Diels-AlderRegioselectivity Controlled by Remote Substituents. The Cycloadditions of 1-(Dimethoxymethyl)-2,3-dimethylidene- and -2,3,5,6-tetramethylidene-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes

Anodic Cyclizations, Densely Functionalized Synthetic Building Blocks, and the Importance of Recent Mechanistic Observations

Anodic cyclization reactions can provide a versatile method for converting newly obtained chiral lactols to densely functionalized cyclic building blocks. The method works by first converting the lactol into an electron-rich olefin and then oxidatively generating a radical cation that is trapped by a nucleophile. Historically, such reactions have benefited from the use of less polar radical cations when the trapping nucleophile is a heteroatom and more polar radical cations when the reaction forms C-C bonds. This forced one to optimize underperforming reactions by resynthesizing the substrate. Here, we show that by taking advantage of methods that serve to drive a reversible initial cyclization reaction toward the product, this dichotomy and need to manipulate the substrate can be avoided. Two such methods were utilized: a faster second oxidation step and a mediated electrolysis. Both led to successful cyclizations using a polar radical cation and heteroatom nucleophiles.

Intramolecular diels-alder reaction by self-assembly of the components on a lewis acid template

Diels-Alder reactions of 2,4-hexadienol or its O-methyl ether with acrylate derivatives at 120 degrees C give mixtures of the four possible adducts with low selectivity. At ambient temperature and in the presence of Mg(II) or Al(III) Lewis acids, reactions of the dienol (but not the ether) are highly selective. Control experiments suggest that the Lewis acid serves both to tether the diene and dienophile and to induce an "intramolecular" reaction of the resulting "self-assembled" intermediate.

Asymmetric Synthesis and DNA Intercalation of (-)-6-[[(Aminoalkyl)oxy]methyl]-4-demethoxy-6,7- dideoxydaunomycinones(1)(,)

The BF(3).Et(2)O-promoted Diels-Alder addition of 1-acetylvinyl RADO(Et)-ate (RADO(Et)-ate = 3-ethyl-2-oxo-6,8-dioxa-3-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-7-exo-carboxylate) to 1-(dimethoxymethyl)-2,3,5,6-tetramethylidene-7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane led to one major monoadduct that added to 1,2-didehydrobenzene and was converted into (-)-4-demethoxy-7-deoxydaunomycinone and (2R)-12-acetoxy-2-acetyl-5-(bromomethyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthacen-2-yl RADO(Et)-ate. The latter compound was used to construct (8R)-8-acetyl-6,8-dihydroxy-11-[[(3'-[(aminopropyl)oxy]-, -4'-[(aminobutyl)oxy], and -5'-[(aminopentyl)oxy]methyl]-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-dione hydrochloride (-)-8, (-)-9, (-)-10, respectively, as well as (8R)-8-acetyl-6,8-dihydroxy-11- [[[2'-[(3"-aminopropyl)amino]ethyl]oxy]- ((-)-11) and -[[3'-[(3"-aminopropyl)amino]propyl]oxy]methyl]-7,8,9, 10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-dione hydrochloride ((-)-12). (8R)-8-Acetyl-6,8-dihydroxy-11-[[(alpha-L-daunosaminyl)oxy]methyl]-7,8,9,10-tetrahydronaphthacene-5,12-dione hydrochloride ((-)-13), a mimic of idarubicin, was also prepared. Absorbance and fluorescence titration experiments showed (-)-8, (-)-9, and (-)-10 to intercalate calf thymus DNA whereas (-)-11, (-)-12, and (-)-13 did not. The best intercalator was (-)-9 (K(b) = (1.1 +/- 0.1) x 10(5) M(-)(1)) with the [(4'-aminobutyl)oxy]methyl chain. Inhibition of topoisomerase II-induced DNA strand religation was observed for (-)-8 at a concentration of 50 &mgr;M.