Efficient Synthesis of α‐Benzylidene‐γ‐methyl‐γ‐butyrolactones

A concise synthesis of α‐benzylidene‐γ‐methyl‐γ‐butyrolactones 5a – g from substituted benzaldehydes is described. Compounds 1a – g on reaction with phosphorane 2 , provide the pentenoates 3a – g , which can be hydrolyzed to the acids 4a – g . The latter are cyclized to the corresponding butyrolactones 5a – g in excellent yields. The pentenoates 3a – g , on acid catalyzed cyclization, also provide 5a – g in very high yields.     

A Novel Synthesis of γ,δ‐Unsaturated Aldehydes from α‐Formyl‐γ‐lactones

A preparatively useful one‐step transformation of γ,γ‐disubstituted α‐formyl‐γ‐lactones into trisubstituted γ,δ‐unsaturated aldehydes is described, by means of catalytic amounts of either AcOH or AcOEt in the vapor phase over a glass support. A mechanistic rationale is proposed.     

13‐cis‐β,β‐Carotene and 15‐cis‐β,β‐carotene

13‐cis‐β,β‐Carotene, C₄₀H₅₆, crystallizes with a complete molecule in the asymmetric unit, whereas 15‐cis‐β,β‐carotene, also C₄₀H₅₆, has twofold symmetry about an axis through the central bond of the polyene chain. The polyene methyl groups are arranged on one side of the polyene chains for each molecule and the 6‐s‐cisβ end groups, with the cyclohexene rings in half‐chair conformations, are twisted out of the planes of the polyene chains by angles ranging from 41.37 (17) to 52.2 (4)°. The molecules in each structure pack so that the arms of one occupy the cleft of the next, and there is significant π–π stacking of the almost‐parallel polyene chains of the 15‐cis isomer, which approach at distances of 3.319 (1)–3.591 (1) Å.     

5-雄烯-3β, 7α, 17β-三醇和5-雄烯-3β, 7β, 17β-三醇的合成

以5-雄烯二醇为原料,用微生物转化的方法合成了两个重要的神经甾体5-雄烯-3β, 7α, 17β-三醇和5-雄烯-3β, 7β, 17β-三醇。所用菌种总枝毛霉为我们自己筛选,并首次应用于5-雄烯-3β, 7α, 17β-三醇和5-雄烯-3β, 7β, 17β-三醇的合成中。     

Reactions of 3‐methylamino‐5‐phenylthiophene with α,β‐unsaturated esters and α,β‐unsaturated nitriles

Treatment of 3‐methylamino‐5‐phenylthiophene with α,β‐unsaturated esters, i.e., methyl acrylate, (E)‐methyl crotonate, diethyl fumarate, diethyl maleate and ethyl propiolate, in tetrahydrofuran for several days at reflux gave 1‐methyl‐3,4‐dihydrothieno[2,3‐e]pyridin‐2‐ones 4 and/or 1‐methylthieno[2,3‐e]pyridin‐2‐ones 5 , depending on the structure of the esters. On the other hand, the same reactions with α,β‐unsaturated nitriles such as acrylonitrile and tetracyanoethene, gave the corresponding thiophenes 7 and 10 bearing 2‐cyanoethyl and 1,2,2‐tricyanoethenyl groups at C‐2, respectively. The reaction with (Z)‐1,2‐dicyanoethene under the same conditions produced the corresponding thiophene 9 bearing the 1,2‐dicyanoethenyl group and 1,2‐dicyano‐5‐methylaminobiphenyl.     

The α‐ and β‐epoxides of 3β‐acet­oxy‐5α‐lanost‐9(11)‐en‐7‐one

The structures of 3β‐acet­oxy‐9α,11α‐ep­oxy‐5α‐lanost‐9(11)‐en‐7‐one and 3β‐acet­oxy‐9β,11β‐ep­oxy‐5α‐lanost‐9(11)‐en‐7‐one, C₃₂H₅₂O₄, differ in their respective substituted cyclo­hexa­none rings but adopt similar conformations in the other three rings. In both of the crystal structures, weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions are present.     

