Stereoselective synthesis of pyridinones: application to the synthesis of (-)-barrenazines

[reaction: see text] The stereoselective synthesis of pyridinones was accomplished by the nucleophilic addition of Grignard reagents to a chiral pyridinium salt derived from 4-methoxypyridine. This methodology was applied to an expedient synthesis of (-)-barrenazine A and B. After N-functionalization and 1,4-reduction of the pyridinone system, the corresponding alpha-amino piperidinones readily undergo dimerization to give the hexahydrodipyridinopyrazine skeleton of the barrenazine alkaloids.     

Total synthesis of (+)-lepadin B: stereoselective synthesis of nonracemic polysubstituted hydroquinolines using an RC-ROM process

This communication describes a new tandem metathesis reaction for which an RC-ROM mechanism was experimentally supported. This process was successfully applied to the synthesis of cis-fused polyhydroquinolines enabling a short stereoselective total synthesis of ent-lepadin B.     

Highly chemoselective metal-free reduction of tertiary amides

This communication describes the chemoselective metal-free reduction of tertiary amides to the corresponding amines. Hantzsch ester is used as a mild reducing agent for the reduction of trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride activated amides providing the tertiary amines with high functional group tolerance.     

Removal, recovery, and recycling of triarylphosphonium-supported tin reagents for various organic transformations

Phosphonium-supported tin reagents and catalysts were prepared and were shown to be effective in Stille couplings, radical dehalogenations, radical cyclizations, and carbonyl allylations. Not only could the tin residues be removed from the crude reaction mixture through a phase separation process but also they could be recovered and recycled.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 13Z retinoic acids via β-methylenealdehydes as synthons

A stereoselective synthesis of 13Z retinoic acids via β-methylenealdehydes is described. In methylene-de-oxo-bisubstitution reactions (Knoevenagel, Stobbe, etc.), these new synthons produce stereoselectively E olefins. Hence, a synthesis of 13Z retinoic acids is described, via a stereospecific monodecarboxylation of carboxy-14-retinoic acids.     

Rigid oligonaphthalenediimide rods as transmembrane anion-pi slides

We report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of rigid oligonaphthalenediimide (O-NDI) rods that are expected to act as transmembrane anion-pi slides. Studies in fluorogenic large unilamellar egg yolk phosphatidylcholine vesicles reveal that rigid O-NDI rods mediate anion-selective transport with a rare halide VI selectivity sequence (Cl- > F- > Br- > I-). This and decreasing activity, selectivity, and halide sequence with increasing positive charge of the rod termini support the occurrence of anion-pi interactions. A strong anomalous mole fraction effect in Cl-/I- mixtures is in agreement with the existence of multiple active sites along the anion-pi slide and multi-anion hopping as a mechanism of transport. The strong inverted NDI quadruple moment found by DFT calculations is in excellent agreement with these results.     

Enhanced photochemical [6π] electrocyclization within the lipophilic protein binding site

Photocyclization of N-methyldiphenylamine to N-methylcarbazole is achieved within the microenvironment provided by site I of serum albumins. Quantum yield determinations, combined with transient absorption spectroscopic detection of the dihydrocarbazole intermediate, demonstrate that protein encapsulation provides a subtle control of the kinetic parameters, leading to optimized efficiencies.     

Grob fragmentation of 2-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene: tool for the stereoselective synthesis of polysubstituted piperidines

The Grob fragmentation of azabicyclo[2.2.2]octene leads to a dihydropyridinium intermediate. This highly reactive species reacts with a variety of organocuprates and other soft nucleophiles in a regioselective manner, allowing for the rapid and stereoselective synthesis of 2,3,4-trisubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridines. The resulting products were either reduced in situ to the corresponding piperidine or used to achieve the stereoselective construction of various nitrogen heterocycles.     

Suzuki coupling of potassium cyclopropyl- and alkoxymethyltrifluoroborates with benzyl chlorides

Efficient Csp(3)-Csp(3) Suzuki couplings have been developed with both potassium cyclopropyl- and alkoxymethyltrifluoroborates. Moderate to good yields have been achieved in the cross-coupling of potassium cyclopropyltrifluoroborate with benzyl chlorides possessing electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents. Benzyl chloride was also successfully cross-coupled to potassium alkoxymethyltrifluoroborates derived from primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols.