Simultaneous Determination of the Conformation and Relative Configuration of Archazolide A by Using Nuclear Overhauser Effects,J Couplings, and Residual Dipolar Couplings

Long-Range Residual Dipolar Couplings: A Tool for Determining the Configuration of Small Molecules

Together with NOE and J coupling, one-bond residual dipolar coupling (RDC), which reports on the three-dimensional orientation of an internuclear vector in the molecular frame, plays an important role in the conformation and configuration analysis of small molecules in solution by NMR spectroscopy. When the molecule has few C-H bonds, or too many bonds are in parallel, the available RDCs may not be sufficient to obtain the alignment tensor used for structure elucidation. Long-range RDCs that connect nuclei over multiple bonds are normally not parallel to the single bonds and therefore complement one-bond RDCs. Herein we present a method for extracting the long-range RDC of a chosen proton or group of protons to all remotely connected carbon atoms, including non-protonated carbon atoms. Alignment tensors fitted directly to the total long-range couplings (T=J+D) enabled straightforward analysis of both the long-range and one-bond RDCs for strychnine.

Stereochemistry and total synthesis of complex myxobacterial macrolides

Polyketides are a very diverse family of natural products with an extremely broad range of biological activities and pharmacological properties, including antiproliferative, antibiotic, antifungal, or antiplasmodial activities, and in many cases specific targets are addressed at the molecular level. Their structures are characterized by diverse assemblies of methyl- and hydroxyl-bearing stereogenic centers enabling large numbers of stereochemical permutations, which are often embedded into macrolide rings. This complexity renders the stereochemical assignment and directed total synthesis challenging tasks. Within this review, we will detail practicable approaches for the stereochemical determination of diverse complex polyketides of myxobacterial origin by using computational and NMR methods in combination with novel procedures based on bioinformatics. Furthermore, we have developed efficient preparative strategies for the synthesis of these compounds, which have culminated in several first total syntheses. Key aspects of these various endeavors, which will also focus on the importance of conformational bias in complex polyketide analysis and synthesis, will be discussed within this review in the realm of the potent macrolide antibiotics etnangien and rhizopodin. Along these lines, we will also summarize novel methods for the rapid assembly of key structural elements of polyketides including a novel domino concept relying on a combination of a nucleophilic addition and a Tsuji–Trost reaction.