Total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid via intramolecular Michael addition: a second-generation route

A total synthesis of (-)-kainic acid starting from the commercially available 2-azetidinone is described. The key delta-lactone intermediate was concisely prepared from the commercially available azetidinone through the Reformatsky-type reaction and an introduction of a glycine moiety. The construction of the functionalized pyrrolidine ring was executed by a one-pot sequential elimination-Michael addition protocol of a beta-amino-delta-lactone intermediate with high diastereoselectivity.     

Synthesis of maremycins A and D1 via cycloaddition of a nitrone with (E)-3-ethylidene-1-methylindolin-2-one

A concise synthesis of maremycins A and D1 has been accomplished via cycloaddition of a chiral cyclic nitrone with ( E)-3-ethylidene-1-methylindolin-2-one as a key step. This synthesis clarifies the stereochemistry of the maremycins and is suitable for large-scale synthesis for biological screening.     

Scanning electrochemical microscope observation of defects in a hexadecanethiol monolayer on gold with shear force-based tip-substrate positioning

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used for imaging of n-hexadecanethiol-modified Au surfaces. In these studies, small defects were observed in the monolayer when a submicrometer electrode was used as an SECM tip, although a cyclic voltammogram of a Au disk electrode showed that the surface of the Au was completely covered with n-hexadecanethiol. The dependence of the SECM images on the potential of the Au electrode was also examined. A comparison of the current at the Au electrode and the tip current in the SECM images showed that direct electron transfer through the monolayer was dominant, rather than electron transfer at the defects. The size of the defects was estimated from the tip current to be 1-100 nm, under the assumption that the defects were small compared to the SECM probe.     

A Bioinspired Synthesis of (±)‐Rubrobramide, (±)‐Flavipucine,and (±)‐Isoflavipucine

A biomimetic synthesis of naturally occurring lactams rubrobramide, flavipucine, and isoflavipucine is described. The key step is a regioselective Darzens reaction between isobutyl glyoxal and an α‐bromo‐β‐ketoamide. The construction of the core tricyclic ring system of rubrobramide was achieved by a cascade reaction in a single step from an α,β‐epoxy‐γ‐lactam. Furthermore, the absolute configuration of naturally occurring (+)‐rubrobramide was determined by vibrational circular dichroism. (±)‐Flavipucine and (±)‐isoflavipucine were synthesized from an epoxyimide, which was prepared by reaction of isobutyl glyoxal with a protected α‐bromo‐β‐ketoamide. Deprotection of the epoxyimide and formation of the pyridone ring gave (±)‐flavipucine, which was converted into (±)‐isoflavipucine by thermal isomerization.     

Effects of Bis(aromatic) Pendants on Recognition of Nucleobase Thymine by Zn2+ -1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (Zn2+ -cyclen)

We have previously shown that the nucleobase thymine binding to Zn²⁺ -cyclen (cyclen=1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) complex became stronger by appending acridine, naphthalene, or quinoline rings to the cyclen. Amongst these, the pendant bis((1-naphthyl)methyl) or bis((4-quinolyl)methyl) groups yielded the most effective thymine-recognizing Zn²⁺ -cyclen complexes [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121 (1999) 5426]. The present study was undertaken to find causes of the bis(aromatic) ring effect by X-ray crystal structure analysis and NMR studies. The crystal structure of the Zn²⁺ -bis((1-naphthyl)methyl)-cyclen complex with a deprotonated 1-methylthymine (1-MeT) failed to show the anticipated evidence for the double ~ - ~ stacking interactions between the two naphthalenes and the Zn 2+ -bound 1-MeT m (1-MeT m =N(3')-deprotonated 1-MeT). Crystal data: formula C₃₆ H₄₇ N₇ O₇ Zn, M r =755.19, monoclinic, space group P2₁/ c (No. 14), a =15.438(2) Å, b =14.093(3) Å, c =16.726(2) Å, g =90.53(1) V =3638.7(8) Å 3 Z =4, R =0.035, R _w =0.049. However, the ¹H NMR studies of Zn²⁼ -bis((4-quinolyl)methyl)-cyclen with 1-MeT in varying H₂O/CH₃ CN solution showed increasing upfield shifts of Me(5') and H(6') of the Zn²⁺ -bound 1-MeT in more aqueous media, indicating that the double intercalation with the two quinolines became more significant in more protic environments. We conclude that the double ~ - ~ stacking effect accounts for the enhanced recognition of thymine base by the appended bis((1-naphthyl)methyl) or bis((4-quinolinyl)methyl) groups.     

Amphotericin B covalent dimers forming sterol-dependent ion-permeable membrane channels

Polyenemacrolides such as amphotericin B (AmB) were thought to assemble together and form an ion channel across plasma membranes. Their antimicrobial activity has been accounted for by this assemblage, whose stability and activity are dependent on sterol constituents of lipid bilayer membranes. The structure of this channel-like assemblage formed in biomembranes has been a target of extensive investigations for a long time. For the first step to this goal, we prepared several AmB dimers with various linkers and tested for their channel-forming activity. Among these, AmB dimers that bore an aminoalkyl-dicarboxylate tether covalently linked between amino groups of AmB showed potent hemolytic activity. Furthermore, K+ influx actions monitored by measuring the pH of the liposome lumen by 31P NMR revealed that the dimers formed the molecular assemblage similar to that of AmB in phospholipid membrane. Judging from changes in 31P NMR spectra, the dimers appeared to induce "all-or-none"-type ion flux across the liposome membrane in the presence of ergosterol, which suggested that the ion channel formed by ergosterol/dimer is similar to that of AmB. With these data in hand, we are now trying to elucidate the structure of the ion-channel complex by making the labeled conjugates of AmB for NMR measurements.     

A characteristic CH band in VCD of methyl glycosidic carbohydrates

Novel vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) studies in the CH region of a series of methyl glycosidic carbohydrates were examined. The specific CH stretching VCD band predicts absolute stereochemistries of their anomeric positions. The C-1 chiral information was extracted to the methoxy substituent as a probe. The concept of the vibrational chirality probe from a single chiral center in the presence of numerous such centers might be useful in determining the absolute configuration, when a multiplicity of chiral centers is present in a molecule such as a carbohydrate.     

Total synthesis of borrelidin

The total synthesis of borrelidin has been achieved. The best feature of our synthetic route is macrocyclization at C11-C12 for the construction of an 18-membered ring after esterification between two segments. A detailed examination of the macrocyclization led us to the samarium(II) iodide-mediated intramolecular Reformatsky-type reaction as the most efficient synthetic approach. The two key segments were synthesized through regioselective methylation, directed hydrogenation, stereoselective Reformatsky-type reaction, and MgBr2.Et2O-mediated chelation-controlled allylation.