Versicolactones A and B: total synthesis and structure revision

To further determine absolute configurations of versicolactones A and B, total synthesis of versicolactones A and B and their six stereoisomers were reported in this Letter. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of the synthetic erythro-stereoisomers matched perfectly with those of the natural products. Combined with the comparison of the specific rotations, the absolute configuration of versicolactones A and B were revised as (4Z,6R,7S)- and (4E,6R,7S)- from the corresponding (4Z,6R,7R)- and (4E,6R,7R)-6,7-dihydroxyocta-2,4-dien-4-lactone, respectively.     

Enantioselective synthesis and stereochemical revision of communiols A-C

Enantioselective synthesis of the proposed structure of communiol C, an antibacterial tetrahydrofuran derivative produced by Podospora communis, and its stereoisomers revealed that the genuine stereochemistry of communiol C should be 3R, 5R, and 6S. Two other structurally related metabolites of the same microbial origin, communiols A and B, were also synthesized based on the revised stereochemistry.     

Synthetic studies aimed at the elucidation of the stereostructure of the aggregation pheromone, 2-methyl-6-(4′-methylenebicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl)hept-2-en-1-ol,produced by the male stink bug Erysarcoris lewisi

The male-produced aggregation pheromone of the stink bug Erysarcoris lewisi Distant was shown to be one of the two diastereomers of (2Z,6R)-2-methyl-6-(4′-methylenebicyclo[3.1.0]hexyl)hept-2-en-1-ol by synthesizing and bioassaying (2E,6R)-, (2E,6S)-, (2Z,6R)-, and (2Z,6S)-isomers. These were synthesized from the enantiomers of citronellal by employing an intramolecular α-ketocarbene addition to a double bond and the E-selective or Z-selective olefination of a formyl group as the key steps. A reliable method was developed for the preparation of ethyl 2-(di-o-tolylphosphono)propanoate, Ando’s reagent for Z-selective olefination.     

Characterization of flower-inducing compound in Lemna paucicostata exposed to drought stress

A flower-inducing compound, LDS1, was isolated from a free-floating aquatic plant, Lemna paucicostata. The chemical structure and the absolute stereochemistry of LDS1 were determined as (9R,13R,11E,15Z)-9,13-dihydroxy-10-oxooctadeca-11,15-dienoic acid for its most abundant diastereomer. LDS1 was enzymatically produced when the plant was exposed to drought stress, and induced flowering at a concentration of 10 nM.     

Stereochemistry of iejimalide B

The absolute configurations at five chiral centers, except for C-32(S) reported previously, in iejimalide B (1), a potent cytotoxic 24-membered macrolide isolated from a tunicate Eudistoma cf. rigida, were assigned as 4R, 9S, 17S, 22S, and 23S on the basis of detailed analysis of NMR data and chemical means. Furthermore, the structure of iejimalide B was revised from 2 (original: 13E) to its 13Z-isomer (1).     

New ceramides from the flower of Albizia julibrissin

A new ceramide and its glycoside were isolated from the flower of Albizia julibrissin. Their structures were established as(2S,3S,4R,8E)-2-[(2'R)-hydroxyhexadecanoylamino]-8-tetra-cosene-1,3,4-triol (Ⅰ) and 1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(2S,3S,4R,8E)-2-[(2'R)-hydroxy-hexade-canoylamino]-8-tetracosene-1,3,4-triol (H) on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic studies.     

(all-E)-12′-Apozeaxanthinol,Persicaxanthine und Persicachrome

( all-E)-12′-Apozeanthinol, Persicaxanthine, and Persicachromes Reexamination of the so-called ‘persicaxanthins’ and ‘persicachromes’, the fluorescent and polar C₂₅-apocarotenols from the flesh of cling peaches, led to the identification of the following components: (3R)-12′-apo-β-carotene-3,12′-diol ( 3 ), (3S,5R,8R, all-E)- and (3S,5R,8S,all-E)-5,8-epoxy-5,8-dihydro-12′-apo-β-carotene-3,12′-diols (4 and 5, resp.), (3S,5R,6S,all-E)-5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro-l2′-apo-β-carotene-3,12′-diol =persicaxanthin; ( 6 ), (3S,5R,6S,9Z,13′Z)-5,6-dihydro-12′apo-β-carotene-3,12′-diol ( 7 ; probable structure), (3S,5R,6S,15Z)-5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro-12′-apo-β-carotene-3,12′-diol ( 8 ), and (3S,5R,6S,13Z)-5,6-epoxy-5,6-dihydro-12′-apo-β-carotene-3,12′-diol ( 9 ). The (Z)-isomers 7 – 9 are very labile and, after HPLC separation, isomerized predominantly to the (all-E)-isomer 6 .     

A chiron approach to the cyclopropyl lactone oxylipins

Enantiomerically pure key intermediates for the synthesis of constanolactones A and B and solandelactones A, B, E and F, the hydroxy-protected (3S,5Z)-undec-1-yn-5-en-3-ol and (3S,1E,5Z)-1-iodoundec-1,5-dien-3-ol, have been obtained in nine steps starting from (S)-malic acid.     

