RuO4-catalyzed oxidative polycyclization of the Cs-symmetric isoprenoid polyene digeranyl. An unexpected stereochemical outcome

The RuO₄-catalyzed oxidative polycyclization of digeranyl, a C_s-symmetric tetraene possessing a repetitive 1,5-diene structural motif, has been studied. The required substrate has been synthesized by Ti(III)-mediated tail-to-tail homocoupling of geranyl bromide. The process afforded two hitherto unknown isomeric tris-tetrahydrofuran products possessing unexpected all-threo cis-trans-cis and cis-trans-trans relative configuration. The new stereochemical outcome is explained based on previously formulated chelation or steric control models on the basis of structural differences between digeranyl and previously studied isoprenoid polyenes farnesyl acetate, geranylgeranyl acetate and squalene.     

RuO4-promoted oxidative polycyclization of isoprenoid polyenes. A further insight into the stereochemistry of the process

Further studies on the RuO₄-catalyzed oxidative polycyclization of isoprenoid polyenes have been carried out. The configuration of the tris-THF product from the oxidation of geranylgeranyl acetate has been determined by a combination of spectral and chemical correlation methods. The oxidation of (E,Z)-farnesyl acetate, synthesized from nerol, has been carried out. This process stops at the first cyclization indicating that an E configuration of the Δ⁶ double bond is needed for the second cyclization to occur. The results are discussed in comparison with previous knowledge on the related Re(VII) polycyclization of polyenic bis-homoallylic alcohols.     

RuO4-catalyzed oxidative polycyclization of squalene. Determination of the configuration of the penta-tetrahydrofuranyl diol product

The configuration of the penta-tetrahydrofuranyl diol (penta-THF) product obtained by a single-step, RuO₄-catalyzed oxidative polycyclization of squalene, has been determined as cis-threo-cis-threo-trans-threo-trans-threo-trans. The cis-cis-trans-trans-trans sequence for the five contiguous THF rings has been established through extensive 2D-NMR spectroscopic studies carried out both on the intact molecule and on some of its derivatives, including the oxidative cleavage products obtained by degradation of the penta-THF with PCC/AcOH. Four different chemical approaches were devised to determine each of the four threo relationships within each carbon pair connecting adjacent THF rings in the molecule. To this aim, studies have been carried out either on some intermediates of the process leading to penta-THF, obtained by stopping the oxidation of squalene prior to completion, or on a degradation product of the penta-THF, obtained from the latter through a bidirectional double oxidative degradation with PCC.     

Asymmetrization of all-cis-3,5-dihydroxy-1-(methoxycarbonyl)cyclohexane and of the 4-methyl and 4-ethyl substituted homologues

Enantiomerically pure mono acylated derivatives of cis,cis-3,5-dihydroxy-1-(methoxycarbonyl)cyclohexane 1, all-cis-3,5-dihydroxy-4-methyl-1-(methoxycarbonyl)cyclohexane 2 and all-cis-3,5-dihydroxy-4-ethyl-1-(methoxycarbonyl)cyclohexane 3 were obtained upon lipase catalyzed asymmetrization. PPL-catalyzed transesterification of 1 with vinyl acetate led in high yield to the (S)-monoacetate (+)-13. With substrates 2 and 3 this process was slower and gave the (R)-monoacetates (−)-14 and (−)-15; the best results were obtained with SAM II lipase. On the other hand, enantiotoposelective hydrolysis of their diacetates and especially dibutyrates gave useful results only for the 4-substituted substrates and produced the (S)-monoesters.     

All-cis-retinal and 7-cis,9-cis,11-cis-retinal1

A modified 15 + 5 route led to 7-cis,9-cis,11-cis-retinonitrile in high selectivity and also a lesser amount of all-cis-retinonitrile. DIBAL reduction gave the corresponding retinal isomers. The absorption maximum 287nm of all-cis-retinal reveals the distorted nature of the chromophore.     

Molecular conformation of cyclenes: Part IX. Asymmetrical 1,3,6-cyclononatriene and 1,3,6-cyclodecatriene

The strain energy of the most probable conformers of 1,3,6-cyclononatriene and 1,3,6-cyclodecatriene, which are asymmetrical compounds, has been calculated as a function of various geometrical parameters by means of the semiempirical Hendrickson's treatment, partially modified. The most stable conformation of 1,3,6-cyclononatriene is a member of the all-cis family, while a transcis-trans structure is the most stable among the 1,3,6-cyclodecatriene conformations. In this latter compound however, the energy minima of the all-cis, trans-cis-cis, and cis-cis-trans conformers also appear to be close to each other. Some possible interconversions are also discussed.     

