Convergent synthesis of the E'FGH ring fragment of ciguatoxin 1B via an acetylene cobalt complex strategy

A convergent synthesis of the E'FGH ring fragment 28 of ciguatoxin 1B, a principal toxin causing widespread seafood poisonings "ciguatera", has been accomplished through (i) coupling between the E' ring-acetylide 9 and the H ring-aldehyde 20, (ii) stereoselective F ring cyclization via an acetylene cobalt complex, (iii) conversion to a carbonyl function under high-pressure hydrogenation, and (iv) reductive hydroxyketone cyclization to construct the G ring. In the (1)H NMR analysis of 28 at room temperature, a considerable broadening phenomenon was observed due to the slow conformational changes of the FG ring, as reported for natural ciguatoxin 1B. When measured in pyridine at -20 degrees C, the spectra of 28 exhibited a 3.5:1 mixture of two conformational isomers (UP and DOWN conformers).     

Convergent synthesis of the FGHI ring system of yessotoxin: stereoselective construction of the G ring

A convergent synthetic route to the FGHI ring system of yessotoxin, a marine ladder polyether, has been developed. The synthesis features convergent coupling of the diol and the aldehyde to form α-cyano ethers via acetal formation followed by ring closing metathesis and reductive etherification to construct the oxocane ring G and tetrahydropyran ring H, respectively. The β-methyl group on the G ring was stereoselectively introduced by alkylation of the corresponding ketone.     

The imidato-alkenyllithium route for the synthesis of the isoquinocycline-pyrrolopyrrole substructure

A convergent and effective synthesis of the pyrrolopyrrole substructure (CDEFG) of the isoquinocyclines is reported. A key step is a tin-lithium exchange of an imidato-alkenyltin compound (a ring G equivalent) and the subsequent acylation with a lactone. The resulting acetal is used successfully for the ring F closure to the pyrrolopyrrole. The sole formation of the isoquinocycline N,O-acetal epimer is in accordance with the proposed mechanism for the isomerization of quinocyclines to isoquinocyclines.     

Convergent synthesis of the ABCDE ring fragment of ciguatoxins

Synthesis of the ABCDE ring fragment of ciguatoxins has been achieved in a highly stereocontrolled and convergent manner via the B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling-based approach.     

Synthetic Studies on Ciguatoxin: A Convergent Strategy for Construction of the F–M Ring Framework

Exceptional neurotoxicity is associated with ciguatoxin. The ciguatoxin mimic 1 , which contains the F–M framework of the natural product, has been prepared through a convergent synthesis. The two key steps were a Lewis acid mediated intramolecular reaction of a γ-alkoxyallylsilane with an acetal group and an SmI₂-mediated intramolecular Reformatsky reaction that permitted construction of the annelated hexahydrooxonin ring system.     

Progress toward the total synthesis of ciguatoxins: a convergent synthesis of the FGHIJKLM ring fragment

[structure: see text] A highly convergent synthetic route to the FGHIJKLM ring fragment of ciguatoxins has been developed, which relied on extensive use of the B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction.     

Stereoselective convergent synthesis of a trans-fused polycyclic ether ring system including a 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-tetrahydropyran ring

[reaction: see text] Stereoselective convergent synthesis of a trans-fused 6-6-6-6-membered tetracyclic ether ring system including 4alpha- or 4beta-hydroxy-5-methyl-tetrahydropyran was achieved. The key reactions involve the acetylide-aldehyde coupling of two tetrahydropyrans, intramolecular hetero-Michael cyclization of enone, stereoselective reduction of enone, hydroboration, intramolecular acetalization, and stereoselective reduction of the acetal with Et(3)SiH-TMSOTf.     