Quality Evaluation of Angelica sinensis by Simultaneous Determination of Ten Compounds Using LC-PDA

A simple, rapid and valid analysis method for simultaneously determination of ten characteristic components, including six phthalides [(Z)-ligustilide, (Z)-butylidene phthalide, riligustilide, levistolide A, (3Z)-(3aR,6S,3′R,8′S)-3a.8′,6.3′-diligustilide and 3,9-dihydroxyl-ligustilide], three aromatic acids (o-phthalic acid, vanillic acid and ferulic acid) and one macrolide (brefeldin A), in the radix of Angelica sinensis, a valued traditional Chinese medicinal herb was developed by liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection. Riligustilide, levistolide A, (3Z)-(3aR,6S,3′R,8′S)-3a.8′,6.3′-diligustilide, 3,9-dihydroxyl-ligustilide and brefeldin A were first quantitatively determined in Angelica sinensis. Separation was performed on an Alltima C-18 analytical column by gradient elution with (A) 0.2% aqueous formic acid and (B) methanol as mobile phase. The column temperature was set at 25 °C. The method was validated for system suitability, precision accuracy and linearity. The average recovery of the method was 93.8–102.2% and linearity was (R ² > 0.998). Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of ten analytes in 46 samples of A. sinensis from various sources including different collecting locations, harvesting time, storage time, drying methods, and medicinal portions of the herb. The results obtained suggest that the method can efficiently evaluate the quality of A. sinensis from different sources, which benefit its quality control.     

Synthesis of optically active forms of faranal,the trail pheromone of Pharaoh's ant

Both (3S,4R)-(+)- and (3R,4S)-(?)-enantiomers of faranal [(6E,10Z)-3,4,7,11-tetramethyl-6,10-tride- cadienal] were synthesized. The former was comparable in bioactivity with that of the natural trail pheromone isolated from Monomorium pharaonis.     

Engineering of Yeast Old Yellow Enzyme OYE3 Enables Its Capability Discriminating of (E)-Citral and (Z)-Citral

The importance of yeast old yellow enzymes is increasingly recognized for direct asymmetric reduction of (E/Z)-citral to (R)-citronellal. As one of the most performing old yellow enzymes, the enzyme OYE3 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C exhibited complementary enantioselectivity for the reduction of (E)-citral and (Z)-citral, resulting in lower e.e. value of (R)-citronellal in the reduction of (E/Z)-citral. To develop a novel approach for the direct synthesis of enantio-pure (R)-citronellal from the reduction of (E/Z)-citral, the enzyme OYE3 was firstly modified by semi-rational design to improve its (R)-enantioselectivity. The OYE3 variants W116A and S296F showed strict (R)-enantioselectivity in the reduction of (E)-citral, and significantly reversed the (S)-enantioselectivity in the reduction of (Z)-citral. Next, the double substitution of OYE3 led to the unique variant S296F/W116G, which exhibited strict (R)-enantioselectivity in the reduction of (E)-citral and (E/Z)-citral, but was not active on (Z)-citral. Relying on its capability discriminating (E)-citral and (Z)-citral, a new cascade reaction catalyzed by the OYE3 variant S296F/W116G and glucose dehydrogenase was developed, providing the enantio-pure (R)-citronellal and the retained (Z)-citral after complete reduction of (E)-citral.     

An enantioselective total synthesis of the stilbenolignan (−)-aiphanol and the determination of its absolute stereochemistry

The title natural product (−)-aiphanol has been prepared by total synthesis. A key step involved the asymmetric dihydroxylation of (E)-3,5-dimethoxy-4-(methoxymethoxy)cinnamyl alcohol with the AD-mix-β to give triol (1R,2R)-1-(3′,5′-dimethoxy-4′-methoxymethoxyphenyl)-2,3-dihydroxypropanol, the absolute stereochemistry of which was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis of a readily available bromo-derivative. These studies have established that the naturally occurring enantiomer of aiphanol possesses the (S)-configuration at each of C-2′ and C-3′.     

Malyngic acid,a new fatty acid from Lyngbya majuscula

Malyngic acid, a major fatty acid in several varieties of the marine blue-green alga Lyngbya majuscula, has been determined to be 9(S),12(R),13(S)-trihydroxyoctadeca-10(E),15(Z)-dienoic acid from chemical and spectral data and by its conversion to 9(S),12(R),13(S)-trihydroxystearic acid and degradation to 2-deoxy-D-ribitol.     

An efficient method for the resolution of rac-VANOL by molecular complexation with (1S,2S)-(+)-diaminocyclohexane

An efficient and convenient process has been developed for the resolution of VANOL using commercially available (1S,2S)-(+)-diaminocyclohexane as the resolving reagent, with (R)- and (S)-VANOL being isolated in 86% and 74% yields, respectively. The resolving reagent was recovered in 91% yield and could be reused without any decrease in its efficiency. The X-ray structural analysis of a molecular crystal consisting of (R)-VANOL and (1S,2S)-(+)-diaminocyclohexane revealed that hydrogen bonding interactions between the functional groups of the host and guest molecules dominated the stereochemistry of the guest in the molecular complex.     

