Four new ginkgolic acids from Ginkgo biloba

Four new compounds, 2-hydroxy-6-(12′-hydroxyheptadec-13′(E)-en-1-yl)benzoic acid (1), 2-hydroxy-6-(13′-hydroxyheptadec-11′(E)-en-1-yl)benzoic acid (2), 2-hydroxy-6-(10′-hydroxypentadec-11′(E)-en-1-yl)benzoic acid (3), and 2-hydroxy-6-(11′-hydroxypentadec-9′(E)-en-1-yl)benzoic acid (4) were isolated from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba and the structures of new ginkgolic acids were deduced on the basis of spectroscopic methods and chemical means. Compounds 1 and 2, and 3 and 4 examined as an inseparable mixture of hydroxyl and double bond positional isomers, were ultimately defined by total synthesis. Compounds 1–4 showed moderate lipid droplets accumulation inhibitory activity on mouse pre-adipocyte cell line, MC3T3-G2/PA6.     

A facile stereoselective synthesis of difunctionalized 1,3-dienes containing tin and halogen via hydrozirconation of (Z)-3-(tributylstannyl)alk-3-en-1-ynes

Sonogashira coupling of (E)-α-iodovinylstannanes 1 with (trimethylsilyl)acetylene gave (Z)-1-(trimethylsilyl)-3-(tributylstannyl)alk-3-en-1-ynes 2, which underwent a desilylation reaction to afford (Z)-3-(tributylstannyl)alk-3-en-1-ynes 3 in high yields. (1E,3Z)-1-Halo-3-(tributylstannyl)-substituted 1,3-dienes 5 could be synthesized stereoselectively via hydrozirconation of (Z)-3-(tributylstannyl)alk-3-en-1-ynes 3, followed by trapping with iodine or NBS.     

Highly stereoselective synthesis of para-substituted (E)-N-styrylcarbazoles via sequential silylative coupling-Hiyama coupling reaction

A series of new para-substituted (E)-(N)-styrylcarbazoles, i.e., eight (E)-9-[2-(aryl)ethenyl]-9H-carbazoles (5-12) and 1,4-bis[(E)-2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)vinyl]benzene (13), have been synthesized in high yield and stereoselectively by a sequential silylative coupling-Hiyama coupling reaction, i.e., coupling of commercially available 9-vinylcarbazole with vinyltriethoxysilane or divinyltetramethyldisiloxane in the presence of [RuHCl(CO)(PCy₃)₂] (I), followed by Pd (II) catalyzed cross-coupling with para-substituted iodobenzenes.The tandem procedure has facilitated the synthesis of 13. X-ray structures of the intermediate silylvinylcarbazole (4), as well as products 12 and 13 have been obtained.     

A practical synthesis of (E)-2-cyclopentadecen-1-one: an important precursor of macrocyclic muscone

A practical synthesis of (E)-2-cyclopentadecen-1-one (E)-2 which is an important precursor of macrocyclic muscone (1) was investigated. Olefination of 2-mesyloxycyclopentadecanone (7c) with strong acid such as sulfuric acid or trifluoromethanesulfonic acid afforded the desired (E)-2 in high yield with extremely high stereoselectivity, which was treated with methylmagnesium cuprate to furnish the dl-muscone in good yield.     

Synthesis of naturally occurring diene and trienes by Te/Li exchange on (1Z,3Z)-butyltelluro-4-methoxy-1,3-butadiene

(1Z,3Z)-Butyltelluro-4-methoxy-1,3-butadiene 2 was obtained by the hydrotelluration of (Z)-1-methoxy-but-1-en-3-ynes 1. The butadienyllithium 3 obtained by the Te/Li exchange reaction in the (1Z,3Z)-1-butyltelluro-4-methoxy-1,3-butadiene 2 reacted with aldehydes to form the corresponding alcohols 4a-d with total retention of configuration. The alcohols formed undergo hydrolysis, resulting in the α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated aldehydes of (E,E) configuration, which are precursors of trienes obtained from natural sources. The products of this reaction were employed in the synthesis of methyl-(2E,4E)-decadienoate 7, which is a component of the flavor principles of ripe Bartlett pears. Performing the Wittig reaction of the methyl triphenylphosphorane with the deca-(2E,4E)-dienal 5a, we were able to synthesize the undeca-(1,3E,5E)-triene 6a. This compound is a sex-pheromone component of the marine brown algae Fucus serratus, Dictyopteris plagiograma, and Dictyopteris australis. Performing the Wittig reaction of methyl triphenylphosphorane with the octa-(2E,4E)-dienal 5c, the nona-(1,3E,5E)-triene 6b was synthesized. The compound obtained is a sex-pheromone component of the marine brown alga Sargassum horneri. The octa-(1,3E,5E)-triene 6c was easily obtained from hepta-(2E,4E)-dienal 5d by the Wittig reaction with methyl triphenylphophorane. This compound is a sex-pheromone component of the marine brown alga Fucus serratus.     

