Gold(I) as an Artificial Cyclase: Short Stereodivergent Syntheses of (−)‐Epiglobulol and (−)‐4β,7α‐ and (−)‐4α,7α‐Aromadendranediols

Three natural aromadendrane sesquiterpenes, (?)‐epiglobulol, (?)‐4β,7α‐aromadendranediol, and (?)‐4α,7α‐aromadendranediol, have been synthesized in only seven steps in 12, 15, and 17 % overall yields, respectively, from (E,E)‐farnesol by a stereodivergent gold(I)‐catalyzed cascade reaction which forms the tricyclic aromadendrane core in a single step. These are the shortest total syntheses of these natural compounds.     

A Reinvestigation of the α-Alkylation of 4-Monosubstituted 2-phenyloxazol-5(4H)-ones (‘azlactones’): A general entry into highly functionalized α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids

Novel, more reliable and general reaction conditions for the α-alkylation of 4-monosubstituted 2-phenyloxazol-5(4H)-ones ( = 4-monosubstituted 2-phenyl-azlactones) rac- 2 to 4,4-disubstituted 2-phenyloxazol-5(4H)-ones rac- 1 were found (Scheme 2). Thus, a whole range of highly functionalized rac- 1 were prepared in medium-to-good overall yields (40-90%, see Table). Azlactones rac- 1 are ideal precursors for the synthesis of optically pure α,α -disubstituted (R)- and (S)-α-amino acids.     

Synthesis and transformations of (±)-trans-4aβ(H), saα(H)-octahydro-4α,7β-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one

Hydrogenation of 4,7-dimethylcoumarin ( 1 ) in alkaline medium has been shown to furnish a mixture of (±)-trans-4aβ(H),8aα(H)-octahydro-4α,7β-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one ( 2 ), (±)-trans-4aβ(H),8aα(H)-octahydro-4α,7α-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one ( 3 ) and (±)-cis-4aα(H),8aα(H)-octahydro-4α,7α-dimethyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one ( 4 ) in 40:25:35:ratio, respectively. The stereochemistry of the major hydrogenation product 2 , has been established by transforming it to p-menthane derivatives e.g. (±)-2 (R)-[2′(R)hydroxy-4′(R) methylcyclohex-(1′S)-yl]propan-1-ol ( 20 ) and (±)-trans-3α,6β-dimethyl-3aβ(H),7aα(H)-octahydrobenzofuran ( 12 ). Starting from a mixture of lactones 2, 3 and 4 , lactone 3 has been obtained in pure state employing a sequence of reactions.     

New Olefinic Cyclizations by Oxymetallation. Conversion of (−)-elemol to (−)-selina-4α, 11-diol (cryptomeridiol) and (−)-guai-1 (10)-ene-4α, 11-diol

Acetoxythallation of (?)-elemol acetate ( 1b ) yields a diacetate 2b which after treatment with lithium aluminium hydride gives (?)-guai-1 (10)-ene-4α, 11-diol ( 2a ). (?)-Elemol ( 1a ) is converted to (?)-selina-4α, 11-diol ( 9 , cryptomeridiol) by hydroxymercuration followed by reductive demercuration. (+)-γg-Elemene ( 5 ) similarly yields (+)-selin-7(11)-en-4α-ol ( 11 , juniper camphor). The stereochemistry and mechanism of these metal salt-induced olefinic cyclization and their biogenetic implication are discussed.     

Kupplung von Peptiden mit C-terminalen α,α-disubstituierten α - Aminosäuren via Oxazol-5(4H)-one

Peptide-Bond Formation with C-Terminal α,α-Disubstituted α - Amino Acids via Intermediate Oxazol-5(4H)-ones The formation of peptide bonds between dipeptides 4 containing a C-terminalα,α-disubstituted α-amino acid and ethyl p-aminobenzoate ( 5 ) using DCC as coupling reagent proceeds via 4,4-disubstituted oxazol-5(4H)-ones 7 as intermediates (Scheme 3). The reaction yielding tripeptides 6 (Table 2) is catalyzed efficiently by camphor-10-sulfonic acid (Table 1). The main problem of this coupling reaction is the epimerization of the nonterminal amino acid in 4 via a mechanism shown in Scheme 1. CSA catalysis at 0° suppresses completely this troublesome side reaction. For the coupling of Z-Val-Aib-OH ( 11 ) and Fmoc-Pro-Aib-OH ( 14 ) with H-Gly-OBu¹ ( 12 ) and H-Ala-Aib-NMe₂ ( 15 ), respectively, the best results have been obtained using DCC in the presence of ZnCl₂ (Table 3).     

(–)‐α‐Isosparteine copper(II) diazide

In the title complex, [Cu(N₃)₂(C₁₅H₂₆N₂)], the Cu atom is surrounded by the two N atoms of the chelating (?)‐α‐isosparteine ligand and another two N atoms from the two azide anions, forming a distorted CuN₄ tetrahedron. The two azide anions are terminally bound to the Cu^II atom, and the dihedral angle between the N_sparteine—Cu—N_sparteine and N_azide—Cu—N_azide planes is 50.0 (2)°.     

Three polymorphs (α, β, and δ) of d‐mannitol at 100 K

In the monoclinic δ polymorph of d ‐mannitol, C₆H₁₄O₆, both the mol­ecule and the packing have approximate twofold rotational symmetry. The P2₁ structure thus approximates space group C222₁, and the α′ polymorph, previously reported in that space group, is almost certainly identical to the δ polymorph. However, torsion angles along the main backbone of the mol­ecule deviate from twofold symmetry by as much as 7.4 (3)° and the hydrogen‐bonding pattern does not conform to the higher symmetry. The α polymorph reported here is identical to the previously reported κ polymorph, and the low‐temperature structure of the β polymorph agrees well with previously reported room‐temperature determinations. The range of C—O bond lengths over the three polymorphs is 1.428 (2)–1.437 (4) Å, and the range of C—C distances is 1.515 (4)–1.5406 (19) Å. The δ polymorph has the highest density of the three, both at room temperature and at 100 K.     

(—)β-Lycorane

Hydrogenation of diacetyllycorine (Ib) was found to be the most effective route for conversion of lycorine (Ia) into β-dihydrocaranine (II). The Hauptmann reduction of 1-deoxy-β-dihydrolycorin-2-one (XII) or the Clemmensen reduction of 1-0-acetyl-β-dihydrolycorinone (XI) followed by hydrogenation afforded (—)β-lycorane (X), which, in view of the sequence of reactions used in these transformations, is considered to have the same configurational structure as the skeleton of β-dihydrocaranine. This lycorane was also obtained by the Hauptmann reduction of β-dihydrocaranone (VIII). A procedure for preparing (—)-lycorane (V) from 1-0-acetyllycorin-2-one (XIV) was also worked up.