Reduction of N‐Nitrosaminoquinolinediones with LiAlH4 – an Easy Path to New Tricyclic Benzoxadiazocines

3‐Butylaminoquinolinediones ( 1 ) react with NaNO₂ in AcOH to give the corresponding N‐nitrosoderivatives ( 2 ). The analogous reactions of 4‐hydroxy‐3‐butylaminoquinolinediones ( 5 ), prepared by the reduction of 1 with NaBH₄, produce the corresponding nitrosamines ( 4 ). The reduction of both 2 and 4 with Zn under different conditions was non‐productive, but the reduction of both compounds with LiAlH₄ at the oxo and lactame groups yielded impure products, generating new tricyclic benzoxadiazocines ( 9 ) by a reaction with HNCO. All compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H‐, and ¹³C‐NMR (in some cases, ¹⁵N‐NMR also) spectroscopy and EI and/or ESI mass spectrometry. The X‐ray structure of compound 9g was determined.     

Hydrozirconation of four-, five-, six- and seven-membered N-alkoxycarbonyl lactams to lactamols

A general, practical, and efficient reduction of four-, five-, six- and, seven-membered N-alkoxycarbonyl lactams to the aldehyde oxidation state is reported. The reduction methodology involves the hydrozirconation reaction by Cp₂Zr(H)Cl under mild conditions and proceeds with very short reaction times and in excellent to good yields. The hydrozirconation of N-alkoxycarbonyl lactams with the Schwartz reagent demonstrated to be the mildest and most general method for the formation of lactamols with a high functional group tolerance.     

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Incargranine A Enabled by Bifunctional Iminophosphorane and Iridium Catalysis

Herein we report the first enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-incargranine A, in nine steps. The total synthesis was enabled by an enantioselective intramolecular organocatalysed desymmetrising Michael addition of a malonamate ester to a linked dienone substrate that established pivotal stereocentres with excellent enantio- and complete diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, a key hemiaminal intermediate was accessed by developing an iridium-catalysed reductive cyclisation, and the scope of this transformation was explored to produce a range of bicyclic hemiaminal motifs. Once installed, the hemiaminal motif was used to initiate a biomimetic cascade to access the natural product directly in a single step.