Studies towards the Synthesis of Pentalenene: Mechanistic Insights into the Isomerization Phenomenon During RCM of Medium-Sized Rings

Synthesis and biological profiling of parthenolide ether analogs

Parthenolide (PTL) strongly inhibits the detyrosination of microtubules and accelerates neuronal growth. In order to access cyclic ether derivatives of PTL, ring-closing metathesis (RCM) was investigated in comparison to intramolecular sulfone alkylation. Incompatibility of RCM with epoxides was found in this setting. Biological evaluation for tubulin carboxypeptidase inhibition indicated that the epoxide is crucial for parthenolide's activity.

Synthesis of Dihydrooxepino[3,2-c]Pyrazoles via Claisen Rearrangement and Ring-Closing Metathesis from 4-Allyloxy-1H-pyrazoles

Synthesis of novel pyrazole-fused heterocycles, i.e., dihydro-1H- or 2H-oxepino[3,2-c]pyrazoles (6 or 7) from 4-allyloxy-1H-pyrazoles (1) via combination of Claisen rearrangement and ring-closing metathesis (RCM) has been achieved. A suitable catalyst for the RCM of 5-allyl-4-allyloxy-1H-pyrazoles (4) was proved to be the Grubbs second generation catalyst (Grubbs2nd) to give the predicted RCM product at room temperature in three hours. The same reactions of the regioisomer, 3-allyl-4-allyloxy-1H-pyrazoles (5), also proceeded to give the corresponding RCM products. On the other hand, microwave aided RCM at 140 °C on both of 4 and 5 afforded mixtures of isomeric products with double bond rearrangement from normal RCM products in spite of remarkable reduction of the reaction time to 10 min.

Total synthesis of rupestine G and its epimers

Rupestine G is a guaipyridine sesquiterpene alkaloid isolated from Artemisia rupestris L. The total synthesis of rupestine G and its epimers was accomplished employing a Suzuki reaction to build a terminal diene moiety. The diene was further elaborated into the desired guaipyridine structure by a ring-closing metathesis reaction. Over all, rupestine G and its three epimers were obtained as a mixture in a sequence of nine linear steps with 18.9% yield. Rupestine G and its optically pure isomers were isolated by chiral preparative HPLC and fully characterized by 1H ,13C NMR, HRMS, optical rotation value, and experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Carbocyclic Propellanes

A modular synthesis of functionalized carbocyclic propellanes was developed. Formation of the first of two quaternary bridgehead centers has been achieved by desymmetrization of prostereogenic ketones by either Hajos-Parrish-Eder-Sauer-Wiechert-type processes or Werner's catalytic asymmetric Wittig reaction. The obtained bicyclic enones were subjected to conjugate additions upon which the remaining ring was formed by olefin metathesis. All bridges are amenable to further derivatization, which renders those compounds useful as central units in fragment-based drug discovery or as ligand scaffolds.

Investigation of the Passerini and Ugi reactions in β-lactam aldehydes. Synthetic applications

Ugi and Passerini multicomponent reactions on 4-oxoazetidine-2-carboxaldehydes allow the straightforward synthesis of highly functionalized β-lactams.

Does the rate of competing isomerisation during alkene metathesis depend on pre-catalyst initiation rate?

Detailed kinetic experiments reveal that the rates of competing isomerisation processes in alkene metathesis reactions are independent of pre-catalyst initiation rate, but are reduced by the presence of phosphine.

Forming a ruthenium isomerisation catalyst from Grubbs II: a DFT study

A pathway for methanolysis of Grubbs’ second generation catalyst has been computed.

Selective formation of angular tricyclic compounds by ruthenium-mediated ring-rearrangement metathesis

Unsaturated spirocyclic substrates bearing two alkenyl chains underwent ruthenium-mediated ring-rearrangement metathesis through relaying cyclohexene and cycloheptene moieties to give angularly fused tricyclics. In some instances where two products were expected, high degrees of selectivity were observed. In one instance the structural parameter leading to selectivity was very subtle; in others the transformation favoured the formation of products with a cis-fused cyclohexene moiety. An unusual transformation involving ring-opening, double-bond migration, and then ring-closing was observed.