Construction of the DEF-ring system of nogalamycin and menogaril via an efficient Suzuki-Miyaura reaction

A new approach to the total synthesis of anthracycline natural products, nogalamycin and menogaril, was explored. The goal was to enable late-stage introduction of the EF-ring segment. The new synthetic route has been developed through strategic application of a Suzuki-Miyaura reaction as the key step, which coupled the EF-ring segment with the D-ring to give a 1,1′-disubsitituted alkene in good yield under biphasic conditions. Further manipulation of the coupling product completed the construction of the DEF-ring system.