Differentiation of Boc‐protected α,δ‐/δ,α‐ and β,δ‐/δ,β‐hybrid peptide positional isomers by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Two new series of Boc‐N‐α,δ‐/δ,α‐ and β,δ‐/δ,β‐hybrid peptides containing repeats of L ‐Ala‐δ⁵‐Caa/δ⁵‐Caa‐L ‐Ala and β³‐Caa‐δ⁵‐Caa/δ⁵‐Caa‐β³‐Caa (L ‐Ala = L ‐alanine, Caa = C‐linked carbo amino acid derived from D ‐xylose) have been differentiated by both positive and negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). MSⁿ spectra of protonated isomeric peptides produce characteristic fragmentation involving the peptide backbone, the Boc‐group, and the side chain. The dipeptide positional isomers are differentiated by the collision‐induced dissociation (CID) of the protonated peptides. The loss of 2‐methylprop‐1‐ene is more pronounced for Boc‐NH‐L ‐Ala‐δ‐Caa‐OCH₃ (1), whereas it is totally absent for its positional isomer Boc‐NH‐δ‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐OCH₃ (7), instead it shows significant loss of t‐butanol. On the other hand, second isomeric pair shows significant loss of t‐butanol and loss of acetone for Boc‐NH‐δ‐Caa‐β‐Caa‐OCH₃ (18), whereas these are insignificant for its positional isomer Boc‐NH‐β‐Caa‐δ‐Caa‐OCH₃ (13). The tetra‐ and hexapeptide positional isomers also show significant differences in MS² and MS³ CID spectra. It is observed that ‘b’ ions are abundant when oxazolone structures are formed through five‐membered cyclic transition state and cyclization process for larger ‘b’ ions led to its insignificant abundance. However, b₁⁺ ion is formed in case of δ,α‐dipeptide that may have a six‐membered substituted piperidone ion structure. Furthermore, ESI negative ion MS/MS has also been found to be useful for differentiating these isomeric peptide acids. Thus, the results of MS/MS of pairs of di‐, tetra‐, and hexapeptide positional isomers provide peptide sequencing information and distinguish the positional isomers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tandem IBX‐Promoted Primary Alcohol Oxidation/Opening of Intermediate β,γ‐Diolcarbonate Aldehydes to (E)‐γ‐Hydroxy‐α,β‐enals

A tandem IBX‐promoted oxidation of primary alcohol to aldehyde and opening of intermediate β,γ‐diolcarbonate aldehyde to (E)‐γ‐hydroxy‐α,β‐enal has been developed. Remarkably, the carbonate opening delivered exclusively (E)‐olefin and no over‐oxidation of γ‐hydroxy was observed. The method developed has been extended to complete the stereoselective total synthesis of both (S)‐ and (R)‐coriolides and d ‐xylo‐ and d ‐arabino‐C‐20 guggultetrols.     

3β,7α,12α‐Tri­formyl­oxy‐24‐nor‐5β‐chol‐22‐ene

The title compound, alternatively called 24‐nor‐5β‐chol‐22‐ene‐3β,7α,12α‐triyl triformate, C₂₆H₃₈O₆, has a cis junction between two of the six‐membered rings. All three of the six‐membered rings have chair conformations that are slightly flattened and the five‐membered ring has a 13β,14α‐half‐chair conformation. The 3β, 7α and 12α ring substituents are axial and the 17β group is equatorial. The 3β‐formyl­oxy group is involved in one weak intermol­ecular C—H⋯O bond, which links the mol­ecules into dimers in a head‐to‐head fashion.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Arylation of β,γ‐Unsaturated α‐Ketoamides for the Construction of Nonracemic γ,γ‐Diarylcarbonyl Compounds

A highly regio‐ and enantioselective rhodium‐catalyzed 1,4‐addition of arylboronic acids to β,γ‐unsaturated α‐ketoamides using a simple new chiral sulfinylphosphine ligand is described. This transformation provides an attractive approach to construct chiral nonracemic γ,γ‐diarylsubstituted carbonyl compounds, as exemplified in the concise syntheses of sertraline and tetrahydroquinoline‐2‐carboxylamide.     

Hydrolysis Reaction of N-Phosphoryl-α-, β- and γ-amino Acids Studied by HPLC

The hydrolysis reactions of N-（O,O＇diisopropyl）phosphoryl-L-α-alanine （DIPP-L-α-Ala）, N-（O,O＇diisopropyl）- phosphoryl-D-α-alanine （DIPP-D-α-Ala）, N-（O,O＇-diisopropyl）phosphoryl-β-alanine （DIPP-β-Ala） and N-（O,O＇-diisopropyl）phosphoryl-γ-amino butyric acid （DIPP-γ-Aba）, were studied by HPLC and their hydrolysis reaction kinetic equations were obtained. Under acid conditions, the reaction rate of DIPP-L-α-Ala was close to that of DIPP-D-α-Ala and the same rule was true between DIPP-β-Ala and DIPP-γ-Aba. Meantime, the reaction rate of DIPP-L/D-α-Ala was as 10 times as that of DIPP-β-Ala or DIPP-γ-Aba. Under basic conditions, the hydrolysis reactions of DIPP-β-Ala and DIPP-γ-Aba almost did not take place and the reaction rate of DIPP-L/D-α-Ala was about 1/10 of that under acid conditions. Moreover, theoretical calculation further illuminated the differences of the hydrolysis rate from the view of energy. The results would provide some helpful clues to why nature chose a-amino acids but not other kinds of analogs as protein backbones.     

