Asymmetric syntheses of (−)-isoretronecanol and (−)-trachelantamidine

Short and concise total asymmetric syntheses of (−)-isoretronecanol and (−)-trachelantamidine are reported. Oxidative cleavage of tert-butyl (S,S,S,Z)-7-[N-benzyl-N-(α-methylbenzyl)amino]cyclohept-3-ene-1-carboxylate, followed by hydrogenolysis promoted in situ cyclisation/reduction, which provided rapid access to the bicyclic core within (−)-isoretronecanol. Analogous treatment of the C(1)-epimer gave (−)-trachelantamidine. Overall, the syntheses of (−)-isoretronecanol and (−)-trachelantamidine were completed in eight and seven steps and 20 and 9.5% yield, respectively, from commercially available starting materials.     

A short enantioselective synthesis of (−)-chloramphenicol and (+)-thiamphenicol using tethered aminohydroxylation

An efficient enantioselective synthesis of (−)-chloramphenicol (1) and (+)-thiamphenicol (2) is described. These antibiotics have been synthesized from commercially available 4-nitrobenzaldehyde and 4-(methylthio)benzaldehyde, respectively, using tethered aminohydroxylation and Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation as the chirality inducing steps.     

Synthetic applications of homoiodo allylsilane II. Total syntheses of (−)-andrographolide and (+)-rostratone

The first total synthesis of (−)-andrographolide (1), an ent-Labdane diterpenoid lactone from Asian medicinal herb Andrographis paniculata, was achieved via the biomimetic cyclization of an epoxy homoiodo allylsilane precursor 7. Asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-rostratone (25), an antipodal Labdane diterpenoid, was also accomplished via similar biomimetic cyclization of a readily accessible epoxy homoiodo allylsilane precursor 18.     

Stereoselective construction of the pyrrolizidine bridgehead stereochemistry by the adjacent hydroxyl group in the synthesis of (+)-heliotridine and (−)-retronecine

Formal total synthesis of (+)-heliotridine (4) and total synthesis of (−)-retronecine (5) were accomplished by using (S)-3-acetoxysuccinimide (6) as the common starting material. The stereogenic center of 6 ended up as C-1 in both alkaloids. The chiral centers at C-7a of the alkaloids were stereoselectively constructed through the help of the adjacent functionality at C-1. The B-rings of the alkaloids were formed through α-sulfonyl radical cyclizations.     

A diastereodivergent strategy for the asymmetric syntheses of (−)-martinellic acid and (−)-4-epi-martinellic acid

Asymmetric syntheses of (−)-martinellic acid and (−)-4-epi-martinellic acid were achieved in 20 steps from commercially available starting materials using a diastereodivergent strategy. The conjugate addition of lithium (R)-N-allyl-N-(α-methyl-p-methoxybenzyl)amide to tert-butyl (E)-3-[2′-(N,N-diallylamino)-5′-bromophenyl]propenoate and alkylation of the resultant β-amino ester with methyl bromoacetate were used as the key steps to install the C(9b) and C(3a) stereogenic centres, respectively. Subsequent cyclisation to the corresponding pyrroloquinolin-2-one and reduction of the C(4)-carbonyl group was followed by two complementary procedures for olefination and concomitant intramolecular Michael addition, which gave both C(4)-epimers of this tricyclic molecular architecture in >99:1 dr. Subsequent elaboration of these templates provided access to (−)-martinellic acid and, for the first time, (−)-4-epi-martinellic acid.     

Stereoselective synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids: (−)-trolline, (+)-crispin A, (+)-oleracein E

Tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, (S)-(−)-trolline, (R)-(+)-crispin A, and (R)-(+)-oleracein E, have been synthesized stereoselectively from the both enantiomers of common intermediate (S)-4 and (R)-4. The key step in the synthesis include a stereoselective Bi(OTf)₃-catalyzed intramolecular 1,3-chirality transfer reaction of chiral non-racemic amino allylic alcohols (S)-6 and (R)-6 to construct both enantiomers of (E)-1-propenyl tetrahydroisoquinoline 4.     

