Convergent synthesis of the ABCDE-ring fragment of the Caribbean ciguatoxin C-CTX-1

Ciguatoxin C-CTX-1 was isolated as a principal causative toxin of ciguatera seafood poisoning in the Caribbean Sea, and is structurally classified as a ladder-shaped polycyclic ether. In this Letter, we report the convergent synthesis of the pentacyclic left half of C-CTX-1, based on a newly developed acyl radical strategy.     

Synthesis of enamides from aldehydes and amides

A range of double unsaturated amides (15, 19, and 21), obtained by cross-coupling reactions was reacted with aldehydes to hemiaminals. Heating the hemiaminals in the presence of Ac₂O and pyridine affected clean conversion to the corresponding enamides, such as 42, 45, and 47. Alternatively, N,S-acetals were prepared which were oxidized to the sulfones. Treatment with base also gave the enamides, favoring the cis-isomer. However, this method is less general. Application of these methods led to the natural products lansiumamide-A (30_cis), lansiumamide-I (31) and lansiumamide-B (32).