Intramolekulare kinetische Sharpless-Racematspaltung: Totalsynthese von Laulimalid

From the Total Synthesis of Semi-Viriditoxin, Semi-Viriditoxic Acid and Dimeric Naphthopyranones to their Biological Activities in Burkitt B Cell Lymphoma

Dimeric naphthopyranones are known to be biologically active, however, for the corresponding monomeric naphthopyranones this information is still elusive. Here the first enantioselective total synthesis of semi-viriditoxic acid as well as the synthesis of semi-viriditoxin and derivatives is reported. The key intermediate in the synthesis of naphthopyranones is an α,β-unsaturated δ-lactone, which we synthesized in two different ways (Ghosez-cyclization and Grubbs ring-closing metathesis), while the domino-Michael-Dieckmann reaction of the α,β-unsaturated δ-lactone with an orsellinic acid derivative is the key reaction. A structure-activity relationship study was performed measuring the cytotoxicity in Burkitt B lymphoma cells (Ramos). The dimeric structure was found to be crucial for biological activity: Only the dimeric naphthopyranones showed cytotoxic and apoptotic activity, whereas the monomers did not display any activity at all.

syn ‐Selective Epoxidation of Chiral Terminal Allylic Alcohols with a Titanium Salalen Catalyst and Hydrogen Peroxide

In the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of chiral secondary allylic alcohols, one substrate enantiomer is predominantly converted to the anti‐epoxy alcohol. We herein report the first highly syn‐selective epoxidation of terminal allylic alcohols using a titanium salalen complex as catalyst, at room temperature, and aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. With enantiopure terminal allylic alcohols as substrates, the epoxy alcohols were obtained with up to 98 % yield and up to >99 : 1 dr (syn). Catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol % can be applied without eroding the syn‐diastereoselectivity. Modification of the allylic alcohol to an ether does not affect the diastereoselectivity either [>99 : 1 dr (syn)]. Inverting the catalyst configuration leads to the anti‐product, albeit at lower dr (ca. 20 : 1). The synthetic potential is demonstrated by a short, gram‐scale preparation of a tetrahydrofuran building block with three stereocenters, involving two titanium salalen catalyzed epoxidation steps.

Total synthesis of laulimalide: synthesis of the northern and southern fragments

The first stage in the development of a synthetic route for the total synthesis of laulimalide (1) is described. Our retrosynthetic analysis envisioned a novel macrocyclization route to the natural product by using a Ru-catalyzed alkene-alkyne coupling. This would be preceded by an esterification of the C19 hydroxyl group, joining together two equally sized synthons, the northern fragment 7 and the southern fragment 8. Our first generation approach to the northern fragment entailed a key sequential Ru/Pd coupling sequence to assemble the dihydropyran. The key reactions proceeded smoothly, but the inability to achieve a key olefin migration led to the development of an alternative route based on an asymmetric dinuclear Zn-catalyzed aldol reaction of a hydroxyl acylpyrrole. This key reaction led to the desired diol adduct 66 with excellent syn/anti selectivity (10:1), and allowed for the successful completion of the northern fragment 7. The key step for the synthesis of the southern fragment was a chemoselective Rh-catalyzed cycloisomerization reaction to form the dihydropyran ring from a diyne precursor. This reaction proved to be selective for the formation of a six-membered ring, over a seven. The use of an electron-deficient bidentate phosphine allowed for the reaction to proceed with a reduced catalyst loading.

Iodine-catalyzed highly diastereoselective synthesis of trans-2,6-disubstituted-3,4-dihydropyrans: application to concise construction of C28-C37 bicyclic core of (+)-sorangicin A

A novel iodine-catalyzed highly diastereoselective synthesis of trans-2,6-disubstituted-3,4-dihydropyrans have been achieved from delta-hydroxy alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes by treating with allyltrimethyl silane in THF at room temperature with good to excellent yields. This methodology has been successfully implemented for a concise asymmetric synthesis of C28-C37 dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane ring system of (+)-sorangicin A in 8 steps with 21% overall yield.

The total synthesis of (+)-tedanolide--A macrocyclic polyketide from marine sponge Tedania ignis

Tedanolide, which was isolated by Schmitz in 1984 from the marine sponge Tedania ignis, is a highly cytotoxic macrolide leading to strong growth inhibition of P338 tumor cells in bioassays. A unique structural feature of the known tedanolides is the primary hydroxyl group incorporated in the macrolactone. This unusual motif for macrolactones originated from PKS biosynthesis might arise through lactonizations others than those derived by the thioesterase reaction. First experimental data that support this hypothesis and reflect the inherent preference of PKS-induced macrolactonization were obtained during this synthesis. The inherent preference for the formation of a 14-membered macrocyclization is discussed together with the pivotal steps in the synthesis.