Preparation of alpha-phosphono lactams via electrophilic phosphorus reagents: an application in the synthesis of lactam-based farnesyl transferase Inhibitors

Conversion of N-alkyl lactams to the corresponding alpha-phosphono lactams has been investigated through procedures that involve formation of the lactam enolate and reaction with a phosphorus electrophile. With N-octylpyrrolidinone, the enolate could be trapped efficiently on oxygen by reaction with diethyl phosphorochloridate, and the resulting vinyl phosphate rearranges smoothly to the desired phosphonate upon treatment with additional LDA. Attempts to apply the same protocol to N-farnesyl lactams met with limited success. Studies with an isolated alpha-phosphono N-farnesyl lactam have shown that the farnesyl group is not stable to the excess of strong base required for rearrangement of a vinyl phosphate. However, a series of N-farnesyl lactams and imides was converted to the desired phosphonates through formation of the lactam enolate, reaction with diethyl phosphorochloridite, and subsequent oxidation of the phosphorus intermediate to the P(V) state.     

Alpha-phosphono lactone analogues of cytidine and cytosine arabinoside diphosphates: synthesis via ring closing metathesis

alpha-Phosphono lactone derivatives of the nucleosides cytidine and cytosine arabinoside have been prepared from the corresponding nucleoside aldehydes. The stereochemical outcome of allylation reactions with these aldehydes was found to be dependent upon both the choice of protecting groups for the 2'- and 3'-hydroxyl groups and, to some extent, the nature of the Lewis acid catalyst employed. Ultimately, conditions were found that favored either the 5'R or 5'S diastereomer from different cytidine aldehydes, and gave some stereoselectivity in additions to an aldehyde derivative of ara-C. The resulting homoallylic alcohols were used as substrates in attempted Knovenagel and Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons condensations, but elimination was found to predominate over lactone formation under the conditions employed. The desired alpha-phosphono lactones could be prepared through a reaction sequence that included ring-closing metathesis on acrylate esters of the homoallylic alcohols, followed by reduction of the resulting alpha,beta-unsaturated lactones and carbon-phosphorus bond formation on enolates generated from the saturated lactones.     

Total Synthesis of Lucidumone through Convenient One-pot Preparation of the Tetracyclic Skeleton by Claisen Rearrangement and Subsequent Intramolecular Aldol Reaction

The total synthesis of lucidumone ( 1 ), a Ganoderma meroterpenoid, was accomplished in racemic form from easily prepared 6 and 7 in 10 steps as the longest linear sequence. The synthesis was completed through one-pot preparation of the tetracyclic core skeleton by Claisen rearrangement followed by an intramolecular aldol reaction. The intramolecular aldol reaction allowed for the stereocontrolled construction of the bicyclo [2.2.2] octane skeleton fused to an indanone structure. The enantioselective total synthesis of 1 was also described via a chiral transfer strategy in the Claisen rearrangement.     

Asymmetric Activation

While nonracemic catalysts can generate nonracemic products with or without the nonlinear relationship in enantiomeric excesses between catalysts and products, racemic catalysts inherently give only a racemic mixture of chiral products. Asymmetric catalysts, either in nonracemic or racemic form, can be further evolved into highly activated catalysts with association of chiral activators. This asymmetric activation process is particularly useful in racemic catalysis through selective activation of one enantiomer of the racemic catalyst. Recently, a strategy whereby a racemic catalyst is selectively deactivated by a chiral additive has been reported to yield nonracemic products. However, reported herein is an alternative and conceptually opposite strategy in which a chiral activator selectively activates, rather than deactivates, one enantiomer of a racemic chiral catalyst. The advantage of this activation strategy over the deactivation counterpart is that the activated catalyst can produce a greater enantiomeric excess in the products-even with the use of a catalytic amount of activator relative to chiral catalyst-than that attained by the enantiomerically pure catalyst on its own. Therefore, asymmetric activation could provide a general and powerful strategy for not only the use of atropisomeric, racemic ligands but also chirally flexible and proatropisomeric ligands without enantiomeric resolution!     