A new and efficient synthesis of (3E,8Z,11Z)-tetradeca-3,8,11-trienyl acetate,the major sex pheromone component of the tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta

An efficient synthesis of (3E,8Z,11Z)-tetradeca-3,8,11-trienyl acetate, the major sex pheromone component of the tomato leafminer moth, Tuta absoluta, was accomplished. The synthesis started with but-3-yn-1-ol and gave an overall yield of 41%.     

Spectroscopic investigation on the effect of gas adsorption on solid films of polyenes: Evidence of a low-lying forbidden transition

Optical absorption spectra of a few polyenes in the crystalline state have been studied. On adsorption of certain gases on the crystalline of polyenes, a new band appears on the low energy side of the long wavelength bands of these polymers. The position of this band is 536,537 and 375 mμ for all-trans β-carotene, 15,15′-cis β-carotene and retinyl compounds, respectively. A good mirror image relationship between the new absorption bands and the well known emission bands for these molecules indicates that this new band may be due to a weak transition to a low-lying π-electron state. This transition corresponds to a forbidden state below the strongly allowed (¹B_u) state. The adsorbed gas molecules introduce the perturbation required for the enhancement of a low-lying forbidden transition.     

2,3‐Diaryl‐3‐hydroxy­propionic acid inter­mediates in the synthesis of threo forms of 1,2‐diaryl‐1,3‐propane­diols

Racemic threo‐3‐hydroxy‐2,3‐diphenyl­propionic acid, C₁₅H₁₄O₃, (I), crystallizes from ethyl acetate as a conglomerate of separate (+)‐ and (−)‐crystals. The geometries of (I) and its methyl ester are compared. Reduction of (I) gives threo‐1,2‐diphenyl‐1,3‐propane­diol. The synthesis of threo forms of 1,2‐diaryl‐1,3‐propane­diols via 2,3‐diaryl‐3‐hydroxy­propionic acids is discussed.     

Synthese von threo-cis/threo-trans- und erythro-cis/erythro-trans-Dihydropalustrin. 17. Mitteilung über Schachtelhalmalkaloide

Synthesis of threo-cis/threo-trans- and erythro-cis/erythro-trans-dihydropalustrin The first synthesis of a threefold protected spermidine, namely ³-benzyloxycarbonyl-N¹-phthaloyl-N²-tosylspermidin ( 9 ) is presented. Each of the protecting groups can be removed selectively. After hydrazinolysis the resulting N³-benzyloxy-carbonyl-N²-tosylspermidine ( 10 ) has been condensed with methyl (2 E)-cis-7,8-epoxy-2-decenoate to the threo-cis/trans piperidines 17 , and with methyl (2 E)-trans-7,8-epoxy-2-decenoate to the erythro-cis/trans piperidines 17 , respectively. After catalytic removal of the Z group, the resulting aminoesters 13 and 18 , in a melt with imidazole, underwent ring closure to the 13-membered lactames 14 and 19 , respectively. reductive deprotection of the N-tosyl group with sodium/ammonia led to the stereoisomeric palustrines 15 and 20 , respectively.     

Synthesis of all-cis-3-(2-diphenylphosphinoethyl)-1,2,4-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)cyclopentane (Ditricyp) from dicyclopentadiene

A new tetraphosphine, all-cis-3-(2-diphenylphosphinoethyl)-1,2,4-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)cyclopentane (Ditricyp), has been synthesised in seven steps from commercially available dicyclopentadiene. The ozonolysis of dicyclopentadiene occurred first on the double bond of the bicycloheptene moiety. A very high chemoselective ozonolysis was observed at −60 °C leading to the diol after reductive treatment. From this diol, cis,cis,cis-3-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,2,4-tri(hydroxymethyl)cyclopentane was obtained after a second ozonolysis. Mesylation and substitution with Ph₂PLi led to the title tetradiphenylphosphine Ditricyp. The efficiency of this new tetraphosphine ligand for palladium-catalysed coupling reactions has been studied. Satisfactory results in terms of substrate/catalyst ratio have been obtained for Suzuki, Negishi and Sonogashira couplings and also for Heck vinylation reaction. After chromatographic separation, one enantiomer of this ligand associated to palladium was able to induce enantioselective allylic alkylation with modest enantiomeric excess.     

Molecular iodine: An efficient and environment-friendly catalyst for the synthesis of calix[4]resorcinarenes

Iodine catalyzes the cyclocondensation of various aldehydes with resorcinol to give tetrameric cyclic products, resorcinarenes. Through the reaction of resorcinol with aromatic aldehydes, the product is obtained as a mixture of two isomers, the all-cis isomer (rccc) and the cis-trans-trans isomer (rctt), whereas a single diastereomer, the all-cis, is formed with aliphatic aldehydes. Besides excellent isolated yields, the use of iodine makes this procedure simple, convenient, cost-effective and practical.     

