Addition of Allenylzinc Reagents, Prepared in Situ from Nonracemic Propargylic Mesylates, to Aldehydes. A New Synthesis of Highly Enantioenriched Homopropargylic Alcohols

Advances Toward Amphidinolides C, F and U: Isolations, Synthetic Studies and Total Syntheses

Amphidinolides C, F, and U, including C2-C4 analogs, are highly cytotoxic marine macrolides, mainly isolated from dinoflagellates of the genus Amphidinium. All these polyketides share a 75 % or more similar structure, highlighted by a macrolactone ring, at least one trans-2,5-substituted-THF motif and a characteristic polyenic side chain. From their isolation and absolute configurational assignment, the total synthesis of these marine macrolides represented an intense challenge to the organic synthesis community over the last 15 years, with around 14 research groups engaged in this inspiring task. In the first part of this review, we present the different approaches to the isolation and characterization of these natural products, including the most recent analogs, which may cast doubt on the biogenetic origin of these compounds. The various synthetic approaches to the total synthesis of C, F, and U amphidinolides are presented in a second part, focusing on key reactions and/or innovative strategies. The review concludes in a third section summarizing the successful approaches leading to the total synthesis of one of the members of this amphidinolide subfamily.

Total Synthesis of the Reported Structure of Neaumycin B

The stereoselective total synthesis of structure 1 assigned to the macrolide natural product neaumycin B is reported in a 2.3% overall yield on 90 mg scale. The synthesis features a gram-scale nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling/spiroketalization tactic to construct the spiroketal core of neaumycin B. The stereostructures of the C3-C6, C8-C14, and C20-C41 segments of synthetic neaumycin B were unambiguously verified by X-ray crystallography.

Synthesis of the C50 diastereomers of the C33–C51 fragment of stambomycin D

The preparation of two C50 diastereomers of the C33–C51 region of stambomycin D is described. In addition to excellent correlation with the natural product, this synthesis establishes conditions for eventual global deprotection.

Total synthesis of verucopeptin, an inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)

Verucopeptin is an inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), which is a promising target for cancer chemotherapy. Here, we report the first total synthesis of verucopeptin via condensation of the depsipeptide core and the polyketide side chain unit including three branched methyl groups after the synthesis of each segment.

Chemical Syntheses and Chemical Biology of Carboxyl Polyether Ionophores: Recent Highlights

A central goal of chemical biology is to develop molecular probes that enable fundamental studies of cellular systems. In the hierarchy of bioactive molecules, the so-called ionophore class occupies an unflattering position in the lower branches, with typical labels being "non-specific" and "toxic". In fact, the mere possibility that a candidate molecule possesses "ionophore activity" typically prompts its removal from further studies; ionophores-from a chemical genetics perspective-are molecular outlaws. In stark contrast to this overall poor reputation of ionophores, synthetic chemistry owes some of its most amazing achievements to studies of ionophore natural products, in particular the carboxyl polyethers renowned for their intricate molecular structures. These compounds have for decades been academic battlegrounds where new synthetic methodology is tested and retrosynthetic tactics perfected. Herein, we review the most exciting recent advances in carboxyl polyether ionophore (CPI) synthesis and in addition discuss the burgeoning field of CPI chemical biology.

Catalytic Enantioselective Carbonyl Propargylation Beyond Preformed Carbanions: Reductive Coupling and Hydrogen Auto-Transfer

Chiral metal complexes catalyze enantioselective carbonyl propargylation via reductive coupling or as hydrogen auto-transfer processes, in which reactant alcohols serve dually as reductant and carbonyl proelectrophile. Unlike classical propargylation protocols, which rely on allenylmetal reagents or metallic reductants (e.g. NHK reactions), reductive protocols for carbonyl propargylation can occur in the absence of stoichiometric metals, precluding generation of metallic byproducts. Propargylations of this type exploit both enyne and propargyl halide pronucleophiles.

Organocatalytic reductive coupling of aldehydes with 1,1-diarylethylenes using an in situ generated pyridine-boryl radical

A pyridine-boryl radical promoted reductive coupling reaction of aldehydes with 1,1-diarylethylenes has been established.

A pyridine-boryl radical promoted reductive coupling reaction of aldehydes with 1,1-diarylethylenes has been established via a combination of computational and experimental studies. Density functional theory calculations and control experiments suggest that the ketyl radical from the addition of the pyridine-boryl radical to aldehydes is the key intermediate for this C–C bond formation reaction. This metal-free reductive coupling reaction features a broad substrate scope and good functional compatibility.

Synthetic Strategies Employed for the Construction of Fostriecin and Related Natural Products

Fostriecin and related natural products present a significant challenge for synthetic chemists due to their structural complexity and chemical sensitivity. This review will chronicle the successful efforts of synthetic chemists in the construction of these biologically active molecules. Key carbon-carbon bond forming reactions will be highlighted, as well as the methods used to install the numerous stereocenters present in this class of compounds.