Convergent synthesis of trans-fused 6/n/6/6 (n=7, 8) tetracyclic ether system via α-cyano ethers

A convergent method for synthesizing 6/n/6/6 (n=7, 8) tetracyclic ether system via two-rings construction of the central n/6 ring system was developed. The key steps of the present synthesis involve a ring-closing metathesis reaction for the construction of the seven- and eight-membered rings, and reductive etherification for the tetrahydropyrans. Unification of the two fragments through acetal formation, followed by regioselective cleavage of the acetal using TMSCN/TMSOTf in the presence of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylpyridine, afforded the α-cyano ether, of which the nitrile group was manipulated to give the precursors of the ring-closing reactions.     

Total synthesis of (-)-hennoxazole A

An enantioselective, convergent total synthesis of the antiviral marine natural product (-)-hennoxazole A is completed in 14 steps (longest linear sequence) from commercially available 4-methyloxazole-2-carboxylic acid. Synthesis of the C(1)-C(15) pyran/bisoxazole fragment takes advantage of an aldol-like coupling between a dimethyl acetal and an N-acetylthiazolidinethione for the direct, stereoselective installation of the C(8)-methoxy-bearing stereocenter. A one-pot acetoacetate acylation/decarboxylation/cyclodehydration of another elaborate thiazolidinethione allows for rapid assembly of the pyran-based ring system. Synthesis of the C(15)-C(25) skipped triene side chain fragment makes use of a [2,3]-Wittig-Still rearrangement for efficient installation of the trisubstituted Z-double bond. Key late-stage coupling of the two fragments is effected by deprotonation of the methyl group on the bisoxazole system using lithium diethylamide, followed by alkylation with an allylic bromide side chain segment to form the C(15)-C(16) bond.     

Total Synthesis of Notoamides F,I, and R and Sclerotiamide

The total synthesis of the natural indole alkaloids (+)‐notoamide F, I, and R and (?)‐sclerotiamide is described. The four heptacyclic compounds were synthesized in 10–12 steps in a convergent and highly stereoselective manner from the readily available Seebach acetal. Key steps of the synthesis include a stereoselective oxidative aza‐Prins cyclization to construct the bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane, and a cobalt‐catalyzed radical cycloisomerization to create the cyclohexenyl ring.     

Total Synthesis of Notoamides F,I, and R and Sclerotiamide

The total synthesis of the natural indole alkaloids (+)‐notoamide F, I, and R and (−)‐sclerotiamide is described. The four heptacyclic compounds were synthesized in 10–12 steps in a convergent and highly stereoselective manner from the readily available Seebach acetal. Key steps of the synthesis include a stereoselective oxidative aza‐Prins cyclization to construct the bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane, and a cobalt‐catalyzed radical cycloisomerization to create the cyclohexenyl ring.     

Synthetic study of gymnocin-A: synthesis of the ABC ring fragment

The synthesis of the ABC ring fragment of gymnocin-A is described. The key feature of this approach was the convergent BC ring formation using an oxiranyl anion coupling, which was followed by intramolecular Williamson ether synthesis and the reductive etherification of an α-acetoxy acetal. The five-membered A ring was then constructed on the seven-membered B ring by radical cyclization of a β-alkoxy acrylate derivative.     

Conformational Behavior of Rigid and Dancing (1,3)(1,4)Cyclophanes

Annelation or substitution of the (1,4)-bridged ring of [2₂](1,3)(1,4)cyclophane 4 , such as in 8 and 9 , respectively, result in two different conformational ground states in each case. Each conformational ground state involves a different destabilizing factor arising from one form of non-bonding interaction. Only the conformers 8b and 9b were isolated experimentally. Their corresponding precursors 11 and 23 were also found to be conformationally rigid. Only the conformers 11a and 23a were isolated indicating an abrupt change in conformational preference going from the dithia[3₂]cyclophanes to the respective [2₂]cyclophanes. The selectively methylated [2₂]cyclophanes 27 , 31 and 32 were, however, found to be conformationally mobile. There is an increase of about 10–15 kJ mol^?1 in conformational energy barrier going from 4 to 27 or 31 . This is consistent with the fact that the presence of the methyl substituents increases the relative conformational ground-state energy more than it would affect the transition-state energy. The conformational barrier of 32 was unexpectedly found to be similar to those of 27 and 31 . This could be explained by a decrease in the transition-state energy due to an inward bending of the (1,4)-bridged ring accompanied by a decrease in conformational ground-state energy due to an outward bending of the methyl groups in 32 .     