Preparation of Protected β2‐ and β3‐Homocysteine, β2‐ and β3‐Homohistidine,and β2‐Homoserine for Solid‐Phase Syntheses

The Ser, Cys, and His side chains play decisive roles in the syntheses, structures, and functions of proteins and enzymes. For our structural and biomedical investigations of β‐peptides consisting of amino acids with proteinogenic side chains, we needed to have reliable preparative access to the title compounds. The two β³‐homoamino acid derivatives were obtained by Arndt–Eistert methodology from Boc‐His(Ts)‐OH and Fmoc‐Cys(PMB)‐OH (Schemes 2–4), with the side‐chain functional groups' reactivities requiring special precautions. The β²‐homoamino acids were prepared with the help of the chiral oxazolidinone auxiliary DIOZ by diastereoselective aldol additions of suitable Ti‐enolates to formaldehyde (generated in situ from trioxane) and subsequent functional‐group manipulations. These include OH→O^tBu etherification (for β²hSer; Schemes 5 and 6), OH→STrt replacement (for β²hCys; Scheme 7), and CH₂OH→CH₂N₃→CH₂NH₂ transformations (for β²hHis; Schemes 9–11). Including protection/deprotection/re‐protection reactions, it takes up to ten steps to obtain the enantiomerically pure target compounds from commercial precursors. Unsuccessful approaches, pitfalls, and optimization procedures are also discussed. The final products and the intermediate compounds are fully characterized by retention times (t_R), melting points, optical rotations, HPLC on chiral columns, IR, ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analyses, and (in some cases) by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis.     

γ,δ‐ and δ,ε‐Unsaturated Aldehydes from γ‐ and δ‐Lactones in One Step. Preliminary Communication

A one‐step transformation of γ‐ and δ‐(spiro)lactones into γ,δ‐ and δ,ε‐unsaturated aldehydes with an excess of formic acid in the vapor phase over a supported manganese catalyst is described for the first time. The scope and limitations of this new reaction are shown with different lactones as substrate, and a mechanistic rationale is proposed.     

Two‐Step Synthesis of Multifunctional γ‐Lactams from γ‐Lactone

We present herein an efficient and rapid method for the synthesis of N,1‐dialkyl‐4‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐5‐oxopyrrolidine‐3‐carboxamides based on the conversion of γ‐lactone to γ‐lactam via the conjugate addition of primary amines to an ethyl α‐functionalized acrylate followed by intramolecular cyclization.     

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted α‐Amino Allenoates by Dearomative γ‐Addition of 2,3‐Disubstituted Indoles to β,γ‐Alkynyl‐α‐imino Esters

The first asymmetric synthesis of tetrasubstituted α‐amino allenoates by a chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed dearomative γ‐addition reaction of 2,3‐disubstituted indoles to β,γ‐alkynyl‐α‐imino esters is reported. This method provides access to a series of highly functionalized tetrasubstituted allenes featuring quaternary stereocenters in high yields, and with excellent regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivities under mild conditions without by‐product formation. Representative large‐scale reactions and diverse transformations of the products into various scaffolds with potential biological activities render are also disclosed. The mechanism of the reaction was elucidated by control reactions and DFT calculations.     

胆甾-4α-甲基-8-烯-3β，7α-二醇二乙酸酯的结构与性质研究

Lophenol, cholest-4α-methyl-7-en-3β-ol (1), obtained from Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S. C. Chen, was structurally modified. It was acetylated to protect 3β-hydroxyl group, and then oxidised by selenium dioxide in acetic acid to give cholest-4a-methyl-8-en-3β, Ta-diol diacetate (3). This compound 3 is unstable in chloroform solution or when heated and easily converted to a diene compound, cholest-4a-methyl-7,14-dien-3β-ol acetate (4). The structures of 3 and 4 were elucidated by means of IR, ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and MS, and the absolute configuration of 3 was established by X-ray crystallography. The property of 3 was also discussed in this paper. Both 3 and 4 are new compounds and were reported for the first time.     

