The Diels--Alder reaction in total synthesis

Total synthesis and absolute configuration of the bisanthraquinone antibiotic BE-43472B

An-T-biotic: The first total synthesis of the T-shaped bisanthraquinone natural product BE-43472B was accomplished and its absolute configuration assigned. Key transformations in the pivotal cascade sequence include a Diels-Alder reaction, a hemiketal formation, and a nucleophilic aromatic ipso substitution.

Recent advances in the chemistry and biology of naturally occurring antibiotics

Ever since the world-shaping discovery of penicillin, nature's molecular diversity has been extensively screened for new medications and lead compounds in drug discovery. The search for agents intended to combat infectious diseases has been of particular interest and has enjoyed a high degree of success. Indeed, the history of antibiotics is marked with impressive discoveries and drug-development stories, the overwhelming majority of which have their origin in natural products. Chemistry, and in particular chemical synthesis, has played a major role in bringing naturally occurring antibiotics and their derivatives to the clinic, and no doubt these disciplines will continue to be key enabling technologies. In this review article, we highlight a number of recent discoveries and advances in the chemistry, biology, and medicine of naturally occurring antibiotics, with particular emphasis on total synthesis, analogue design, and biological evaluation of molecules with novel mechanisms of action.

Discoveries from the Abyss: The Abyssomicins and Their Total Synthesis

Abyssomicin C is a recently discovered antibiotic with promising antibacterial activity, high structural complexity, and a novel mechanism of action. We give an account of our abyssomicin campaign and some of the discoveries that were borne of our total synthesis efforts, including a new Lewis acid-templated Diels-Alder reaction, the previously undescribed atrop-abyssomicin C, a facile Brønsted acid-catalyzed isomerization of abyssomicin C, and clarification of the likely biosynthetic origin of abyssomicin D.

Evolution of multi-component anion relay chemistry (ARC): construction of architecturally complex natural and unnatural products

Efficient construction of architecturally complex natural and unnatural products is the hallmark of organic chemistry. Anion relay chemistry (ARC)-a multi-component coupling protocol-has the potential to provide the chemist with a powerful synthetic tactic, enabling efficient, rapid elaboration of structurally complex scaffolds in a single operation with precise stereochemical control. The ARC tactic can be subdivided into two main classes, comprising the relay of negative charge either through bonds or through space, the latter with aid of a transfer agent. This review will present the current state of through-space anion relay, in conjunction with examples of natural and unnatural product syntheses that illustrate the utility of this synthetic method.

From nature to the laboratory and into the clinic

Natural products possess a broad diversity of structure and function, and they provide inspiration for chemistry, biology, and medicine. In this review article, we highlight and place in context our laboratory's total syntheses of, and related studies on, complex secondary metabolites that were clinically important drugs, or have since been developed into useful medicines, namely amphotericin B (1), calicheamicin gamma(1)(I) (2), rapamycin (3), Taxol (4), the epothilones [e.g., epothilones A (5) and B (6)], and vancomycin (7). We also briefly highlight our research with other selected inspirational natural products possessing interesting biological activities [i.e., dynemicin A (8), uncialamycin (9), eleutherobin (10), sarcodictyin A (11), azaspiracid-1 (12), thiostrepton (13), abyssomicin C (14), platensimycin (15), platencin (16), and palmerolide A (17)].

Intramolecular cyclizations of polyketide biosynthesis: mining for a "Diels-Alderase"?

Despite the large number of naturally occurring metabolites existing for which enzymatic Diels-Alder reactions have been proposed as a key biosynthetic step, the actual number of enzymes thus far identified for these transformations is incredibly low. Even for those few enzymes identified, there is currently little biochemical or mechanistic evidence to support the label of a "Diels-Alderase." For several families of polyketide metabolites, the transformation in question introduces a rigid, cross-linked scaffold, leaving the remaining peripheral modifications and polyketide processing to provide the variation among the related metabolites. A detailed understanding of these modifications--how they are introduced and the tolerance of enzymes involved for alternate substrates--will strengthen biosynthetic engineering efforts toward related designer metabolites. This review addresses intramolecular cyclizations that appear to be consistent with enzymatic Diels-Alder transformations for which either the responsible enzyme has been identified or the respective biosynthetic gene cluster for the metabolite in question has been elucidated.

