A New Approach to the Asymmetric Synthesis of 3-Methylpyrrolidine Alkaloids

3-Methylpyrrolidine alkaloids 1-5,isolated from the poison gland of several species of ants Leptothoracini (Myrmicinae), have been found to be pheromones and chemical weapons of them^1,2].Since these alkaloids are only available at nanogram scale, the development of asymmetric synthesis is of importance, in particular for evaluating their bioactivities.