Ti(III)-promoted cyclizations. Application to the synthesis of (E)-endo-bergamoten-12-oic acids. Moth oviposition stimulants isolated from Lycopersicon hirsutum

The Ti(III)-promoted radical cyclization of epoxyenone 8 is described as the key step to access the diol 10 as a convenient starting material of the target molecules. The synthesis of β-(E)-endo-bergamoten-12-oic acid 2a from (+)-8,9-epoxycarvone 8 was successfully achieved by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the terminal alkene 20 with β-iodomethacrylate 21c, followed by deprotection and dehydration processes. Moreover, synthesis of the α-(E)-endo-1-hydroxy-bergamoten-12-oic acid derivative 34 was achieved by iterative elongation processes of the diol 10 lateral chain.     

Reversible pyranyl complex formation and the mechanism of rearrangement to (η-6-oxocycloheptadienyl)Mn(CO)3 complexes in the reaction of β-cyclomanganated 1,5-diarylpenta-1,4-dien-3-ones and alkynes; the crystal structure of [2,4-diphenyl-6-(2-phenylethenyl)pyranyl-η]tricarbonylmanganese

[1-Phenyl-2-[(E)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-oyl-κO]ethenyl-κC¹]tetracarbonylmanganese (1a) reacts with PhCCH in CCl₄ at room temperature to form [2,4-diphenyl-6-(2-phenylethenyl)pyranyl-η⁵]tricarbonylmanganese (2a), whose X-ray crystal structure is reported to complement that of its isomer [6-oxo-2,4,7-triphenylcyclohepta-1,4-dienyl-1,2,3,4,5-η]tricarbonylmanganese (3a), previously obtained from the reaction under reflux; but for 1a and PhCCPh the pyranyl complex cannot be isolated before rearrangement to the 3a analogue occurs. More forcing reaction conditions for 1a with Me₃SiCCH and for [1-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-2-[(E)-3-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)prop-2-en-1-oyl-κO]ethenyl-κC¹]tetracarbonylmanganese (1b) with Me₃SiCCH and PhCCH give new analogues of 3a where previously only 2a analogues had been isolated.The reaction in CCl₄ under reflux of PhCCH and the β-deuterio analogue of 1a, [1-phenyl-2-[(E)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-oyl-3d-κO]ethenyl-κC¹]tetracarbonylmanganese, gave deuteriated 3a with exo-D at the α-carbon, C7. This is inconsistent with the Mn-mediated Ph migration mechanism originally proposed to accommodate the endo position of Ph in 3a, and instead it implicates a cyclopropyl carbonyl-addition intermediate or a cyclopropyl acyl-substitution transition state in the key rearrangement step for 2a → 3a.     

Asymmetric synthetic study of macrolactin analogues

We designed two aromatic analogues 1a and 1b of macrolactin A with expectation of enhancing biological activity and metabolical stability. As a result of retrosynthetic analysis of these compounds 1a-b, two synthetic strategies have been examined. The first strategy includes the enantioselective addition of nonadienyl anion, derived from 3, to aldehyde 4 as a key step. The second one includes epimerization of ynone 7 to (E,E)-conjugated dienone 31 and subsequent diastereoselective hydride-reduction of 31. Although the former route furnished no desired target, the latter one was revealed to work well for the synthesis of 1. Unfortunately, the aimed (2Z,4E)-analogue 1a could not be synthesized due to an epimerization of the (2Z)-olefin into the (2E)-olefin. However, these methods could be applied to the total asymmetric synthesis of the (2E,4E)-analogue 1b. Overall, control of all of the four stereocenters was achieved by means of asymmetric and diastereoselective reactions without using any chiral natural sources.     