A reoptimized GROMOS force field for hexopyranose-based carbohydrates accounting for the relative free energies of ring conformers, anomers, epimers, hydroxymethyl rotamers, and glycosidic linkage conformers

This article presents a reoptimization of the GROMOS 53A6 force field for hexopyranose-based carbohydrates (nearly equivalent to 45A4 for pure carbohydrate systems) into a new version 56A(CARBO) (nearly equivalent to 53A6 for non-carbohydrate systems). This reoptimization was found necessary to repair a number of shortcomings of the 53A6 (45A4) parameter set and to extend the scope of the force field to properties that had not been included previously into the parameterization procedure. The new 56A(CARBO) force field is characterized by: (i) the formulation of systematic build-up rules for the automatic generation of force-field topologies over a large class of compounds including (but not restricted to) unfunctionalized polyhexopyranoses with arbritrary connectivities; (ii) the systematic use of enhanced sampling methods for inclusion of experimental thermodynamic data concerning slow or unphysical processes into the parameterization procedure; and (iii) an extensive validation against available experimental data in solution and, to a limited extent, theoretical (quantum-mechanical) data in the gas phase. At present, the 56A(CARBO) force field is restricted to compounds of the elements C, O, and H presenting single bonds only, no oxygen functions other than alcohol, ether, hemiacetal, or acetal, and no cyclic segments other than six-membered rings (separated by at least one intermediate atom). After calibration, this force field is shown to reproduce well the relative free energies of ring conformers, anomers, epimers, hydroxymethyl rotamers, and glycosidic linkage conformers. As a result, the 56A(CARBO) force field should be suitable for: (i) the characterization of the dynamics of pyranose ring conformational transitions (in simulations on the microsecond timescale); (ii) the investigation of systems where alternative ring conformations become significantly populated; (iii) the investigation of anomerization or epimerization in terms of free-energy differences; and (iv) the design of simulation approaches accelerating the anomerization process along an unphysical pathway.     

Molecular structures of benzoic acid and 2-hydroxybenzoic acid, obtained by gas-phase electron diffraction and theoretical calculations

The structures of benzoic acid (C6H5COOH) and 2-hydroxybenzoic acid (C6H4OHCOOH) have been determined in the gas phase by electron diffraction using results from quantum chemical calculations to inform restraints used on the structural parameters. Theoretical methods (HF and MP2/6-311+G(d,p)) predict two conformers for benzoic acid, one which is 25.0 kJ mol(-1) (MP2) lower in energy than the other. In the low-energy form, the carboxyl group is coplanar with the phenyl ring and the O-H group eclipses the C=O bond. Theoretical calculations (HF and MP2/6-311+G(d,p)) carried out for 2-hydroxybenzoic acid gave evidence for seven stable conformers but one low-energy form (11.7 kJ mol(-1) lower in energy (MP2)) which again has the carboxyl group coplanar with the phenyl ring, the O-H of the carboxyl group eclipsing the C=O bond and the C=O of the carboxyl group oriented toward the O-H group of the phenyl ring. The effects of internal hydrogen bonding in 2-hydroxybenzoic acid can be clearly observed by comparison of pertinent structural parameters between the two compounds. These differences for 2-hydroxybenzoic acid include a shorter exocyclic C-C bond, a lengthening of the ring C-C bond between the substituents, and a shortening of the carboxylic single C-O bond.     

Shape of 4S- and 4R-hydroxyproline in gas phase

The alpha-amino acids 4(S)-hydroxyproline and 4(R)-hydroxyproline have been studied under isolation conditions in gas phase using laser-ablation molecular-beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Two conformers of each molecule have been detected in the jet-cooled rotational spectrum. The most stable conformer in both molecules exhibits an intramolecular N...H-O hydrogen bond (configuration 1) between the hydrogen atom of the carboxylic group and the nitrogen atom. The second conformer is characterized by an intramolecular N-H...O=C hydrogen bond (configuration 2). The conformers of 4(R)-hydroxyproline adopt a C(gamma)-exo puckering, while those of 4(S)-hydroxyproline present a C(gamma)-endo ring conformation. These ring conformations, which show the same propensity observed in collagen-like peptides, are stabilized by additional intramolecular hydrogen bonds involving the 4-hydroxyl group, with the exception of the most stable form of 4(S)-hydroxyproline for which a n-pi interaction between the oxygen atom of the 4-hydroxyl group and the carboxyl group carbon seems to be established. A gauche effect could be also contributing to stabilize the observed conformers.     

Axial and equatorial hydrogen-bond conformers and ring-puckering motion in the trimethylene sulfide.hydrogen fluoride complex

Axial and equatorial hydrogen-bond conformers of the trimethylene sulfide.hydrogen fluoride complex have been generated and characterized in the supersonic jet of a molecular beam Fourier transform microwave experiment. It is shown that the ring-puckering large amplitude motion of trimethylene sulfide is responsible for the observed conformers. The axial conformer has been found to be the most stable and has been proved by the existence of relaxation of the high-energy equatorial form to it. This conformational preference has been explained in the context of a delicate balance between primary and secondary hydrogen bonds. The interconversion between both conformers takes place through the ring-puckering motion of the heterocycle, provided that the barrier to the ring inversion remains low after complexation, as all experimental findings indicate. The structural parameters of the trimethylene sulfide and the hydrogen bond have been derived from the analysis of the rotational spectra of the C(3)H(6) (32)S.HF, C(3)H(6) (34)S.HF, (13)C(alpha) (12)C(2)H(6) (32)S.HF, and (13)C(beta) (12)C(2)H(6) (32)S.HF isotopomers. Both conformers have C(s) symmetry with the hydrogen fluoride located in the molecular symmetry plane of trimethylene sulfide, which is puckered at a similar angle to that found for the bare ring.     

Tandem double intramolecular [4+2]/[3+2] cycloadditions of nitroalkenes: construction of the pentacyclic core structure of daphnilactone B

An asymmetric synthesis of the ABCD ring system of daphnilactone B is described. The synthesis features a tandem, double intramolecular, [4+2]/[3+2] cycloaddition of a highly functionalized, enantiomerically enriched nitroalkene to generate a pentacyclic nitroso acetal. The cycloaddition establishes six contiguous stereogenic centers including the critical CD ring junction that bears two quaternary stereogenic centers. Hydrogenolysis of the nitroso acetal followed by amide reduction and cyclization provided the AB rings. The methyl substituent on the A ring was installed in the correct configuration via hydrogenation of an exocyclic olefin in the final step.     

Rational synthesis of contra-thermodynamic spiroacetals by reductive cyclizations

A synthesis of spiroacetals was developed using a reductive cyclization strategy that leads stereoselectively to spiroacetals with a single anomeric stabilization. The method begins with the synthesis of spiro ortho esters. The ortho ester is converted to a cyano acetal. Reductive lithiation of the cyano acetal generates an axial dialkoxylithium reagent, and intramolecular cyclization produces a new ring with retention of configuration. The strategy is convergent and produces complex spiro acetals in only a few steps. The method will be useful in the synthesis of natural products and will facilitate the synthesis of previously inaccessible contra-thermodynamic acetals.     

1H NMR spectra and conformational analysis of some 1,4-dithiepan-6-ones

¹H NMR Parameters are reported for five 1,4-dithiepan-6-ones. 1,4-Dithiepan-6-one 1-oxide exists in solution as an equilibrium involving two different twist-chair conformations, which contrasts with its conformational behaviour in the solid state. Twist-chair conformers are also adopted by other members of the series, the favoured form varying with ring substitution. The S?O bond in 1,4-dithiepan-6-one 1-oxide and in its 5,5-dimethyl analogue exhibit a preference for the pseudoaxial site.