A dirhodium(II)-carbenoid route to (-)- and (+)-Geissman-Waiss lactone: synthesis of (1R,7R,8R)-(-)-turneforcidine.

(-)- and (+)-Geissman-Waiss lactone, 4b, was efficiently prepared via the intramolecular C-H insertion reaction of the chiral nonracemic diazoacetates (-)-5a and (+)-5b catalyzed by dirhodium(II) tetrakis[methyl (5R and 5S)-3-phenylpropanoyl-2-imidazolidinone-5-carboxylate]. The cyclization was found to proceed with excellent regioselectivity and cis-diastereoselectivity. The bicyclic lactone (-)-4b was successfully used in the synthesis of the necine base, (-)-turneforcidine 2.     

Synthesis of cyclopentenones via intramolecular HWE and the palladium-catalyzed reactions of allylic hydroxy phosphonate derivatives

Palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative rearrangement of nonracemic phosphono allylic acetoacetates, or the intermolecular allylic substitution of nonracemic phosphono allylic carbonates with tert-butyl acetoacetate followed by hydrolysis and decarboxylation, gave omega-ketovinyl phosphonates. A highly regioselective Wacker oxidation gave the omega,beta-diketophosphonates which underwent intramolecular HWE reaction to give nonracemic cyclopentenones. An aldol condensation leading to phosphonocyclopentenones was competitive with the HWE reaction. The stereochemistry of the cyclopentenone and the ratio of HWE to aldol products were dependent upon the choice of base used in the reaction.     

Homochiral oligopeptides generated by induced "mirror symmetry breaking" lattice-controlled polymerizations in racemic crystals of phenylalanine N-carboxyanhydride

The formation of diastereoisomeric libraries of oligopeptides through the heterogeneous polymerization of racemic crystals of phenylalanine N-carboxyanhydride (PheNCA) is reported. The diastereoisomeric compositions of the oligopeptides formed on polymerization of (R,S) crystals incorporating the deuterium-tagged S enantiomer were determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The racemic mixtures of the oligopeptides longer than pentamers are represented primarily by diastereoisomers of homochiral sequence and with peptides containing only one heterochiral repeating unit. A mechanism comprising the following three sequential steps to account for this unusual observation is proposed: 1) formation of dimers and trimers at a partially damaged liquid/solid interface, 2) chain propagation that takes place within the bulk of the crystal through a lattice-controlled "zipper-like" mechanism between homochiral molecules arranged in a head-to-tail motif to yield crystalline antiparallel beta-sheets of alternating oligopeptide chains of homochiral sequence of opposite handedness, and 3) enantiomeric cross-inhibition that results in chain termination. Induced desymmetrization of the racemic mixtures of the formed peptides was achieved by the polymerization of the mixed quasi-racemic crystals of (R)-PheNCA, ((S)-PheNCA), and (S)-ThieNCA (3-(2-thienyl)-alanine N-carboxyanhydride) of various compositions. These experiments resulted in the formation of nonracemic libraries of oligopeptides composed of homochiral chains of (R)-Phe and copolymers of randomly distributed (S)-Phe and (S)-Thie sequences. From these findings, we propose a stochastic model for the generation of libraries of nonracemic mixtures of oligopeptides from the polymerization of host (R,S)-PheNCA with racemic mixtures of other guest NCA amino acids dissolved in limited quantities in the crystal.     

Basic and reductive sulfone-directed ring-opening reactions of difluorinated oxa[2.2.1]bicycloheptanes

Phenylsulfenyl chloride reacts with racemic endo Diels-Alder adduct 4 (DEC = CONEt(2)) to afford lactone 8, which can be reduced and protected in a series of high-yielding steps. Key sulfone 10 can be ring opened under strong base conditions to afford vinyl sulfone 11. Attempted desulfonation resulted in the formation of a monofluoroalkene, but a direct desulfonation/eliminative ring opening with strain relief delivered highly functionalized monocyclic species 16. [reaction: see text]     

Rose Oxides: A Facile Chemo and Chemo‐Enzymatic Approach

Nonracemic rose oxides were synthesized from racemic or nonracemic monoterpene alcohol citronellol by a novel chemo and chemo‐enzymatic route. After the key step of bromomethoxylation of citronellol, the intermediate was dehydrobrominated by a base, followed by an acid catalyzed demethoxylation along with cyclization to furnish rose oxides in high yield. The racemic dehydrobrominated precursor was also kinetically resolved using various lipases to produce nonracemic rose oxides.     