C-Propargylation Overrides O-Propargylation in Reactions of Propargyl Chloride with Primary Alcohols: Rhodium-Catalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation

The canonical SN 2 behavior displayed by alcohols and activated alkyl halides in basic media (O-alkylation) is superseded by a pathway leading to carbinol C-alkylation under the conditions of rhodium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation. Racemic and asymmetric propargylations are described.

Asymmetric palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation using dialkylzinc reagents: a remarkable ligand effect

A serendipitously discovered palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction with diorganozinc reagents, which displays broad functional group compatibility, is reported. This novel transformation hinges on a remarkable ligand effect which overrides the standard "umpolung" reactivity of allyl-palladium intermediates in the presence of dialkylzincs. Owing to its mild conditions, enantioselective allylic alkylations of racemic allylic electrophiles are possible in the presence of sensitive functional groups.

Accelerating spirocyclic polyketide synthesis using flow chemistry

Over the past decade, the integration of synthetic chemistry with flow processing has resulted in a powerful platform for molecular assembly that is making an impact throughout the chemical community. Herein, we demonstrate the extension of these tools to encompass complex natural product synthesis. We have developed a number of novel flow-through processes for reactions commonly encountered in natural product synthesis programs to achieve the first total synthesis of spirodienal A and the preparation of spirangien A methyl ester. Highlights of the synthetic route include an iridium-catalyzed hydrogenation, iterative Roush crotylations, gold-catalyzed spiroketalization and a late-stage cis-selective reduction.

Chiral Brønsted acid catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of anti-homopropargyl alcohols via kinetic resolution-aldehyde allenylboration using racemic allenylboronates

A chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed kinetic resolution/allenylboration of racemic allenylboronates with aldehydes is described. Allenylboration of aldehydes with 2.8 equiv of allenylboronate (±)-1 in the presence of 10 mol % of catalyst (R)-2 provided anti-homopropargyl alcohols 3 in 83-95% yield with 9:1 to 20:1 diastereoselectivity and 73-95% ee. The catalyst enables the kinetic resolution of the racemic allenylboronate (±)-1 to set the methyl stereocenter and biases the facial attack of the aldehyde to set the stereochemistry of the hydroxyl group in 3.

The chemistry of bisallenes

This review describes the preparation, structural properties and the use of bisallenes in organic synthesis for the first time. All classes of compounds containing at least two allene moieties are considered, starting from simple conjugated bisallenes and ending with allenes in which the two cumulenic units are connected by complex polycyclic ring systems, heteroatoms and/or heteroatom-containing tethers. Preparatively the bisallenes are especially useful in isomerization and cycloaddition reactions of all kinds leading to the respective target molecules with high atom economy and often in high yield. Bisallenes are hence substrates for generating molecular complexity in a small number of steps (high step economy).

Ruthenium-catalyzed reductive coupling of 1,3-enynes and aldehydes by transfer hydrogenation: anti-diastereoselective carbonyl propargylation

Under the conditions of ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation employing isopropanol as a source of hydrogen, isopropoxy-substituted enyne 1 b and aldehydes 3 a-3 l engage in reductive coupling to provide products of propargylation 4 a-4 l with good to complete levels of anti-diastereoselectivity. The unprotected tertiary hydroxy moiety of isopropoxy enyne 1 b is required to enforce diastereoselectivity. Deuterium-labeling studies corroborate reversible enyne hydrometalation in advance of carbonyl addition. As demonstrated in the conversion of 4 f-h and 4 k to 5 f-h and 5 k, the isopropoxy group of the product is readily cleaved upon exposure to aqueous sodium hydroxide to reveal the terminal alkyne.

Enantioselective synthesis of anti- and syn-homopropargyl alcohols via chiral Brønsted acid catalyzed asymmetric allenylboration reactions

Chiral Brønsted acid catalyzed asymmetric allenylboration reactions are described. Under optimized conditions, anti-homopropargyl alcohols 2 are obtained in high yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities from stereochemically matched aldehyde allenylboration reactions with (M)-1 catalyzed by the chiral phosphoric acid (S)-4. The syn-isomers 3 can also be obtained in good diastereoselectivities and excellent enantioselectivities from the mismatched allenylboration reactions of aromatic aldehydes using (M)-1 in the presence of the enantiomeric phosphoric acid (R)-4. The stereochemistry of the methyl group introduced into 2 and 3 is controlled by the chirality of the allenylboronate (M)-1, whereas the configuration of the new hydroxyl stereocenter is controlled by the enantioselectivity of the chiral phosphoric acid catalyst used in these reactions. The synthetic utility of this methodology was further demonstrated in highly diastereoselective syntheses of a variety of anti, anti-stereotriads, the direct synthesis of which has constituted a significant challenge using previous generations of aldol and crotylmetal reagents.