Natural products as inspiration for the development of asymmetric catalysis

Biologically active natural products often contain particularly challenging structural features and functionalities in terms of synthesis. Perhaps the greatest difficulties are those caused by issues of stereochemistry. A useful strategy for synthesizing such molecules is to devise methods of bond formation that provide opportunities for using enantioselective catalysis. In using this tactic, the desire for a particular target structure ultimately drives the development of catalytic methods. New enantioselective catalytic methods contribute to a greater fundamental understanding of how bonds can be constructed and lead to valuable synthetic technologies that are useful for a variety of applications.

Chiral NHC-catalyzed oxodiene Diels-Alder reactions with alpha-chloroaldehyde bisulfite salts

Alpha-chloroaldehyde bisulfite adducts were successfully employed in chiral NHC-catalyzed hetero-Diels-Alder reactions with various oxodienes under biphasic reaction conditions with high levels of enantioselectivity. This new protocol makes possible enantioselective additions from commercially available chloroacetaldehyde sodium bisulfite and demonstrates that this unique class of catalysts readily tolerates aqueous conditions.

Unlocking the potential of bile acids in synthesis, supramolecular/materials chemistry and nanoscience

The Maitra group has explored a variety of chemistry with bile acids during the past 15 years and these experiments have covered a wide variety of chemistry-asymmetric synthesis, molecular recognition, ion receptors/sensors, dendrimers, low molecular mass organo and hydrogelators, gel-nanoparticle composites, etc. Some of what excites us in this field is highlighted in this perspective article.

Synthesis of the AB subunit of angelmicin B through a tandem alkoxy radical fragmentation-etherification sequence

The synthesis of the tricyclic enone 2, corresponding to the AB subunit of the novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor angelmicin B, is described. The strategy centers on an intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction on triene 4 to provide the complex decalin 3, which is elaborated to 2. Other key steps are the formation of the THF ring in 2 through a tandem alkoxy radical fragmentation-etherification on the lactol derived from 3, and the synthesis of 4 via a ring-closing ene-yne metathesis (RCEYM).

Total synthesis of thiopeptide antibiotics GE2270A, GE2270T, and GE2270C1

The total syntheses of the thiopeptide antibiotics GE2270A (7), GE2270T (8), and GE2270C1 (9) are described. The original synthetic strategies employed utilized the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction to construct the pyridine core of the target molecules and relied on a macrolactamization process to construct the macrocycle. The hetero-Diels-Alder-based strategy finally evolved allows the introduction of all four thiazole units attached to the pyridine ring and a one-pot sequence for macrocyclization and side-chain extension, culminating in highly convergent and expedient syntheses of these molecules as exemplified by a 24-step synthesis of GE2270C1 (9).

Total synthesis of complex heterocyclic natural products

Total synthesis campaigns toward complex heterocyclic natural products are a prime source of inspiration for the design and execution of complex cascade sequences, powerful reactions, and efficient synthetic strategies. We highlight selected examples of such innovations in the course of our total syntheses of diazonamide A, azaspiracid-1, thiostrepton, 2,2'-epi-cytoskyrin A and rugulosin, abyssomycin C, platensimycin, and uncialamycin.

exo-Selective Asymmetric Diels–Alder Reaction Catalyzed by Diamine Salts as Organocatalysts

An organocatalyst formed from a binaphthyl-substituted diamine and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid exhibited unprecedented levels of exo selectivity in the Diels-Alder reaction of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes with cyclopentadiene. A novel axially chiral diamine was also designed as an organocatalyst for an asymmetric variant of this reaction, in which the desired cycloadducts were formed with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The highest diastereoselectivity observed was greater than 20:1 in favor of the exo cycloadduct in the asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of crotonaldehyde with cyclopentadiene.