Total synthesis of (-)-microcarpalide, a novel microfilament disrupting metabolite

The stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-microcarpalide, a recently discovered 10-membered lactone of fungal origin displaying a remarkable disrupting action on actin microfilaments, was accomplished by using ring-closing metathesis (RCM) as the key step for the formation of the medium-sized ring. The diene ester required for the macrocyclization reaction was assembled via DCC-mediated esterification of two suitable partners, each bearing a terminal alkene group. The alcohol fragment was synthesized from n-bromohexane through a seven-step sequence entailing two consecutive stereoselective homologations of chiral boronic esters as strategic transformations for the sequential insertion of the two stereocentres with the final S absolute configuration, using (+)-pinanediol as the chiral director; final elaboration to the desired C(11) framework envisaged treatment with an allyl Grignard reagent and oxidative cleavage of the boronic scaffold. In contrast, the acidic fragment was prepared in ten steps from d-tartaric acid, whose C(4) backbone was elongated to the required C(7) skeleton by means of two distinct Swern-Wittig oxidation-homologation sequences.     

Hofmann-type rearrangement of imides by in situ generation of imide-hypervalent iodines(III) from iodoarenes

The Hofmann-type rearrangement of aromatic and aliphatic imides using a hypervalent iodine(III) reagent generated in situ from PhI, m-CPBA, and TsOH·H(2)O proceeded in the presence of a base in alcohol to provide anthranilic acid derivatives and amino acid derivatives in high yields, respectively. This reaction proceeds through a tandem reaction via alcoholysis followed by a Hofmann rearrangement promoted by the formation of an imide-λ(3)-iodane intermediate.     

Synthesis of nonracemic 3-deoxyschweinfurthin B

Synthesis of nonracemic 3-deoxyschweinfurthin B has been accomplished through a synthetic sequence including a key cascade cyclization of an epoxy olefin. The intermediate epoxide could be prepared as a single enantiomer through an AD-mix-alpha (or AD-mix-beta) oxidation, and the stereochemistry of the epoxide has been shown to control formation of the two additional stereogenic centers created through the cyclization. Synthetic 3-deoxyschweinfurthin B was found to have potent differential activity in the National Cancer Institute's 60 cell line anticancer assay. This represents the first synthesis of the tetracyclic schweinfurthin skeleton, validating our overall synthetic strategy and providing the first schweinfurthin analogue with activity slightly greater than those of the natural products.     

High‐Yielding Synthesis of the Anti‐Influenza Neuraminidase Inhibitor (−)‐Oseltamivir by Two “One‐Pot” Sequences

The efficient asymmetric total synthesis of (?)‐oseltamivir, an antiviral reagent, has been accomplished by using two “one‐pot” reaction sequences, with excellent overall yield (60 %) and only one required purification by column chromatography. The first one‐pot reaction sequence consists of a diphenylprolinol silyl ether mediated asymmetric Michael reaction, a domino Michael reaction/Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction combined with retro‐aldol/Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction and retro Michael reactions, a thiol Michael reaction, and a base‐catalyzed isomerization. Six reactions can be successfully conducted in the second one‐pot reaction sequence; these are deprotection of a tert‐butyl ester and its conversion into an acyl chloride then an acyl azide, Curtius rearrangement, amide formation, reduction of a nitro group into an amine, and a retro Michael reaction of a thiol moiety. A column‐free synthesis of (?)‐oseltamivir has also been established.     

Gold and platinum catalyzed cascade reaction of propargyl acetates bearing terminal alkynes or methyl ketones

A gold (III)-catalyzed cascade reaction of propargyl acetates bearing an extra terminal alkyne (1) afforded γ-keto esters 3 and lactones 4. These products should be generated through allenyl ketone intermediate B via a 1,2-acyloxy cyclization/fragmentation/cycloisomerization/hydrolysis sequence. On the other hand, the cascade reaction of α-acetoxy ketones bearing terminal alkynes 5 afforded lactone 6 via allenyl ketone intermediate A. This reaction involves a [3,3]-sigmatropic acyloxy rearrangement/cycloisomerization/hydrolysis sequence.     