Stereoselective carbonyl reductions of chloro-substituted 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-6-en-3-ones

The lithium aluminium hydride reduction of 2,2,4,4-tetrachloro-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-6-en-3-one (8) was reinvestigated. In contrast to most halogeno-substituted oxabicyclic ketones, which give predominantly the corresponding endo alcohols, the expected (3endo)-2,2,4,4-tetrachloro-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-6-en-3-ol (9n) is formed in a minute proportion. An X-ray structure analysis of the dominating product gave proof of the exo-alcohol, i.e., (3exo)-2,2,4,4-tetrachloro-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-6-en-3-ol (9x). On the other hand, reduction of trichloroketone 11, 2,2,endo-4-trichloro-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-6-en-3-one, and the methoxy-substituted chloroketones 13 and 14 provided the corresponding endo alcohols (12 and 15).     

Efficient and regioselective chromium(0)-catalyzed reaction of 2-substituted furans with diazo compounds: stereoselective synthesis of (2E,4Z)-2-aryl-hexadienedioic acid diesters

Pentacarbonyl(η²-cis-cyclooctene)chromium(0) (1) catalyzes efficiently reactions of diazo compounds with electron-rich furans. The reaction of 2-methoxyfuran (2) with alkyl α-diazoarylacetate (3a-g) furnishes the (2E,4Z)-2-aryl-hexadienedioic acid diesters (4a-g) in excellent yields. These reactions are highly regioselective. The cyclopropanation intermediates formed from 1 and diazo compounds 3a-g always arise from a carbene addition to the less substituted CC bond of 2. The resulting cyclopropanation product undergoes a ring opening reaction to form the corresponding (2E,4Z)-2-aryl-hexadienedioic acid diesters (4a-g). The pentacarbonylchromium(0)-catalyzed reactions of 2-alkylfuran (5a-b) with ethyl α-diazophenylacetate (3a) and 9-diazo-9H-fluorene (3h) produce the 1(E),3(E)-butadienes (6a-d) in very good yields.     

Synthesis of novel ferrocene labelled steroidal derivatives via palladium-catalysed carbonylation. X-ray structure of 17-(N-(4′-((2-ferrocenyl-ethenyl)-carbonyl)-phenyl)carbamoyl)-5α-androst-16-ene

Homogeneous catalytic carbonylation of some representative steroidal substrates (alkenyl iodides/enol triflates 1-5) has been carried out in the presence of (E)-1-(4′-aminophenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6) as the nucleophile. The products 1a-4a were obtained in moderate to good yield (43-75%) and were characterised with various spectroscopic methods (¹H-, ¹³C NMR, IR, MS).The solid state structure of 17-(N-(4′-((2-ferrocenyl-ethenyl)-carbonyl)-phenyl)-carbamoyl)-5α-androst-16-ene (1a) has also been determined by X-ray crystallography.     

Preparation and reactivity of macrocyclic dienynes

(1E,5E)-Cyclopentadeca-1,5-dien-3-yne (1c), which represents the first macrocyclic 1,5-dien-3-yne, can be obtained by thermal- or butyllithium-induced fragmentation of the corresponding 1,2,3-selenadiazole 8. The (E,E)-dienyne functionality causes a geometrical strain E_g, which enhances the reactivity in addition (1c→12,13) and cycloaddition (1c→10) reactions and lowers the isomerization barrier to the unstrained (E,Z)-configuration 1d (E_g = 0). A slow process 1c→1d occurs even at ambient temperatures within several weeks.     

Synthesis of the fungal natural product (−)-xylariamide A

The first synthesis of the fungal natural product (−)-xylariamide A 1 is reported. N,O-Bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide induced coupling of d-tyrosine with (E)-but-2-enedioic acid 2,5-dioxo-pyrrolidin-1-yl ester methyl ester 5 produced the dechloro natural product 6, which was subsequently monochlorinated using oxone and KCl to yield synthetic 1. (−)-Xylariamide A 1, (+)-xylariamide A 2 and (−)-dechloroxylariamide A 6 displayed no cytotoxic or antimicrobial activity.     

Positional isomerization of quinine and quinidine via rhodium on alumina catalysis: practical one-step synthesis of Δ-isoquinine and Δ-isoquinidine

The synthesis of Δ^3,10-isoquinine (5Z,5E) and Δ^3,10-isoquinidine (6Z,6E) was achieved in one-step through positional isomerization of the terminal alkene in the parent cinchona alkaloids using catalytic amounts of 5% Rh/Al₂O₃ and excess hydrochloric acid in refluxing 50% aqueous EtOH. The products were obtained in good yields as a mixture of E and Z geometric isomers and fully characterized using spectroscopic methods.     