Determination of the absolute stereochemistry of lupane triterpenoids by fucofuranoside method and ORD spectrum

The absolute configurations of the secondary alcohols at C-3 position in betulinic acid and 3-epibetulinic acid have been unambiguously determined as S- and R-configurations, respectively, based on the fucofuranoside method. The absolute stereochemistry of 3α, 27-dihydroxylupen-20(29)-en-28-oic acid methyl ester, a potent topoisomerase II inhibitor, was determined to be 3R, 5R, 8R, 9R, 10R, 13R, 14S, 17S, 18R, and 19R by NMR and ORD spectroscopic studies.     

Determination of the absolute configuration of marine oxylipin topsentolide A1 by the synthesis of the enantiomer of the natural product

Two possible stereoisomers of topsentolide A₁, a cytotoxic oxylipin against human solid tumor cell lines, were prepared in order to determine the stereochemistry of natural product. That is, the enantiomer of topsentolide A₁, (8S,11S,12R)-isomer, and its diastereomer was efficiently synthesized in a stereoselective manner. The stereochemistry of topsentolide A₁ was determined to be 8R,11R,12S by comparing NMR spectra and specific rotations of the synthetic isomers and the natural product.     

Asymmetric synthesis of tert-butyl ((1R,4aR,8R,8aR)-1-hydroxyoctahydro-1H-isochromen-8-yl)carbamate

The asymmetric synthesis of methyl (E)-4-((1R,2S,3R)-3-amino-2-((E)-2-methoxycarbonyl-eten-1-yl)cyclohexyl)but-2-enoate 14 has been achieved from dimethyl (2E,7E)-nona-2,7-dienedioate 2. A key step is the asymmetric synthesis of 1-hydroxyoctahydro-1H-isochromene derivative 5 whose X-ray analysis corroborated the stereochemistry of the new stereocenters. The asymmetric synthesis of the isochromenyl acetate derivative 11 shows the potential of this methodology for fused cyclohexanic system heterocyclic synthesis.     

A convenient and diastereoselective route to homoallyl alcohols: Addition of (z)- or (e)-alkenyl-dimethoxyboranes to aldehydes

(Z)-2-Butenyl-dimethoxyborane adds smoothly to propanal and benzaldehyde to afford the homoallyl alcohols (R*,R*)- 1 and (R*,R*)- 2 , In contrast (E)-2-butenyl-dimethoxyborane leads to adducts having the (R*,S*)-configuration. Dimethoxy-(Z)-2-pentenylborane, dimethoxy-(Z)-(2-methyl-2-butenyl)borane and (2Z,4E)-or (2E,4Z)hexadienyl-dimethoxyborane, treated with propanal, give (R*,R*)- 3 , (R*,R*)- 4 , (E),(R*,S*)- 5 and (Z),(R*, R*)- 5 , respectively. A transition state model implying a pericyclic electron motion is in perfect agreement with the regio- and stereoselective outcome of these borane reactions.     

Total synthesis of (4R,5S,6E,14S)- and (4R,5S,6E,14R)-cystothiazoles F

Total synthesis of (4R,5S,6E,14S)- and (4R,5S,6E,14R)-cystothiazoles F 3 was achieved from the chiral bithiazole-type primary alcohols [(S)- and (R)-4-ethoxycarbonyl-2′-(1-hydroxymethylethyl)-2,4′-bithiazoles 8], which were obtained based on the enzymatic resolution of racemic alcohol 8 and its acetate 9. From a direct comparison by means of chiral HPLC between natural cystothiazole F 3 and synthetic compounds [(4R,5S,6E,14S)- and (4R,5S,6E,14R)-cystothiazoles 3], natural cystothiazole F 3 was found to be a 33:67 diastereomeric mixture [(4R,5S,6E,14S)-3:(4R,5S,6E,14R)-3 = 33:67].     

Gomadalactones A, B, and C: novel 3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octane compounds in the contact sex pheromone of the white-spotted longicorn beetle, Anoplophora malasiaca

The ether extract of the females of white-spotted longicorn beetle Anoplophora malasiaca showed activity as contact sex pheromone to males. The extract was fractionated, and a pheromonal activity was revealed only when three fractions; n-hexane, n-hexane/EtOAc 9:1, and EtOAc were blended. The relative structures of gomadalactone A, B, and C, three active components isolated from the EtOAc fraction, were determined by spectroscopic studies to be (1S^∗,4R^∗,5S^∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-7-en-2,6-dione, (1R^∗,4R^∗,5R^∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-7-en-2,6-dione, and (1S^∗,4R^∗,5S^∗,8S^∗)-5-hydroxy-4-[(E)-7-hydroxy-4-methylhept-3-enyl]-4,8-dimethyl-3-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]octan-2,6-dione, respectively.