Cascade Cyclizations of Terpenoid Polyalkenes Triggered by Photoelectron Transfer – Biomimetics with Photons

Light-induced cyclizations of suitably functionalized polyalkene terpenoids, such as geranyl, all-trans-farnesyl, and all-trans-geranylgeranyl derivatives, via formation of radical cations are proven to be a powerful method for the single-step synthesis of mono- and mostly all-trans-fused polycyclic compounds from readily available precursors. Whereas some of these highly stereo- and chemoselective transformations required the use of micel ar media, they can now be conveniently performed in homogeneous solutions upon suitable choice of the electron acceptors and of the functionality pattern of the polyalkene substrates. Moreover, the mode of cyclization, i.e., 6- vs. 5-membered ring formation and termination of the cyclization cascades, are steered efficiently by the substituents of the polyalkenes (polyalkenyl acetate vs. α,β-unsaturated ethyl polyalkenoate and polyalkene-1,1-dicarbonitrile). At the same time, the protic solvents used add highly stereoselectively to the ω-alkene sites of the polyalkens in anti-Markovnikov sense which strongly suggests that radical cations are intercepted. Interestingly, the transformations achieved here upon photoelectron transfer parallel the biosynthetic paths of non-oxidative terpene cyclizations which are thought to occur purely by protonation of the isoprenoid polyalkenes.     

Determination of 13-cis-Retinoic Acid and Its Metabolites in Plasma by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography Using Cyclodextrin-Assisted Sweeping for Sample Preconcentration

The online preconcentration technique, cyclodextrin-assisted sweeping (CD-sweeping), coupled with micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was established to determine 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA), all-trans-retinoic acid (all-trans-RA) and 4-oxo-13-cis-retinoic acid (4-oxo-13-cis-RA) in human plasma. A CD-sweeping buffer (45 mM borate (pH 9.2), containing 80 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 22 mM hydroxypropyl β-CD (HP-β-CD) was introduced into the capillary and, then, the sample dissolved in 70 mM borate (pH 9.2): methanol = 9:1 (v/v) was injected into capillary by pressure. The separation voltage was 23 kV. Compared to the conventional cyclodextrin-micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC) method, the new technique achieved 224–257-fold sensitivity enrichment of analytes. The limits of detection of 13-cis-RA, all-trans-RA were 1 ng/mL, whereas that of 4-oxo-13-cis-RA was 25 ng/mL in plasma. The linear ranges of 13-cis-RA, all-trans-RA were between 15 and 1000 ng/mL, whereas that of 4-oxo-13-cis-RA was between 75 and 1500 ng/mL. The coefficient of correlation between the concentration of analytes and peak area ratio of analytes and internal standard (2, 4-dihydroxy-benzophenone) for intra-day (n = 3) and inter-day (n = 5) analyses were both greater than 0.999. The optimized experimental conditions were successfully applied to determine 13-cis-retinoic acid and its metabolites in plasma samples from a patient during the administration of 13-cis-RA for treating acne.     

An efficient approach to d-threo-3-hydroxyaspartic acid for the synthesis of novel l-threo-oxazolines as selective blockers of glutamate reversed uptake

An efficient, stereoselective synthetic strategy to d-threo-3-hydroxyaspartic acid was developed. Starting from l-(2S,3S)-N-benzoyl-3-hydroxyaspartic acid dimethyl ester by a Deoxo-fluor-catalyzed cyclization reaction, an inversion of configuration at the β-center (erythro isomer), was observed. A base-induced epimerization reaction led to the d-trans-isomer, which was hydrolyzed to give d-threo-3-hydroxyaspartic acid with excellent stereoselectivity and overall yield. Starting from d-threo-3-hydroxyaspartic acid, l-threo-oxazolines can be stereoselectively synthesized.     

Synthesis of chiral alkenyl epoxides: the sex pheromone of the elm spanworm Ennomus subsignaria (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

The identification of the sex pheromone of the elm spanworm Ennomos subsignaria (Hübner), as the chiral alkenyl epoxide (6Z)-cis-9,10-epoxy-nonadecene has been accomplished. Both enantiomers of (6Z)-cis-9,10-epoxy-nonadecene have been synthesized via two routes. The key steps in the first route were to prepare both threo-epoxy tosylates and then to perform an alkylative rearrangement of these intermediates to obtain the target molecules. An alternative enantioenriched synthesis that took advantage of the Sharpless dihydroxylation reaction was developed so that a common starting material could be used to access both enantiomers. A field study and GC/EAD testing indicated that Z6-cis-9S,10R-epoxy-nonadecene was the sex pheromone of the elm spanworm E. subsignaria (Hübner).     