21α‐Fluoro‐7‐norvouacapane‐17β,21α‐lactone

The crystal structure of 21α‐fluoro‐7‐norvouacapane‐17β,21α‐lactone, C₂₀H₂₅FO₃, a new synthetic derivative of the diterpenoid 6α,7β‐di­hydroxy­vouacapan‐17β‐oic acid isolated from Pterodon polygalaeflorus Benth fruits, is described.     

Oxidative Fragmentations of the 5α‐ and 5β‐Hydroxy‐B‐norcholestan‐ 3β‐yl Acetates

Oxidations of 5α‐hydroxy‐B‐norcholestan‐3β‐yl acetate ( 8 ) with Pb(OAc)₄ under thermal or photolytic conditions or in the presence of iodine afforded only complex mixtures of compounds. However, the HgO/I₂ version of the hypoiodite reaction gave as the primary products the stereoisomeric (Z)‐ and (E)‐1(10)‐unsaturated 5,10‐seco B‐nor‐derivatives 10 and 11 , and the stereoisomeric (5R,10R)‐ and (5S,10S)‐acetals 14 and 15 (Scheme 4). Further reaction of these compounds under conditions of their formation afforded, in addition, the A‐nor 1,5‐cyclization products 13 and 16 (from 10 ) and 12 (from 11 ) (see also Scheme 6) and the 6‐iodo‐5,6‐secolactones 17 and 19 (from 14 and 15 , resp.) and 4‐iodo‐4,5‐secolactone 18 (from 15 ) (see also Scheme 7). Oxidations of 5β‐hydroxy‐B‐norcholestan‐3β‐yl acetate ( 9 ) with both hypoiodite‐forming reagents (Pb(OAc)₄/I₂ and HgO/I₂) proceeded similarly to the HgO/I₂ reaction of the corresponding 5α‐hydroxy analogue 8 . Photolytic Pb(OAc)₄ oxidation of 9 afforded, in addition to the (Z)‐ and (E)‐5,10‐seco 1(10)‐unsaturated ketones 10 and 11 , their isomeric 5,10‐seco 10(19)‐unsaturated ketone 22 , the acetal 5‐acetate 21 , and 5β,19‐epoxy derivative 23 (Scheme 9). Exceptionally, in the thermal Pb(OAc)₄ oxidation of 9 , the 5,10‐seco ketones 10, 11 , and 22 were not formed, the only reaction being the stereoselective formation of the 5,10‐ethers with the β‐oriented epoxy bridge, i.e. the (10R)‐enol ether 20 and (5S,10R)‐acetal 5‐acetate 21 (Scheme 8). Possible mechanistic interpretations of the above transformations are discussed.     

Four oxoindole‐linked α‐alkoxy‐β‐amino acid derivatives

Four structures of oxoindolyl α‐hydroxy‐β‐amino acid derivatives, namely, methyl 2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐methoxy‐2‐phenylacetate, C₂₄H₂₈N₂O₆, (I), methyl 2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐ethoxy‐2‐phenylacetate, C₂₅H₃₀N₂O₆, (II), methyl 2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐[(4‐methoxybenzyl)oxy]‐2‐phenylacetate, C₃₁H₃₄N₂O₇, (III), and methyl 2‐[(anthracen‐9‐yl)methoxy]‐2‐{3‐[(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)amino]‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl}‐2‐phenylacetate, C₃₈H₃₆N₂O₆, (IV), have been determined. The diastereoselectivity of the chemical reaction involving α‐diazoesters and isatin imines in the presence of benzyl alcohol is confirmed through the relative configuration of the two stereogenic centres. In esters (I) and (III), the amide group adopts an anti conformation, whereas the conformation is syn in esters (II) and (IV). Nevertheless, the amide group forms intramolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonds with the ester and ether O atoms in all four structures. The ether‐linked substituents are in the extended conformation in all four structures. Ester (II) is dominated by intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen‐bond interactions. In contrast, the remaining three structures are sustained by C—H...O hydrogen‐bond interactions.     

Enantioselective Palladium‐Catalyzed Oxidative β,β‐Fluoroarylation of α,β‐Unsaturated Carbonyl Derivatives

The site‐selective palladium‐catalyzed three‐component coupling of deactivated alkenes, arylboronic acids, and N‐fluorobenzenesulfonimide is disclosed herein. The developed methodology establishes a general, modular, and step‐economical approach to the stereoselective β‐fluorination of α,β‐unsaturated systems.