizing the same intermediate in this work. The established total synthesis opens a potential opportunity to study the structure–activity relationship of natural azonazine.     

Palladium-catalyzed couplings to nucleophilic heteroarenes: the total synthesis of (−)-frondosin B

The total synthesis of (−)-frondosin B, the enantiomer of naturally-occuring (+)-frondosin B, is described, wherein a palladium-catalyzed cyclization is used to establish the tetracyclic ring system of the natural product.     

Desymmetrization of a centrosymmetric diepoxide: efficient synthesis of a key intermediate in a total synthesis of hemibrevetoxin B

The preparation of an established intermediate in a total synthesis of hemibrevetoxin B is described. The acid-catalyzed cyclization of trans-4,5-epoxyoctane-2,7-dione exhibited a valuable mixture of kinetic and thermodynamic control: stereospecific epoxide opening was followed by equilibration of the products to provide the required trans-fused octahydropyrano[3,2-b]pyran ring system. Two-directional elaboration, by acetal substitution, ozonolysis, and sulfur ylide-mediated epoxidation, provided a centrosymmetric diepoxide. The key step of the synthesis was the first desymmetrization of a centrosymmetric molecule in natural product synthesis: Jacobsen asymmetric epoxide hydrolysis and acetonization provided the known synthetic intermediate in 97% yield and >95% ee over two steps. The exploitation of the center of symmetry of the AB ring system of the natural product contributed greatly to the efficiency (eight steps, 34% overall yield) of the synthesis.     

Synthesis of isoquinolines and pyridines by the palladium/copper-catalyzed coupling and cyclization of terminal acetylenes and unsaturated imines: the total synthesis of decumbenine B.

Monosubstituted isoquinolines and pyridines have been prepared in good to excellent yields via coupling of terminal acetylenes with the tert-butylimines of o-iodobenzaldehydes and 3-halo-2-alkenals in the presence of a palladium catalyst and subsequent copper-catalyzed cyclization of the intermediate iminoalkynes. In addition, isoquinoline heterocycles have been prepared in excellent yields via copper-catalyzed cyclization of iminoalkynes. The choice of cyclization conditions is dependent upon the nature of the terminal acetylene that is employed, as only aryl and alkenyl acetylenes cyclize under the palladium-catalyzed reaction conditions that have been developed. However, aryl-, vinylic-, and alkyl-substituted acetylenes undergo palladium-catalyzed coupling and subsequent copper-catalyzed cyclization in excellent yields. The total synthesis of the isoquinoline natural product decumbenine B has been accomplished in seven steps and 20% overall yield by employing this palladium-catalyzed coupling and cyclization methodology.     

Enantioselective Construction of the Oxidized Tryptophan Fragment of TMC-95A and TMC-95B

TMC-95A-D are four cyclic peptides containing L-tyrosine, L-asparagine, highly oxidized L-tryptophan, (Z)-1-propenylmine and 3-methyl-2-oxo-pentanoic acid units. These compounds were recently isolated from the fermentation broth of Apiospora montagnei Sacc.TC 1093,isolated from a soil sample. Biological studies indicated that these natural products, especially TMC-95A, exhibit potent inhibiting activity towards proteasome (IC₅₀=5.4 nM). In this report, a stereocontrolled synthesis of the oxidized tryptophan fragment of TMC-95A and TMC-95B is described. Key steps include the condensation of the lithiated oxindole with D-Gamer aldehyde and subsequent dihydroxylatioa of the carbon-carbon double bond.     

The first total synthesis of (±)-zenkequinone B

The first total synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[a]anthraquinone natural product (±)-zenkequinone B (1) is reported. The key step involves the TiCl₄-promoted intramolecular cyclization of 4-aryl-2-hydroxybutanal diethyl acetal 4 to give compound 3. The total synthesis of (±)-zenekequinone B (1) has been accomplished in five steps from readily available 2-(chloromethyl)-9,10-dimethoxyanthracene (5) in 40.3% overall yield.     

Concise Large-Scale Synthesis of Tomatidine,A Potent Antibiotic Natural Product

Tomatidine has recently generated a lot of interest amongst the pharmacology, medicine, and biology fields of study, especially for its newfound activity as an antibiotic agent capable of targeting multiple strains of bacteria. In the light of its low natural abundance and high cost, an efficient and scalable multi-gram synthesis of tomatidine has been developed. This synthesis uses a Suzuki–Miyaura-type coupling reaction as a key step to graft an enantiopure F-ring side chain to the steroidal scaffold of the natural product, which was accessible from low-cost and commercially available diosgenin. A Lewis acid-mediated spiroketal opening followed by an azide substitution and reduction sequence is employed to generate the spiroaminoketal motif of the natural product. Overall, this synthesis produced 5.2 g in a single pass in 15 total steps and 15.2% yield using a methodology that is atom economical, scalable, and requires no flash chromatography purifications.     

Enantiospecific total synthesis of the putative structure of cryptopyranmoscatone B2

Total synthesis of THP tethered pyrone containing natural product cryptopyranmoscatone B2 was accomplished from commercially available 2-deoxyribose. The key THP unit was assembled by FeCl₃ catalyzed cyclization of an allyl alcohol. Brown allylation and RCM reactions were employed to construct the lactone unit. The synthesis represents the first total synthesis of the putative structure of the natural product.     