Asymmetric propargylation of ketones using allenylboronates catalyzed by chiral biphenols

Chiral biphenols catalyze the enantioselective asymmetric propargylation of ketones using allenylboronates. The reaction uses 10 mol % of 3,3'-Br(2)-BINOL as the catalyst and allenyldioxoborolane as the nucleophile, in the absence of solvent, and under microwave irradiation to afford the homopropargylic alcohol. The reaction products are obtained in good yields (60-98%) and high enantiomeric ratios (3:1-99:1). Diastereoselective propargylations using chiral racemic allenylboronates result in good diastereoselectivities (dr >86:14) and enantioselectivities (er >92:8) under the catalytic conditions.

Challenges in the synthesis of a unique mono-carboxylic acid antibiotic, (+)-zincophorin

(+)-Zincophorin, also referred to as M144255 or griseocholin, is a polyoxygenated ionophoric antibiotic that was isolated from Streptomyces griseus in 1984. It possesses strong in vivo activity against Gram-positive bacteria and Clostridium coelchii. Its methyl ester was reported in a patent as having strong inhibitory properties against influenza WSN/virus with reduced toxicity for the host cell. Its ability to strongly bind with Zn2+, which is also present in its X-ray structure, is the basis for its name. Over the last two decades, (+)-zincophorin has attracted an impressive array of synthetic efforts including Danishefsky's first total synthesis, along with two recent elegant total syntheses reported by Cossy and Miyashita as well as our own formal total synthesis. This review provides a comparison of the different synthetic efforts on this novel mono-carboxylic acid antibiotic and documents its interesting isolation, structure determination, and biological activities.

Total syntheses of amphidinolide X and Y

Concise total syntheses of the cytotoxic marine natural products amphidinolide X (1) and amphidinolide Y (2) as well as of the nonnatural analogue 19-epi-amphidinolide X (47) are described. A pivotal step of the highly convergent routes to these structurally rather unusual secondary metabolites consists of a syn-selective formation of allenol 17 by an iron-catalyzed ring opening reaction of the enantioenriched propargyl epoxide 16 (derived from a Sharpless epoxidation) with a Grignard reagent. Allenol 17 was then cyclized with the aid of Ag(I) to give dihydrofuran 19 containing the (R)-configured tetrasubstituted sp3 chiral center at C.19, which was further elaborated into tetrahydrofuran 25 representing the common heterocyclic motif of 1 and 2. The aliphatic chain of amphidinolide X featuring an anti-configured stereodiad at C.10 and C.11 was generated by a palladium-catalyzed, Et2Zn-promoted addition of the enantiopure propargyl mesylate 29 to the functionalized aldehyde 28. The preparation of the corresponding C.1-C.12 segment of amphidinolide Y relies on asymmetric hydrogenation of an alpha-ketoester, a diastereoselective boron aldol reaction, and a chelate-controlled addition of MeMgBr in combination with suitable oxidation state management for the elaboration of the tertiary acyloin motif. Importantly, the end games of both total syntheses follow similar blueprints, involving key fragment coupling processes via the "9-MeO-9-BBN" variant of the alkyl-Suzuki reaction and final Yamaguchi esterifications to forge the 16-membered macrodiolide ring of amphidinolide X and the 17-membered macrolide frame of amphidinolide Y, respectively. This methodological convergence ensures high efficiency and an excellent overall economy of steps for the entire synthesis campaign.

Total Synthesis of Iejimalide A−D and Assessment of the Remarkable Actin-Depolymerizing Capacity of These Polyene Macrolides

A concise and convergent total synthesis of the highly cytotoxic marine natural products iejimalide A-D (1-4) is reported, which relies on an effective ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of a cyclization precursor containing no less than 10 double bonds. Because of the exceptional sensitivity of this polyunsaturated intermediate and its immediate precursors toward acid, base, and even gentle warming, the assembly process hinged upon the judicious choice of protecting groups and the careful optimization of all individual transformations. As a consequence, particularly mild protocols for Stille as well as Suzuki reactions of elaborate coupling partners have been developed that hold considerable promise for applications in other complex settings. Moreover, a series of non-natural "iejimalide-like" compounds has been prepared, differing from the natural lead in the polar head groups linked to the macrolide's N-terminus. With the aid of these compounds it was possible to uncover the hitherto unknown effect of iejimalide and analogues on the actin cytoskeleton. Their capacity to depolymerize this microfilament network rivals that of the latrunculins which constitute the standard in the field. Structural modifications of the peptidic terminus in 2 are thereby well accommodated, without compromising the biological effects. The iejimalides hence constitute an important new class of probe molecules for chemical biology in addition to their role as promising lead structures for the development of novel anticancer agents.

Chiral allylic and allenic metal reagents for organic synthesis

This account traces the evolution of our work on the synthesis of chiral allylic and allenic organometal compounds of tin, silicon, zinc, and indium and their application to natural product synthesis over the past quarter century.