Enantioselective syntheses of bioactive epoxyquinone natural products (+)-harveynone and (−)-asperpentyn

Stereo- and enantioselective syntheses of (+)-harveynone and (−)-asperpentyn are reported.     

Efficient one-pot synthetic approaches for cannabinoid analogues and their application to biologically interesting (−)-hexahydrocannabinol and (+)-hexahydrocannabinol

This Letter reports new and efficient synthetic approaches for biologically interesting cannabinoid analogues. The key strategies involve ethylenediamine diacetate/triethylamine-catalyzed cyclization. As an application of this methodology, one-step synthesis of biologically active natural (−)-hexahydrocannabinol and its unnatural enantiomer (+)-hexahydrocannabinol was carried out.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-strychnine: development of a highly practical catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon bond formation and domino cyclization

An enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-strychnine was accomplished through the use of the highly practical catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction (0.1 mol% of (R)-ALB, greater than kilogram scale, without chromatography, 91% yield and >99% ee), and a domino cyclization that simultaneously constructed the B- and D- rings of strychnine (>77% yield). Newly-developed reaction conditions for thionium ion cyclization, NaBH₃CN reduction of the imine moiety in the presence of a Lewis acid to prevent the ring-opening reaction, and chemoselective reduction of the thioether (desulfurization) in the presence of exocyclic olefin were pivotal to complete the synthesis. The described chemistry paves the way for the synthesis of more advanced Strychnos alkaloids.     

Chemoenzymatic syntheses of the linear triquinane-type sesquiterpenes (+)-hirsutic acid and (−)-complicatic acid

Formal total syntheses of the natural enantiomeric forms of the title sesquiterpenes 1 and 2 have been achieved using, as starting material, the readily available and enantiomerically pure cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 4 derived from the whole-cell biotransformation of toluene.     

Stereoselective total synthesis of (−)-cleistenolide

A stereoselective total synthesis of (−)-cleistenolide (1) derived from d-(−)-isoascorbic acid has been described. The new synthetic strategy involves highly diastereoselective reduction, one-pot protection of required benzoyl, acetyl groups, and the RCM reaction by using Grubbs catalyst are the key steps with considerable yields.     

Simple and highly efficient preparation and characterization of (−)-lupanine and (+)-sparteine

In a simple and convenient way, we have improved the non-chromatographic isolation of optically pure (−)-2-oxosparteine ((−)-lupanine) and (+)-sparteine. The fast and efficient method for the determination of the ee of bisquinolizidine alkaloids has been proposed. A relatively simple simple ¹H NMR method has been applied for evaluation of the % ee of enantiomers of the lupanines and sparteines with the chiral dibenzoyltartaric acids as the shift reagents. The ¹H NMR spectra of the bases and the new salts in polar solvents have been measured.The results are confirmed by chiral HPLC method. Additionally, for the first time X-ray analysis of the salt of (−)-lupanine has been performed. The improved method of purification of bisquinolizidine alkaloids will considerably facilitate the employment of these alkaloids as chiral ligands in asymmetric reactions and as pharmacological tools.     

Chemoenzymatic total syntheses of the linear triquinane-type natural products (+)-hirsutic acid and (−)-complicatic acid from toluene

Total syntheses of title natural products, 1 and 2, have been achieved using the cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 7 as starting material. Compound 7 is readily obtained in large quantity and enantiomerically pure form through the whole-cell biotransformation of toluene using the genetically engineered micro-organism Escherichia coli JM109 (pDTG601) that over-expresses the enzyme toluene dioxygenase (TDO). Three key chemical steps were employed in these syntheses, the first of which was a high-pressure-promoted Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction between diene 8 and cyclopentenone to give adduct 9. The second key step was the photochemically promoted oxa-di-π-methane rearrangement of the bicyclo[2.2.2]octenone derivative, 18, of 9 to give 20 while the third key step was the reductive cleavage of the last compound so as to afford the linear triquinane 22. Elaboration of compound 22 to targets 1 and 2 followed conventional and/or established procedures. Single-crystal X-ray analyses were carried out on compounds 10-13, 15, 18, 24, and 34.     