Synthesis of the Bretonins,Polyolefinic Esterified Glyceryl Ethers of an Unidentified Sponge from the North-Brittany Sea: Absolute Configuration and Novel Structure Assignment

The absolute configurations of acetylated bretonin A (= (+}-( R )-1-[(acetoxy)methyl]-2-{[(4E,6E,8E)-dodeca-4,6,8-trienyl]oxy}ethyl 4-acetoxybenzoate; (?)- 1b ) and isobretonin A (= (+)-(S)-3-{[(4E,6E,8E)-do-deca-4,6,8-trienyl]oxy}-2-hydroxypropyl 4-hydroxybenzoate; (+)-2), previously isolated from an undetermined sponge of the North Brittany sea, were established by comparison with synthetic (+)- lb and (+)- 2 , obtained from the condensation of commerical (?)-(R)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl p-toluenesuifonate ((?)-(R)- 15 ) with a mixture of (4E,6E,8E)- ( 14e ) and (4E,6Z,8E)-dodeca-4,6,8-trien-1-ol ( 14z ). This also allowed confirming the structure and configuration of bretonin B (= (S)-2-{[(4E,6Z,8E)-dodeca-4,6,8-trienyl]oxy}-1-(hydroxy-methyl)ethyl 4-hydroxybenzoate; 3 ) which was also isolated from the same sponge, albeit in a too small amount for a complete study. As concerns the glyceryl ethers precursors of the bretonins, co-occurrence of the usual (S)-con-figuration (from 1a ) with the unusual (R)-configuration (from (+)- 2 )) poses intriguing biogenetic problems.     

(E)-Selective hydrolysis of (E,Z)-α,β-unsaturated nitriles by the recombinant nitrilase AtNIT1 from Arabidopsis thaliana

From stereoisomeric α,β-unsaturated nitriles (E,Z)-1, the recombinant nitrilase AtNIT1 from Arabidopsis thaliana hydrolyses the (E)-isomers exclusively to the corresponding (E)-carboxylic acids (E)-2 with high specificity. The (E)-selectivity can also be utilised for the preparation of the isomerically pure nitriles (Z)-1. From (E,Z)-2-hydroxycinnamonitrile (E,Z)-3, the otherwise difficult obtainable (Z)-3 was prepared in 66% isolated yield. With β,γ-unsaturated (E,Z)-3-heptenenitrile (E,Z)-4, however, (E)-selectivity was not observed. AtNIT1 exhibits not only diastereoselectivity but also regioselectivity. From a mixture of the four isomers A–D of 3-(2-cyanocyclohex-3-enyl)propenenitrile 6, exclusively isomer D ((E)-cis-6) was hydrolysed to 3-(2-cyanocyclohex-3-enyl)propenoic acid (E)-cis-7, as stated by X-ray crystal structure. Only after complete conversion of D and high enzyme concentrations, isomer C ((E)-trans-6) was hydrolysed to a small extent.     

Pheromone synthesis. Part 263: Synthesis of the racemate and the enantiomers of (E)-cis-6,7-epoxy-2-nonenal,the male-produced pheromone of the red-necked longhorn beetle,Aromia bungii

The racemate and the enantiomers of (E)-cis-6,7-epoxy-2-nonenal, the male pheromone of Aromia bungii, were synthesized by olefin cross metathesis between crotonaldehyde and (±)-, (+)- and (?)-cis-3,4-epoxy-7-octene. The epoxide was prepared by the Grignard coupling between allylmagnesium bromide and (±)-, (+)- and (?)-cis-2,3-epoxypentyl triflate. (±)-cis-2,3-Epoxy-1-pentanol was prepared by MCPBA epoxidation of (Z)-2-penten-1-ol, while its enantiomers were synthesized by the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of the allylic alcohol.     

Three New Abietane‐type Diterpenes from the Bark of Cryptomeria japonica

Three new abietane‐type diterpenoids, 7β‐acetoxy‐12‐methoxyabieta‐8,11,13‐triene‐6α,11‐diol ( 1 ), 7α‐acetoxy‐12‐methoxyabieta‐8,11,13‐triene‐6α,11‐diol ( 2 ), and 6α‐acetoxy‐12‐methoxyabieta‐8,11,13‐triene‐7α,11‐diol ( 3 ), as well as two known abietane‐type diterpenoids, 12‐methoxyabieta‐8,11,13‐triene‐6α,7β,11‐triol ( 4 ) and 6α‐acetoxy‐12‐methoxyabieta‐8,11,13‐triene‐7β,11‐diol ( 5 ), were isolated from the MeOH extract of the bark of Cryptomeria japonica. Their structures were determined by analysis of spectroscopic data and comparison of NMR data with those of related metabolites.