Library construction of stereochemically diverse isomers of spirooliganin: their total synthesis and antiviral activity

The construction of libraries of stereoisomers of natural products serves as an important approach to investigating the correlation between the stereostructure and biological activity. However, the total synthesis and isomerzation of polycyclic scaffolds with multiple chrial centers are rare. Spirooliganin (1), a new skeleton natural product isolated from the plant Illicium oligandrum, was structurally characterized by comprehensive analysis of NMR spectroscopic data and ECD which revealed an unprecedented 5–6–6–6–7 polycyclic framework with six chiral centers. Here we report a 17-step total synthesis to prepare a library of stereochemically diverse isomers of spirooliganin, including 16 diastereoisomers and 16 regioisomers. In addition to a regioselective hetero-Diels–Alder cycloaddition, the synthetic strategy involves a photo-induced stereoselective Diels–Alder reaction, which gives only the abnormal trans-fused product as rationalized by density functional theory calculations. Preliminary biological evaluation showed that spirooliganin and regioisomers 39 exhibited potent inhibition of Coxsackievirus B3. It also revealed the pharmacophore effect of the D-ring (16R,18R,24R, and 26R) for their antiviral activities.

Library construction of stereochemically diverse isomers to investigate the relationship between stereoconfiguration and anti-coxsackie virus B3 activity.     

Total synthesis of ribisin A

The first total synthesis of natural product ribisin A has been achieved in 11 steps from commercially available methyl α-d-glucopyranoside with 21.6% overall yield. The highly oxygenated benzofuran skeleton of this natural product was constructed, taking advantages of the inherent chirality of d-glucose, through the key reactions of Ferrier carbocyclization, Johnson iodination, Suzuki cross-coupling, and Wacker oxidative cyclization.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of reported structure of eudistomidin B, an indole alkaloid isolated from a marine tunicate

Eudistomidin B, isolated from a marine tunicate, was originally assigned a tetrahydro-β-carboline structure with a 2-p-tolylethanamine residue. Asymmetric total synthesis of the reported structure of natural product, which features an intramolecular diastereoselective Pictet-Spengler cyclization, suggests that the reported structure of the natural product needs to be revised.     

Formal total synthesis of (±)-fragranol via template catalyzed 4-exo cyclization

A novel approach to the synthesis of (±)-fragranol is described that relies on a radical 4-exo cyclization. This key step is catalyzed by a cationic titanocene complex with a pending amide ligand. In this manner the radical and its acceptor are bound to the titanocene center in a two-point mode. By this interaction the 4-exo cyclization that is not supported by gem-dialkyl substitution is rendered thermodynamically and kinetically favorable. Moreover, the crucial intermediates and transition structures become highly ordered. This results in a good diastereoselectivity of cyclobutane formation. From the key-intermediate, the formal total synthesis of the natural product can be completed in a few steps.     

Unified approach to prenylated indole alkaloids: total syntheses of (–)-17-hydroxy-citrinalin B, (+)-stephacidin A,and (+)-notoamide I

A unified strategy for the synthesis of congeners of the prenylated indole alkaloids is presented. This strategy has yielded the first synthesis of the natural product (–)-17-hydroxy-citrinalin B as well as syntheses of (+)-stephacidin A and (+)-notoamide I. An enolate addition to an in situ generated isocyanate was utilized in forging a key bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane moiety, and in this way connected the two structural classes of the prenylated indole alkaloids through synthesis.     

Facile Total Synthesis of Benzo[b]furan Natural Product XH-14

An efficient and practical total synthesis of benzo[b]furan natural product XH-14 is demonstrated in nine steps from vanillin. Introduction of iodide substituents in the reaction including optimization of the reaction sequences is essential for the successful synthesis of XH-14. Sonogashira coupling with iodobenzene, iodine-induced cyclization, Wittig reaction, and formylation are critical in the high-yield total synthesis of XH-14.     

Intramolecular Aminolactonization for Synthesis of Furoindolin-2-One

Propellanes are polycyclic compounds in which tricyclic systems share one carbon–carbon single bond. Propellane frameworks that consist of larger sized rings are found in a variety of natural products. As an approach to the stereoselective synthesis of the propellane framework, one of the efficient methods is forming several rings in a single operation. Lapidilectine B (1) is composed of a propellane framework and was synthesized through the oxidative cyclization of trisubstituted alkenes. When the alkene with an ester moiety was treated with N-iodosuccinimide (NIS), iodocyclization proceeded to give the cyclic carbamate. On the other hand, when PhI(OAc)₂ was allowed to react in the carboxyl form, a furoindolin-2-one structure corresponding to the A-B-C ring of lapidilectine B (1) was produced. Furthermore, when Pd(OAc)₂ catalyst was used for cyclization under oxidative conditions, the product yield was improved.     

Stereoselective Total Synthesis of Xestodecalactone C

A simple and highly efficient stereoselective total synthesis of xestodecalactone C ( IIb ), a polyketide natural product, was achieved (Scheme 2). The synthesis involved Keck's asymmetric allylation, a iodine‐induced electrophilic cyclization, and an intramolecular Friedel–Crafts acylation as key steps.