A new route to 3,4-disubstituted piperidines: formal synthesis of (−)-paroxetine and (+)-femoxetine

A new route to 3,4-disubstituted piperidines was developed using chiral 1,4-dihydropyridines as key intermediates, the synthetic utility of which was demonstrated by formal synthesis of (−)-paroxetine and (+)-femoxetine.     

Enantioselective synthesis of secondary phosphine oxides from (RP)-(−)-menthyl hydrogenophenylphosphinate

Alkyl- and arylphenylphosphine oxides can easily be synthesized with an excellent enantiomeric excess starting from diastereomerically pure (R_P)-(−)-menthylhydrogenophenylphosphinate and organometallic reagents.     

Stereoselective formal synthesis of (−)-centrolobine

Stereoselective formal synthesis of (−)-centrolobine was achieved from naturally occurring l-(+)-tartaric acid, employing a facile FeCl₃ mediated stereoselective formation of a tetrahydropyran as the key step.     

Radical cyclizations of acylsilanes in the synthesis of (+)-swainsonine and formal synthesis of (−)-epiquinamide

Radical cyclization of acylsilane is an useful synthetic methodology. To demonstrate the versatility of this method using the cyclization as a key step, polyhydroxylated indolizidine (+)-swainsonine was synthesized through two different bond connection approaches to construct the bicyclic skeleton. In the first approach, we used 2,3-isopropylidene-d-ribono-1,4-lactone (20) as a chiral building block to form the indolizidine skeleton through a 1,6-cyclization. In the second approach, (S)-(+)-5-oxo-2-tetrahydrofurancarboxylic acid (23) was used to construct the same ring system through a 1,5-cyclization. Starting from acid 23, we also synthesized exo-1-hydroxyquinolizidin-4-one (56), which was a synthetic intermediate in the synthesis of polyhydroxylated quinolizidine (−)-epiquinamide.     

The difference in reactivity of (−)-mono and dimenthyl vs. diethyl alkylphosphonates in the α-lithiation reaction: Carbanionic synthesis of unknown (−)-dimenthyl 1-iodoalkylphosphonates and their first use in the radical iodine atom transfer addition (I-ATRA) and cyclisation (I-ATRC) reactions

Unknown (−)-dimenthyl and ethyl (−)-menthyl 1-iodoethylphosphonates were synthesized via 1-lithio derivatives in 85-87% yields. Starting (−)-dimenthyl alkylphosphonates (R = Me, Et, i-Pr) were obtained in the Michaelis-Becker reaction (75-81% yields) and/or in the methylation reaction of the corresponding 1-lithio-alkylphosphonates (78-92% yields). An interesting concentration and time correlations, never observed for diethyl alkylphosphonates, were found for the metalation of bulky (−)-menthyl alkylphosphonates with n-BuLi and general reaction conditions for the carbanion generation were elaborated. The first example of the I-ATRA reaction of (−)-dimenthyl 1-iodoethylphosphonate with 1-hexene (AIBN) gave four diastereomers (1.6:1:1:0.4), separated into two pairs. The I-ATRC reaction was not effective due to a steric hindrance around the reactive center. The X-ray analysis of (−)-dimenthyl methylphosphonate confirmed a considerable steric hindrance in higher (−)-dimenthyl alkylphosphonate esters in comparison to their diethyl analogs.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (−)-cytoxazone and (+)-epi-cytoxazone

Optically pure (−)-cytoxazone was synthesized, starting from methyl p-methoxycinnamate, in six steps and in 31% overall yield. The required anti-aminoalcohol configuration was established by combining Sharpless asymmetric aminohydroxylation with the configurational inversion of the intermediate amidoalcohol via an oxazoline. The synthesis of (+)-epi-cytoxazone is also described.     

A new synthetic route to (−)-cassine via asymmetric aminohydroxylation

(−)-Cassine has been synthesized by a new route, asymmetric aminohydroxylation followed by reductive amination.