Synthesis of 3β,6α-dihydroxy-5α-cholan-23-one

Evidence for the presence of 3β,6α-dihydroxy-5α-chol-9(11)-en-23-one in the aglycone mixture from the starfish Marthasterias glacialis is provided by the synthesis of 3β,6α-dihydroxy-5α-cholan-23-one (19) and its identification in the hydrogenated aglycone mixture. The side-chain is constructed from the 23,24-dinorcholanol (13) by reaction of the 22-tosylate (16) with the acetylide anion, followed by hydration of the resulting 23-yne (17).     

Furanyl spiroketals: thermodynamic control of remote asymmetry

(E,E)-2-Alkyl-8-furanyl-1,7-dioxa-spiro[5.5]undecanes (1a-i) have been prepared in good yield and with very high diastereoselectivity from lactones (2a-e) and alkynes (3a,b) using lithium acetylide coupling, hydrogenation, desilylation and acid catalysed cyclisation/equilibration.     

Studies toward the total synthesis of di- and sesterterpenes with a dicyclopenta[a,d]cyclooctane skeleton. Construction of a versatile A/B ring building block via a ring-closing metathesis reaction and carbocationic rearrangement

The cyclopentacyclooctane derivative 1, chosen as the key building block in a synthesis of terpenoid ophiobolates and fusicoccins, has been prepared from 2-methylcyclo-pent-2-en-1-one 5. Cyclization of the intermediate 1,9-diene of l,u configuration 10 under metathesis conditions (Grubbs’ catalyst 15) afforded the eight-membered ring product 13, whereas cyclization of the l,l diastereomer 9 produced a seven-membered ring analog 12. Cationic rearrangement of epoxide 26 occurred with methyl group migration to give ketone 27 as the major product.     

1-Iodo-1-selenoalkenes as versatile alkene 1,1-dianion equivalents. Novel connective approach towards the tetrahydropyran subunit of polycavernoside A

syn-Hydroalumination of 2,4,6-triisopropylphenylselanyl-1-alkynes with DIBAL-H followed by Al/I exchange with I₂ afforded exclusively (E)-1-iodo-1-selenoalkenes in good yields. 1-Iodo-1-selenopropene 10 proved to be a convenient 1,1 dianion equivalent, leading to the stereodivergent synthesis of allylsilanes (Z)-6 and (E)-6. Adduct 3, an intermediate in the synthesis of the tetrahydropyran subunit of polycavernoside A, was efficiently synthesised from allylsilane (Z)-6 and aldehyde 7 via an intramolecular Sakurai cyclisation.     

Facile conversion of pyridine propargylic alcohols to enones: stereochemistry of protonation of allenol

The conversion of 4-pyridyl propargylic alcohols 1 to the (E)-propenones 3 and propynones 2 occurs under mild reaction conditions, pyridinium chloride in methanol at room temperature. (Z)-4-Pyridyl propenones 11 are detected as initial products when large substituents such as trimethylsilyl, tert-butyl and phenyl are attached at C-3 of the propynols and these (Z)-enones 11 are isomerised to the (E)-isomers 3 under the reaction conditions. In the presence of deuterated solvent, both hydrogens at the double bond of enone 3d are deuterated. An allenol is proposed as intermediate whose preferential protonation occurs at the less hindered side giving the (Z)-enone. The propargylic alcohols, pyridin-2-yl 12 and quinolin-4-yl 5, are converted to (E)-enones 13 and 7, respectively.     

A New Alkylation-Elimination Method for Synthesis of Antiviral Fluoromethylenecyclopropane Analogues of Nucleosides

A new method for the synthesis of fluoromethylenecyclopropane nucleosides by alkylation-elimination procedure is described. Fluorination of methylenecyclopropane carboxylate 6 gave fluoroester 7. Treatment of 7 with phenylselenenyl bromide afforded the desired ethyl (E)-2-bromomethyl-1-fluoro-2-phenylselenenylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate 11 in 85% yield. DIBALH reduction of 11 gave 13, which after acetylation to 14 was reacted with 2-amino-6-chloropurine to give the 9-alkylated product 15 in 87% yield. Se-oxidation of 15 with hydrogen peroxide afforded 16, which underwent smooth elimination in a mixture of THF-DMF at 60 °C giving rise to a Z,E mixture of protected nucleosides 17. Deacetylation gave Z-1a and E-1a which were separated on a silica gel column. Both Z-1a and E-1a were converted into the respective guanine analogues Z-1b and E-1b.