Radical amination with sulfonyl azides: a powerful method for the formation of C-N bonds

A novel reaction for the introduction of an azide moiety by means of a mild radical process is currently under development. Sulfonyl azides are suitable azidating agents for nucleophilic radicals, such as secondary and tertiary alkyl radicals. More electrophilic radicals, such as enolate radicals, do not react with sulfonyl azides. This feature allowed the development of efficient intra- and intermolecular carboazidations of olefins. Due to the versatility of the azido group, this reaction has an important synthetic potential, as already demonstrated by the preparation of the core of several alkaloids, particularly those containing an amino-substituted quaternary carbon center, such as FR901483.     

Addition of Organometallic Reagents to Chiral N‐Methoxylactams: Enantioselective Syntheses of Pyrrolidines and Piperidines

Enantioselective iridium‐catalyzed allylic substitutions were used to prepare N‐allyl hydroxamic acid derivatives that were suitable for ring‐closing metathesis, giving N‐methoxylactams. Reactions of these derivatives with Grignard or organolithium compounds gave hemiaminals, which could be reduced diastereoselectively via acyliminium intermediates to give cis‐piperidines or cis‐pyrrolidines with substituents in the 2,6‐ or 2,5‐positions, respectively. In addition, compounds with a quaternary carbon center could be synthesized by corresponding reactions with potassium cyanide/AcOH. The procedures were applied in the syntheses of alkaloids (?)‐209D and (+)‐prosophylline.     

Towards the Core Structure of Strychnos Alkaloids Using Samarium Diiodide‐Induced Reactions of Indole Derivatives

This report describes the development of a first and second generation approach towards the synthesis of the ABCEG pentacyclic core structure of Strychnos alkaloids. First, we discuss a sequential approach applying a series of functional group transformations to prepare suitable precursors for cyclization reactions. These include attempts of samarium diiodide‐induced cyclizations or a Barbier‐type reaction of a transient lithium organyl, which successfully led to a tetracyclic key building block earlier used for the synthesis of strychnine. Secondly, we account our first steps towards the development of an atom‐economical samarium diiodide‐induced cascade reaction using “dimeric” indolyl ketones as cyclization precursors. In this context, we discuss plausible mechanisms for the samarium diiodide‐induced cascade reaction as well as transformations of the obtained tetracyclic dihydroindoline derivatives.     

Study on the absolute configuration of (−)-palau’amine

The absolute stereochemistry of the immunosuppressive pyrrole-imidazole alkaloid (−)-palau’amine from the marine sponge Stylotella aurantium is analyzed by CD spectroscopy. With the help of a series of model compounds it is shown that the CD spectrum of (−)-palau’amine can be explained based on the assumption that the pyrrolopyrazinone partial structure is planar in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE). Surprisingly, the natural product (−)-dibromophakellin shows the opposite Cotton effect, despite exhibiting the same absolute configuration.     

Quantitative analysis of boldine alkaloid in natural extracts by cyclic voltammetry at a liquid-liquid interface and validation of the method by comparison with high performance liquid chromatography

The quantitative determination of boldine alkaloid in boldo leaf extracts by employing cyclic voltammetry, at a liquid/liquid interface as well as the validation of this methodology against the reference method, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), are reported in the present paper. The voltammetric analysis was performed successfully and economically using two kinds of liquid/liquid interfaces: water/1,2-dicholoroethane and water/PVC (polyvinyl chloride)-gelled 1,2-dichloroethane. Linear calibration curves in the concentration range of 1.04 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ to 5.19 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ were obtained with a detection limit equal to (6.1 ± 0.7) × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ and the quantitative determination of this alkaloid, in complex matrixes such as boldo leaf extracts, by the electrochemical technique proposed was found to be equal to the values obtained using the standard HPLC method. The validation analysis of this methodology against HPLC demonstrated that accuracy, linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), specificity and precision are acceptable. The electroanalytical technique proposed is economical and selective, involves simple equipment and can be applied for the quantitative determination of boldine alkaloid in complex matrixes such as leaf extracts without special drug separation. Moreover, cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments applied at the liquid/liquid interface under different experimental conditions allowed us to study the transfer mechanism of boldine, and determine a value of pK_a^w = 6.90 for protonated boldine, from the variation of voltammetric peak current with pH.