Evaluation of exo-endo ratios in the halolactonization of omega-unsaturated acids

The reaction of 2-(omega-alkenyl)benzoic acids with bis(collidine)iodine and bis(collidine)bromine hexafluorophosphate was examined. Except with 2-but-3-enylbenzoic acid, for which only the exo lactone was obtained, for the other acids a mixture of exo-endo lactones was always obtained. The proportion of endo lactone was important for the acid chain length of 11 carbons (formation of a 12-membered ring endo lactone) and for the acid chain lengths higher than 14 carbons. The formation of the endo lactones was explained, on the base of molecular calculations, by competition between electronic and steric effects. These latter were developed by transannular interactions (for the acid chain lengths 8-11) and/or the conformations adopted by the chains (for the acid chain lengths > or = 14,) which disfavored the formation of the exo lactones. The larger proportion of endo lactones observed with the bromo reagent compared to the iodo reagent seemed due to electronic factors.     

The first asymmetric synthesis of alpha-sulfanylphosphonates

[reaction: see text] Diastereoselectivity of up to 88% was achieved for the synthesis of an alpha-mercapto gamma-unsaturated phosphonate using the readily available chiral dimenthylphosphonyl ester group and a carbanionic [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. Absolute configuration of the newly formed chiral center of this nonracemic thiol was determined, and the corresponding phosphono thiolane and thiolane S-oxide were also stereoselectively prepared.     

Enantioselective synthesis of cis- and trans-3,5-disubstituted piperidines. Synthesis of 20S- and 20R-dihydrocleavamine

[reaction: see text] Diastereoselective alkylation at the carbonyl alpha-position of chiral nonracemic lactams 2 and 3, the former prepared by cyclocondensation of (R)-phenylglycinol with a racemic gamma-substituted delta-oxoester in a process that involves a dynamic kinetic resolution and the latter by a subsequent equilibration, provides access to enantiopure cis- and trans-3,5-disubstituted piperidines. The usefulness of the approach is illustrated with the synthesis of the alkaloids 20S- and 20R-15,20-dihydrocleavamine.     

Catalytic asymmetric transformations of racemic α-borylmethyl-(E)-crotylboronate via kinetic resolution or enantioconvergent reaction pathways

We report herein catalytic asymmetric transformations of racemic α-borylmethyl-(E)-crotylboronate. The Brønsted acid-catalyzed kinetic resolution–allylboration reaction sequence of the racemic reagent gave (Z)-δ-hydroxymethyl-anti-homoallylic alcohols with high Z-selectivities and enantioselectivities upon oxidative workup. In parallel, enantioconvergent pathways were utilized to synthesize chiral nonracemic 1,5-diols and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with excellent optical purity.

We report herein catalytic asymmetric transformations of racemic α-borylmethyl-(E)-crotylboronate.     

Utilization of a 1,2-dioxine for the synthesis of the four possible stereoisomers of oak lactone

[reaction: see text]. The natural products cis- and trans-oak lactone (1) have been prepared, along with their enantiomeric counterparts, from furanone 12, which was itself prepared from racemic 1,2-dioxine 9 and a chiral malonate diester. The key steps in the synthesis of 1 are the use of the malonate diester as a chromatographic resolving agent and the decarboxylation of 13, which can be directed to give either the cis- or trans-product. This leads to all four possible oak lactone stereoisomers from a common intermediate.     

Skeletal rearrangements of bicyclo[2.2.2]lactones: a short and efficient route towards Corey’s lactone

The application of a unique tandem radical-initiated, Brönsted acid-catalysed, skeletal rearrangement of bicyclo[2.2.2]lactones provides a novel route towards Corey’s lactone 2. The strategy also features a high-pressure promoted inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction of 3-carbomethoxy-2-pyrone (3-CMP), which proceeds with complete regio- and diastereocontrol.